top 50 "lost" US hits of the early '80s

and more, below the top 50:

51. Ray, Goodman & Brown - Special Lady
52. Dan Fogelberg - Leader Of The Band
53. Frank Stallone - Far From Over
54. The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys Medley
55. The Jacksons - State Of Shock
56. Diana Ross - Why Do Fools Fall In Love
57. Dr. Hook - Sexy Eyes
58. Franke & The Knockouts - Sweetheart
59. REO Speedwagon - Keep The Fire Burnin'
60. Billy Preston & Syreeta - With You I'm Born Again
61. Billy Joel - An Innocent Man
62. Heart - Tell It Like It Is
63. Peaches & Herb - I Pledge My Love

(of those, "with you i'm born again" is gorgeous)

one more bonus... the top 5 "least lost" year-end finishers from these years:

1. Stevie Nicks - Edge Of Seventeen
2. Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - Refugee
3. Loverboy - Working For The Weekend
4. Def Leppard - Photograph
5. Journey - Don't Stop Believin'

(standard disclaimer: being in that list does NOT mean they were underperformers in their day, just that they pull much more attention now than other hits of similar stature from back then -- "don't stop believin'" being on there should give you an idea)

Top 5:

6. Rupert Holmes - Him
9. Donna Summer - Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)
32. Boz Scaggs - Jojo
42. Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard - Suddenly
44. Stevie Wonder - I Ain't Gonna Stand For It

Tho I would argue "Him" and "Jojo" have been "found" with the advent of yacht rock revivalism.

I went to the link at the top--pretty interesting concept, one I've thought about myself informally. Has he looked into the '70s?

he has! a 1975-9 list has been up a while and one for 1970-4 just recently went up, which was basically what prompted me to post another one of these :P i might poll those later too :)

Found it...Please do, lots of thoughts on those that I won't sidetrack this thread with.

I've been thinking of polling some 'alternate universe' top 40 charts now that, after recently patching a few gaps, I believe I've now listened to every charting Billboard Hot 100 song from 1960 through the early '90s and realizing how many excellent songs have been unjustly lost to time.

i seriously stan for "did it in a minute," but i've had the chance to vote for it in at least one other poll, which i don't think i can say for "HIM"

I like "Family Man", "Don't Let It End", and "Time". Recall Chariots of Fire theme thought I couldn't hum it right now. Stars on 45 medley and "I've Never Been to Me" would probably still be tied for worst even if I recognized the rest.

given how often i quote Charlene i felt legally obliged to vote for her

Cliff Richard had two hits in the US?

Chariots of Fire theme was much bigger in the UK, I think most people over 40 could hum it

It charted higher in North America, actually. It was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart 22 weeks. The album also reached #1 and stayed on the Hot 200 for 57 weeks: https://www.billboard.com/music/vangelis . It was definitely huge. It was just slipping my mind last night.

Little River Band had a string of hits in the lower reaches of the top ten that have vanished.

The only one on here I actively sought out at the time was Pac Man Fever

I lived through this era listening to a lot of top-40 radio and almost all of these are completely unknown to me!

misread #16 as "Vangelis - Chariots of Fire (Titties)"

There's an interesting crossover here, in that Hall and Oates starred in the Chariots of Fire parody Chariots of Eggs on SCTV.

I lived through it too, but was studiously avoiding it due to my infatuation with punk and new wave. A few of them managed to seep into my consciousness, for worse (“Chariots”) or better. Voting for Linda’s new wave attempt.

"Suddenly" and "Think of Laura" are the only two I know from memory on this list. I'm sure if/when I go through the top 50 and play the intros, I'll remember a lot more - I was a kid so I didn't know titles back then.

hoping to find gold in these hills.

I do love "Suddenly", cheesy as it is.

I lived through it too, but was studiously avoiding it due to my infatuation with punk and new wave.

Scanning the list, "Chariots of Fire" and "Jojo" are the only ones that I recognize and "Jojo" is from more recent listening than 80s radio. Think I'll vote for Jojo.

I guess I do know the Chariots title music

A lot of these I remember and a lot I don't. Quite a few of these had videos; artists were trying to figure that out.

It's between the Linda Ronstadt and the Donna Summer for me.

Rod Stewart's "Passion" comes up a second time this month, after appearing in the "Moody Midtempo AOR" thread, the only two times I've thought about that record since the '80s.

What we said about "Passion" in the Rod Stewart listening thread:

DON'T LET THEM PUT YOU DOWN: The Official ILM Track-By-Track ROD STEWART 1975-1988 Listening Thread

I like lots of these. "Solitaire" or "Take it Away"

Voted for "The Other Woman" because Ray Parker, Jr. deserved to go #1 for weeks with it and he's a smart-ass dude.

Y'all want a nice way to spend a Saturday morning? Read Popmaters' interview last December.

