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BILLBOARD - 1980

This is an alphabetical artist list of every song to make the top 40 during any given week during this year and its peak highest position reached on the national charts in USA

What are your favorite songs on this list?

My personal favorites are listed at the very bottom :  hoknes@hotmail.com

Abba Chiquitita 1980 29
AC/DC You Shook Me All Night Long 1980 35
Air Supply All Out of Love 1980 02
Air Supply Lost in Love 1980 03
Al Stewart Midnight Rocks 1980 24
Ali Thomson Take A Little Rhythm 1980 15
Alice Cooper Clones (We're All) 1980 40
Ambrosia Biggest Part of Me 1980 03
Ambrosia You're the Only Woman (You & I) 1980 13
Amy Holland How Do I Survive 1980 22
Andy Gibb Desire 1980 04
Andy Gibb & Olivia Newton-John I Can't Help It 1980 12
Anne Murray Could I Have This Dance 1980 33
Anne Murray Daydream Believer 1980 12
Babys Back On My Feet Again 1980 33
Barbra Streisand Kiss Me In the Rain 1980 37
Barbra Streisand Woman In Love 1980 01
Barry Manilow I Don't Want to Walk Without You 1980 36
Barry Manilow When I Wanted You 1980 20
Benny Mardones Into the Night 1980 11
Bernadette Peters Gee Whiz 1980 31
Bette Midler The Rose 1980 03
Bette Midler When A Man Loves A Woman 1980 35
Billy Joel Don't Ask Me Why 1980 19
Billy Joel It's Still Rock and Roll to Me 1980 01
Billy Joel Sometimes a Fantasy 1980 36
Billy Joel You May Be Right 1980 07
Billy Preston & Syreeta With You I'm Born Again 1980 04
Blondie Atomic 1980 39
Blondie Call Me 1980 01
Blues Brothers Gimme Some Lovin' 1980 18
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Against the Wind 1980 05
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Fire Lake 1980 06
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band You'll Accomp'ny Me 1980 14
Bonnie Pointer I Can't Help Myself 1980 40
Boz Scaggs Breakdown Dead Ahead 1980 15
Boz Scaggs JoJo 1980 17
Boz Scaggs Look What You've Done to Me 1980 14
Brothers Johnson Stomp! 1980 07
Bruce Cockburn Wondering Where the Lions Are 1980 21
Bruce Springsteen Hungry Heart 1980 05
Captain & Tennille Do That To Me One More Time 1980 01
Carly Simon Jesse 1980 11
Carole King One Fine Day 1980 12
Cars Touch and Go 1980 37
Change A Lover's Holiday 1980 40
Charlie Daniels Band In America 1980 11
Charlie Daniels Band The Legend of Wooley Swamp 1980 31
Charlie Dore Pilot of the Airwaves 1980 13
Cheap Trick Voices 1980 32
Christopher Cross Never Be the Same 1980 15
Christopher Cross Ride Like the Wind 1980 02
Christopher Cross Sailing 1980 01
Chuck Mangione Give It All You Got 1980 18
Clash Train in Vain (Stand By Me) 1980 23
Cliff Richard Carrie 1980 34
Cliff Richard Dreaming 1980 10
Cliff Richard We Don't Talk Anymore 1980 07
Commodores Old-Fashion Love 1980 20
Commodores Wonderland 1980 25
Dan Fogelberg Heart Hotels 1980 21
Dan Fogelberg Longer 1980 02
Daryl Hall & John Oates How Does It Feel To Be Back 1980 30
Daryl Hall & John Oates Wait for Me 1980 18
Daryl Hall & John Oates You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling 1980 12
Devo Whip It 1980 14
Diana Ross I'm Coming Out 1980 05
Diana Ross Upside Down 1980 01
Dionne Warwick Deja Vu 1980 15
Dionne Warwick No Night So Long 1980 23
Dirt Band An American Dream 1980 13
Dirt Band Make a Little Magic 1980 25