I had at least some acquaintance with 20 of these, many because I've listened to the albums after the fact. I listened to samples of the other 30 and, to my surprise, didn't recognize any.

As a little kid, it might have been Hooked On Classics? My current favourite that hasn't been mentioned yet is Love on the Rocks, for the beautiful tonic minor/major key change, probably courtesy Gilbert Becaud.

Ray Parker Jr. will unfortunately always be associated with the theme song to Apt Pupil.

Wen wirst du anrufen?
DER FUHRER

Ray Parker needs love (just like der Fuhrer do)

Of the ones that I recognize, Linda in a walk. That’s a good tune.

Of the ones that I recognize, Linda in a walk. That’s a good tune.

Of the ones that I recognize, Linda in a walk. That’s a good tune.

Some Linda Ronstadt albums were in a haul recently given to me; I like her Hollies cover from Mad Love even better, but "How Do I Make You"'s really good.

"Hurt So Bad" might be my favorite of her top tens.

Hated "Passion" at the time; just played it, stupefying, but I enjoyed some of the YouTube comments: "The only real song Rod came up with. This is real music."

There's no old song so terrible as to prevent a group of people eulogizing it and burying the rest of music since in YouTube comments.

Stars on 45 medley has to be the test of that. Let us see...yep, sigh.

lol :(

I love "Oh No." Blame The Last American Virgin.

Charlene wins this, just for the talking section alone being a running joke in our house for years. Thats truth, thats love...

The thing that struck me about the "Passion" comments was how they were 100% rhapsodic. Does YouTube not allow negative comments (or do they get moved to the bottom)? I have a hard time believing that "Passion" is such an ironclad favourite among Rod Stewart fans.

Metallica's hated St Anger is full of "this is great, fuck the haters" comments

My impression is that YouTube prioritizes its comments based on the thumbs up/down ratings they get, so the most positive ones move to the front.

Similar to imdb where no bad film has ever been made because people will give absolutely anything a 10/10 rating

Alien in LA, Criterion Collection

*from

I have a personal history with "Stars on 45" so I will be the one vote it gets.

as a Dutch person I was very much affected by this song as well, so much so that I’ll never ever be voting for it.

(curious about your personal history with it tho, but feel free to keep it to yourself obv)

also, the previous time this list came up (forget where, I do remember Alfred being involved), I think I repped for ONJ’s “Twist Of Fate” - fantastic song.

I like the juxtaposition of the Pointers’s “Should I Do It” with H&O’s “Did It In A Minute”. There’s also “The Other Woman” vs “The Other Guy” - maybe all the entries have a partner song if you look closely enough?

there’s also two Gibb Brothers © productions in there, no prizes for guessing which.

#onethread

I’m assuming Chariots of Fire is on there because people can’t remember the titles of instrumental pieces

To the tune of Are You Lonesome Tonight:

"There were Chariots of Fire,
But I have to enquire,
Why they didn't have no chariots in the movie?"

Actually I remember a vocal version of the Chariots of Fire theme being played on the AM radio! It turns out it's called Race To the End with lyrics by Jon Anderson (but performed by a female singer as I recall):

There is one freedom
Man running along
Each step that he's taking
A step to his soul

all the hall & oates tracks here are great. i went with "wait for me."

Top 5:
25. Olivia Newton-John - Make A Move On Me
37. Daryl Hall & John Oates - Did It In A Minute
38. Daryl Hall & John Oates - Family Man
41. The Alan Parsons Project - Time
50. Rod Stewart - Passion

I think "Chariots of Fire" might have fallen through the cracks in the criteria here. I'm sure it doesn't get much radio play in 2020, but it's ambient enough in the culture (parody videos, ads) that it's hardly lost.

Also, Buckner & Garcia had a full album's worth of video game themed songs. I'm sure the execs at Columbia had high hopes for the follow-up single, "Do The Donkey Kong".

I was just rocking out to ONJ twist of fate last week so that

I don't like Don McLean as a person, and his version of "Crying" is not even second-best, but I like that song so much, think I am voting for that.

Also the first version of it I heard.

"Twist of Fate" is dull -- by 1984 that synthesized clatter sounded like a 1981 holdover, a boomer going New Wave.

I barely remember any of these apart from the one I voted for. “How Do I Make You” and “Chariots of Fire,” although I almost got fooled by the Roberta Flack.

“The Other Woman,” “It’s My Turn” and “An Innocent Man” too, I guess.

The "Chariots of Fire" theme was inescapable if you lived through the 80's, it was a meme before there were memes, parodied on a million tv shows and movies.

"Twist of Fate" and "I Still Can't Get Over Living You" get my sentimental votes.

listening to all these today because i'm bored at work.

1. Don McLean - Crying
zzzzz
2. Buckner & Garcia - Pac-Man Fever
lol ok
3. Diana Ross - It's My Turn
this is good
4. Olivia Newton-John - Twist Of Fate
also good
5. Kenny Rogers - I Don't Need You
bleh
6. Rupert Holmes - Him
lol. hilariously bad.
7. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Hooked On Classics
idk google got confused and the youtube didn't come up and i got lazy
8. Gary U.S. Bonds - This Little Girl
80s 50s revival stuff
9. Donna Summer - Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger)
wanted to like this but too-farty quincy jones production
10. Cliff Richard - A Little In Love
secretly kind of good, cliff richard was a hottie
11. Isaac Hayes - Don't Let Go
youtube says this is 79? killer. might vote for it.
12. Air Supply - Sweet Dreams
yikes. interminable.
13. Linda Ronstadt - How Do I Make You
wow. hell yeah.
14. Irene Cara - Breakdance
smokin
15. Charlene - I've Never Been To Me
zzzzz
16. Vangelis - Chariots Of Fire (Titles)
nice
17. Stars On 45 - Medley
fuck. my ex-boyfriend used to play an updated remix of this at the club. it's actually kind of bomb-ass imo.
18. Neil Diamond - Love On The Rocks
zzzz
19. Andy Gibb - Desire
oh yeah. might vote for this.
20. Laura Branigan - Solitaire
ew
21. Pablo Cruise - Cool Love
surprisingly ok
22. Styx - Don't Let It End
please let it end
23. John Schneider - It's Now Or Never
not bad!
24. Quarterflash - Take Me To Heart
ok. weirdly slow.
25. Olivia Newton-John - Make A Move On Me
i stan for olivia. this is kinda forgettable.
26. Commodores - Oh No
oh no
27. Paul McCartney - Take It Away
sick
28. Shalamar - Dead Giveaway
shalamar goes new wave, crushes it. bumpin. cool video.
29. The Dirt Band - An American Dream
the waltons meets margaritaville. no.
30. Daryl Hall & John Oates - Wait For Me
dope
31. Neil Sedaka & Dara Sedaka - Should've Never Let You Go
zzzz
32. Boz Scaggs - Jojo
pretty cool. steely dan for normies.
33. Charlie Dore - Pilot Of The Airwaves
don't mind this kind of am gold easy-breezy pop steeze
34. Little River Band - Take It Easy On Me
bleh
35. Ray Parker Jr. - I Still Can't Get Over Loving You
oh this is nice. good beat.
36. The Pointer Sisters - Should I Do It
i had high hopes. it's ok. more 50s revival stuff.
37. Daryl Hall & John Oates - Did It In A Minute
lol that guitar feedback is out of control. good.
38. Daryl Hall & John Oates - Family Man
haha, also good. damn these guys were good at guitar.
39. Roberta Flack - Making Love
zzzzz
40. Ray Parker Jr. - The Other Woman
yeah ok, i dig the sleaze.
41. The Alan Parsons Project - Time
zzzz
42. Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard - Suddenly
ehh. cocaine takes a nap.
43. Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - Shame On The Moon
zzzzz
44. Stevie Wonder - I Ain't Gonna Stand For It
pretty good
45. Sheena Easton - You Could Have Been With Me
lol i like it in spite of myself
46. Barbra Streisand - Comin' In And Out Of Your Life
more schmaltz i don't mind
47. Christopher Cross - Think Of Laura
no
48. Little River Band - Man On Your Mind
these guys look kind of like genesis? this one's ok.
49. Little River Band - The Other Guy
another ok one i guess
50. Rod Stewart - Passion
kind of a mess but undeniably passionate lol

voting for isaac hayes

feel like i smell like i just smoked a carton of salems

"Jojo" is my favorite Boz jam.

Lol, map.

Re: "Stars on 45"

as a Dutch person I was very much affected by this song as well, so much so that I’ll never ever be voting for it.

(curious about your personal history with it tho, but feel free to keep it to yourself obv)

I like to tell the story about how during this time thanks to AC/DC "Back in Black" and Billy Squier "The Stroke" that I discovered loud guitar (my tag line below is an homage to that discovery). I also like to punctuate said story that with AC/DC and Billy Squier as gateway drugs, it was either become a metalhead or a stripper and all my friends say I made the right choice.

Aside from just discovering bombast, I also discovered a love of pop hits that didn't sound like everything else. Now, it may be odd that a medley of Beatles songs would stand out for *not* sounding like everything else, but compare it to the rest of the early '80s pop radio and you will maybe agree that it was very unique.

So I kinda liked the song as an atypical earworm and as such I rooted for it and sure enough, it made it to #1. Only for one week (6/20/1981)! But it made it.

Can you guess the song it supplanted that would retake it's mantle the following week? Would you believe... "Bette Davis Eyes?"