Dolly Parton Starting Over Again 1980 36
Don Williams I Believe In You 1980 24
Donna Summer On the Radio 1980 05
Donna Summer The Wanderer 1980 03
Donna Summer Walk Away 1980 36
Doobie Brothers Real Love 1980 05
Dr. Hook Better Love Next Time 1980 12
Dr. Hook Girls Can Get It 1980 34
Dr. Hook Sexy Eyes 1980 05
Eagles I Can't Tell You Why 1980 08
Eagles The Long Run 1980 08
Eddie Rabbitt Drivin' My Life Away 1980 05
Electric Light Orchestra All Over the World 1980 13
Electric Light Orchestra I'm Alive 1980 16
Electric Light Orchestra Last Train to London 1980 39
Elton John (Sartorial Eloquence) Don't Ya Wanna Play This Game No More? 1980 39
Elton John Little Jeannie 1980 03
Eric Clapton & His Band Tulsa Time 1980 30
Felix Cavaliere Only a Lonely Heart Sees 1980 36
Firefall Headed For a Fall 1980 35
Fleetwood Mac Sara 1980 07
Fleetwood Mac Think About Me 1980 20
Foghat Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was a Fool) 1980 23
Frank Sinatra (Theme From) New York, New York 1980 32
Fred Knoblock Why Not Me 1980 18
Gary Numan Cars 1980 09
Genesis Misunderstanding 1980 14
George Benson Give Me the Night 1980 04
Harry Chapin Sequel 1980 23
Heart Even It Up 1980 33
Herb Alpert Rotation 1980 30
Irene Cara Fame 1980 04
Irene Cara Out Here on My Own 1980 19
Isaac Hayes Don't Let Go 1980 18
Isley Brothers Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time for Love) (Parts 1 & 2) 1980 39
J. Geils Band Come Back 1980 32
J. Geils Band Love Stinks 1980 38
Jackson Browne Boulevard 1980 19
Jackson Browne That Girl Could Sing 1980 22
Jacksons Lovely One 1980 12
James Last Band The Seduction (Love Theme from "American Gigolo") 1980 28
Jefferson Starship Jane 1980 14
Jermaine Jackson Let's Get Serious 1980 09
Jermaine Jackson You're Supposed to Keep Your Love for Me 1980 34
Jimmy Hall I'm Happy That Love Has Found You 1980 27
Jimmy Ruffin Hold on to My Love 1980 10
Joe Valino    All Night Long 1980 19
John Cougar Mellencamp This Time 1980 27
John Lennon Just Like Starting Over 1980 01
John Stewart Lost Her in the Sun 1980 34
Johnny Lee Lookin' for Love 1980 05
Journey Any Way You Want It 1980 23
Journey Walks Like A Lady 1980 32
Kansas Hold On 1980 40
KC & The Sunshine Band Please Don't Go 1980 01
Kenny Loggins I'm Alright 1980 07
Kenny Loggins Keep the Fire 1980 36
Kenny Loggins This Is It 1980 11
Kenny Rogers Coward of the County 1980 03
Kenny Rogers Lady 1980 01
Kenny Rogers Love the World Away 1980 14
Kenny Rogers with Kim Carnes Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer 1980 04
Kim Carnes More Love 1980 10
Knack Baby Talks Dirty 1980 38
Kool & The Gang Ladies Night 1980 08
Kool & The Gang Too Hot 1980 05
Korgis Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime 1980 18
Larry Graham One In A Million You 1980 09
Larsen-Feiten Band Who'll Be the Fool Tonight 1980 29
Led Zeppelin Fool in the Rain 1980 21
Leo Sayer More Than I Can Say 1980 02
Linda Ronstadt How Do I Make You 1980 10
Linda Ronstadt Hurt So Bad 1980 08
Linda Ronstadt I Can't Let Go 1980 31
Lipps, Inc. Funkytown 1980 01
Little River Band Cool Change 1980 10
Livingston Taylor First Time Love 1980 38
Manhattan Transfer Twilight Zone / Twilight Tone 1980 30
Manhattans Shining Star 1980 05
Meco The Empire Strikes Back 1980 18
Melissa Manchester Fire in the Morning 1980 32