Epilogue: I was in Illinois a few months ago and I hit a local record store. I decided to record an Amoeba-influenced "What's In My Bag" clip for my adoring fans on social media. The clip runs over 16 minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1VzOQ_9qn4

But despite that relative length as I groused over my purchases, guess what YouTube chose as the still?

http://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/130762064_10164754319565597_4908043833997568758_n.jpg?_nc_cat=104&ccb=2&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=smpr94SxF-QAX9FwhrK&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=4d0a6a2a3d61ac6c04a0e22c991c8a0f&oe=6008879F

So even nearly 40 years later, I cannot escape that song. And strangely enough, I still don't want to.

But I realize I am likely alone here.

Pac-Man Fever is not a great piece of music but it is the first true novelty hit that I remember experiencing in real time. My yping mind was blown by the idea that someone could observe a trend, then write, record, and release a song about it before the trend was over.

I don't remember Disco Duck. I rememeber the Curly Shuffle and the Super Bowl Shuffle.

Some things that may not have been intended as novelties inhabit a border zone. I think Valley Girl is probably a novelty but Pass the Dutchie definitely isn't. Who Let the Dogs Out is, but Hey Macarena isn't. I think there was a frog ring tone thing but I had checked out by then. Dunno.

But Pac-Man Fever retains a place in my heart for this reason.

Laura Branigan

Xp yping = young

Afterthought: I was aware of Stars on 45 I guess but couldn't relate. A Fifth of Beethoven, and the Being There version of Also Sprach Zarathustra, made an impression on me but those were from soundtracks, not the radio iirc

lol NYCNative, it’s very clear that that particular moment in chart history has been extremely formative for you! I can at least relate to the writing down Casey Kasem's American Top 40 every weekend part, in my case in the late 70s, when I picked it up from the American Forces Network that was broadcasting from (West) Germany.

Hope I can make you happy with this 1983 follow-up project to Stars on 45, again wildly successful in the Netherlands and Belgium and mildly so in other parts of Europe. In the US it only reached bubbling under status (if my source is to be trusted), so I’m guessing you may have never heard it. It sounds *even more* unlike 80s pop radio than that Beatles medley. May I present to you: the Star Sisters!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5AtZIc3KOE

map's post seriously makes me want a playlist of these options. is that a good use of my time while staring down a dissertation deadline? is it bad form to playlist somebody else's article and thread? hmm.

No to the latter. To the former, your on your own.

Take me to Heart is not the best Quarterflash but it is a solid track imo

"Find Another Fool," which peaked in the top twenty, might be their best. New wave flash!

Yeah "Find Another Fool" is grebt. I play mandolin in a bluegrass trio that brings a pretty solid "Harden My Heart" cover, but the mood needs to be just right for it to work its magic.

Some things that may not have been intended as novelties inhabit a border zone. I think Valley Girl is probably a novelty but Pass the Dutchie definitely isn't. Who Let the Dogs Out is, but Hey Macarena isn't. I think there was a frog ring tone thing but I had checked out by then. Dunno.

"Who Let the Dogs Out" definitely isn't. that's just regular ass junkanoo music with a booty bass twist

A typology of novelty music is beyond the scope of this thread but it is a fascinating topic.

honestly it's easy to have a big hit in the US by taking something that's popular internationally and having a group release a watered down version of it. helps esp if the group isn't a big name so the record companies make their mills off of the one song while the group fades into obscurity and has to get real jobs

or by bringing back old, more specialized genres that have faded into the underground. I cringed when a friend of mine called "Uptown Funk" the best, most original song in the last 25 years, cos he obviously had never heard bounce music before.

(I like "Uptown Funk" fwiw)

what does "Uptown Funk" have to do with bounce music?

also Baja Men have a decades long career in the Bahamas (and only scored a hit in the US on the fluke of a baseball team started playing it in their stadium)

That's why i said "big hit in the US"

xp That doesn’t necessarily make it a non–novelty song in the U.S. context(?)

Voted Macca. Quite a selection of non new pop though.

Some important impresario

gonna vote for shalamar for that blistering jesse johnson solo

bluegrass trio that brings a pretty solid "Harden My Heart" cover

Really want to hear this.

The only recording I could find is this one - kinda murky soundwise but I guess you can get the idea

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Oh, forgot about that McCartney song.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I forgot to vote.:(

Now I am sad that I didn't vote for "Solitaire," which would then have one vote

A worthy winner. I saw post-dubstep noise mangler Kuedo unironically drop Vangelis - Chariots of Fire at Glade festival in the early 2010s. I can't imagine anything else on this list getting that treatment tbf.

Would have voted for "Family Man"

Oh shit, who is the other Stars on 45 voter?

Oh, and breastcrawl, you're right, I never heard that song before!