Michael Jackson Off the Wall 1980 10
Michael Jackson Rock With You 1980 01
Michael Jackson She's Out of My Life 1980 10
Mickey Gilley Stand By Me 1980 22
Natalie Cole Someone That I Used To Love 1980 21
Neil Diamond September Morn' 1980 17
Neil Sedaka & Dara Sedaka Should've Never Let You Go 1980 19
Nicolette Larson (with Michael McDonald) Let Me Go, Love 1980 35
Nielsen/Pearson If You Should Sail 1980 38
O'Jays Forever Mine 1980 28
Olivia Newton-John Magic 1980 01
Olivia Newton-John & ELO Xanadu 1980 08
Pat Benatar Heartbreaker 1980 23
Pat Benatar Hit Me With Your Best Shot 1980 09
Pat Benatar We Live For Love 1980 27
Paul Davis Do Right 1980 23
Paul McCartney Coming Up (Live at Glasgow) 1980 01
Paul Simon Late in the Evening 1980 06
Paul Simon One-Trick Pony 1980 40
Peaches & Herb I Pledge My Love 1980 19
Pete Townshend Let My Love Open the Door 1980 09
Photoglo (Jim Photoglo) We Were Meant to Be Lovers 1980 31
Pink Floyd Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) 1980 01
Pointer Sisters He's So Shy 1980 03
Pretenders Brass in Pocket (I'm Special) 1980 14
Prince I Wanna Be Your Lover 1980 11
Pure Prairie League I'm Almost Ready 1980 34
Pure Prairie League Let Me Love You Tonight 1980 10
Queen Another One Bites the Dust 1980 01
Queen Crazy Little Thing Called Love 1980 01
Randy Meisner Deep Inside My Heart 1980 22
Ray Parker, Jr. & Raydio Two Places at the Same Time 1980 30
Ray, Goodman & Brown Special Lady 1980 05
Rick Pinette & Oak King of the Hill 1980 36
Rita Coolidge I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love 1980 38
Robbie Dupree Hot Rod Hearts 1980 15
Robbie Dupree Steal Away 1980 06
Robert John Hey There Lonely Girl 1980 31
Rocky Burnette Tired Of Toein' the Line 1980 08
Rodney Crowell Ashes by Now 1980 37
Roger Daltrey Without Your Love 1980 20
Rolling Stones Emotional Rescue 1980 03
Rolling Stones She's So Cold 1980 26
Rufus & Chaka Do You Love What You Feel 1980 30
Rupert Holmes Answering Machine 1980 32
Rupert Holmes Him 1980 06
S.O.S. Band Take Your Time (Do It Right) (Part 1) 1980 03
Santana You Know That I Love You 1980 35
Shalamar The Second Time Around 1980 08
Smokey Robinson Cruisin' 1980 04
Smokey Robinson Let Me Be the Clock 1980 31
Spider New Romance (It's a Mystery) 1980 39
Spinners Cupid / I've Loved You for a Long Time 1980 04
Spinners Working My Way Back to You / Forgive Me, Girl 1980 02
Stacy Lattisaw Let Me Be Your Angel 1980 21
Stephanie Mills Never Knew Love Like This Before 1980 06
Steve Forbert Romeo's Tune 1980 11
Stevie Wonder Master Blaster (Jammin') 1980 05
Styx Why Me 1980 26
Sugarhill Gang Rapper's Delight 1980 36
Supertramp Dreamer 1980 15
Teri DeSario with K.C. Yes, I'm Ready 1980 02
Tom Johnston Savannah Nights 1980 34
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Don't Do Me Like That 1980 10
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Refugee 1980 15
Tommy James Three Times in Love 1980 19
Tommy Tutone Angel Say No 1980 38
Toto 99 1980 26
Utopia Set Me Free 1980 27
Vapors Turning Japanese 1980 36
Waylon Jennings Theme from "The Dukes of Hazzard" (Good Ol' Boys) 1980 21
Wayne Newton Years 1980 35
Whispers And the Beat Goes On 1980 19
Whispers Lady 1980 28
Willie Nelson On the Road Again 1980 20
ZZ Top I Thank You 1980 34
 

    BILLY JOEL - DON'T ASK ME WHY (1980) hit #19
Don't Ask Me Why" is a Billy Joel song released in 1980. The lyrics talk about the oddities of life that have become obvious over time. It is more characteristic of a track that would have appeared on Joel's earlier albums in that it has a lighter folk sound as compared to the harder, more rock oriented tracks found throughout the album. The background track contains all acoustic and Latin percussion instruments performing in an Afro-Cuban rhythmic style. An eclectic, instrumental "Latin Ballroom" piano solo, played over the bridge section after the second verse, is also featured in part of the song. "Don't Ask Me Why" spent two weeks at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart and went to number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100.

It was released as the third single from the album Glass Houses and later included on on Greatest Hits Volume 2.

William Martin "Billy" Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American pianist, singer-songwriter, and composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man," in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to the RIAA] He also has the third best-selling album in the United States with his Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2.

Joel had Top 40 hits in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, achieving 33 Top 40 hits in the United States, all of which he wrote himself. He is also a six-time Grammy Award winner, a 23-time Grammy nominee and has sold over 150 million records worldwide. He was inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame (1992), the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999), and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (2006). In 2008, Billboard magazine released a list of the Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists to celebrate the US singles chart's 50th anniversary, with Billy Joel positioned at No. 23. With the exception of the 2007 songs "All My Life" and "Christmas in Fallujah," Joel stopped recording pop/rock material after 1993's River of Dreams, but he continued to tour extensively until 2010

    OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN & ELO - XANADU (1980)
Xanadu" is the title song from the album Xanadu, the soundtrack to the 1980 film of the same name.

The song is performed by the Electric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton-John. Newton-John sings the primary vocals, with ELO (Jeff Lynne) adding "parenthetic" vocals in the style of their other songs on the Xanadu soundtrack, along with providing the instrumentation. A rare collaboration for ELO, the single reached no.1 in several countries and was the band's only UK #1 single when it peaked there for two weeks in July 1980. The song peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. This was the first song beginning with the letter 'X' to ever chart on the Billboard Hot 100 and it remained the only one until 2010's "X" by Xzibit.

Olivia Newton-John, AO, OBE (born 26 September 1948) is an English-Australian singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles (including two platinum) and 14 of her albums (including two platinum and four double platinum) have been certified gold by the RIAA. Her music has been successful in multiple formats including pop, country and adult contemporary and has sold an estimated over 100 million albums worldwide. She co-starred with John Travolta in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Grease, which featured one of the most successful film soundtracks in Hollywood history.

Newton-John has been a long-time activist for environmental and animal rights issues. Since surviving breast cancer in 1992, she has been an advocate for health awareness becoming involved with various charities, health products and fundraising efforts. Her business interests have included launching several product lines for Koala Blue and co-owning the Gaia Retreat & Spa in Australia

    DIANA ROSS - UPSIDE DOWN (1980) hit #1
Upside Down" is a hit song by Diana Ross released on the Motown label. It was the first single taken from her 1980 album diana and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 6, 1980. It also hit number one on the Billboard Disco/Dance and R&B charts. The single was also a big hit internationally, topping the singles charts in Sweden, Italy, Norway and Switzerland, while reaching #5 in Canada. It also rose to #2 on the UK Singles Chart, marking the highest peak performance from Ross as a solo artist since "I'm Still Waiting" in 1971.   The song listed at #62 on Billboard's "Greatest Songs of All Time".

The song was written by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers (of the band Chic) with Aretha Franklin in mind to record. When Franklin turned down the offer to record the album Motown passed the material and project to Ross.

However, in a 2011 interview, Nile Rodgers said "Diana Ross was the first big star we ever worked with and we took it very seriously." Rodgers and Edwards interviewed her for several days. "This was the first time in her life somebody cared about who she was; what she was - everyone previously had treated her the way we had treated Sister Sledge - they got her in and said 'Sing this'. We (took a more personal approach)."

Diana Ernestine Earle Ross (March 26, 1944) is an American singer, record producer, and actress.  Diana Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that has included successful ventures into film and Broadway. She received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her role as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues (1972), for which she won a Golden Globe award. She has won seven American Music Awards, was honored with a 2012 Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award, and won a Tony Award for her one-woman show, An Evening with Diana Ross, in 1977
    OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN - MAGIC (1980) hit #1
Magic" is a hit 1980 song performed by Olivia Newton-John, from the soundtrack to the film Xanadu. The song was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for four weeks beginning on 2 August 1980. It also reached a high of #4 on the Australian charts and #32 in the UK.
The B-sides depend on the label: "Fool Country" (also from Xanadu but not on the OST) is the B-side of the MCA release; "Whenever You're Away From Me" (with Gene Kelly) is the B-side of the Jet release.

"Magic" became Newton-John's biggest Adult Contemporary hit to date, and her biggest pop hit until "Physical" ruled the Hot 100 for ten weeks beginning in November 1981. Billboard magazine ranked "Magic" as the third most popular single of 1980, behind only "Call Me" by Blondie and "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II" by Pink Floyd.  

Olivia Newton-John, AO, OBE (born 26 September 1948) is an English-Australian singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles (including two platinum) and 14 of her albums (including two platinum and four double platinum) have been certified gold by the RIAA. Her music has been successful in multiple formats including pop, country and adult contemporary and has sold an estimated over 100 million albums worldwide. She co-starred with John Travolta in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Grease, which featured one of the most successful film soundtracks in Hollywood history.

Newton-John has been a long-time activist for environmental and animal rights issues. Since surviving breast cancer in 1992, she has been an advocate for health awareness becoming involved with various charities, health products and fundraising efforts. Her business interests have included launching several product lines for Koala Blue and co-owning the Gaia Retreat & Spa in Australia.

    KENNY LOGGINS - I'M ALRIGHT (1980) hit #7

Kenneth Clark "Kenny" Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for soft rock music beginning during the 1970s, and later for writing and performing for movie soundtracks in the 1980s. Originally a part of the duo Loggins and Messina, he became a solo artist and has written songs for other artists

During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, "King of the Movie Soundtrack". He began with "I'm Alright" (#7 in the U.S.), "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack. Hits followed with "Footloose" and "I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man)" from Footloose; "Meet Me Halfway" from Over the Top; and "Danger Zone" and "Playing With the Boys" from Top Gun. Loggins also performed "Nobody's Fool" from the film Caddyshack II. He also performed as a member of USA for Africa on the famine-relief fundraising single "We Are the World".

During the 1990s, Loggins continued his album career, including the popular 1994 children's album Return to Pooh Corner, which included the title single, a reworking of "House at Pooh Corner", written for his newborn son Luke.

During 1991, Loggins recorded and produced Leap of Faith, which included the single "Conviction of the Heart". Former vice president Al Gore billed this song as "the unofficial anthem of the environmental movement". On Earth Day 1995, Loggins performed at The National Mall in Washington, D.C. before a live audience of 500,000.

    JEFFERSON STARSHIP - JANE  (1980) hit #14

Jefferson Starship is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name. The current Jefferson Starship, led by co-founder Paul Kantner, more closely resembles its original mix of psychedelic and electric folk music than the pop-driven tunes it was widely known for in the early to mid-1980s. It is not to be confused with Starship, a spin-off of the group featuring former co-lead singer Mickey Thomas that also periodically tours. The latter group is most frequently identified with the 1980s pop tunes of the Jefferson Starship.

In October 1978 Balin too left the group, leaving Kantner and company to find a new lead singer in Mickey Thomas (who had sung lead on Elvin Bishop's "Fooled Around and Fell in Love"). Thomas joined the group in April 1979. Barbata had been seriously injured in a car accident in October 1978 and was replaced by Aynsley Dunbar, who had previously played with Journey.

After the 1979 release of Freedom at Point Zero (which spawned the hit single "Jane" (#14)), the new lineup toured, augmented by saxophonist Steve Schuster. (Schuster, along with horn player David Farey, had played on Jefferson Starship's 1978 tour, and he had also appeared on Freedom At Point Zero.)

    ELTON JOHN - LITTLE JEANNIE (1980) hit #3
Little Jeannie" (spelled "Little Jeanie" on the cover of the single) is a song by Elton John and Gary Osborne, recorded by John and released as a single in 1980 from John's album 21 at 33. It reached number three on the Billboard pop chart in the United States, becoming the singer's biggest U.S. hit since 1976's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (a duet with singer Kiki Dee), and his highest-charting solo hit since 1975's "Island Girl". It became John's fifth number one on the U.S. adult contemporary chart, and was certified Gold by the RIAA.In Canada, it reached number one on the RPM 100 national singles chart.

The song can be described as an uptempo ballad. In the US, it would be Elton's highest-charting single co-written with Gary Osborne, while in the UK, where the song only reached number 33, "Blue Eyes" would eventually hold that honour.

Despite its impressive performance in the US charts, Elton has rarely performed "Little Jeannie" live, doing so only on his 1980 tour and during 2000's One Night Only concerts  

Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor. He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriter partner since 1967; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date.

In his four-decade career John has sold more than 250 million records, making him one of the most successful artists of all time. His single "Candle in the Wind 1997" has sold over 33 million copies worldwide, and is the best selling single in Billboard history. He has more than 50 Top 40 hits, including seven consecutive No. 1 US albums, 56 Top 40 singles, 16 Top 10, four No. 2 hits, and nine No. 1 hits. He has won six Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Tony Award. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him Number 49 on its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time

    JOURNEY - ANY WAY YOU WANT IT (1980) hit #23
Any Way You Want It" is a popular song performed by Journey released on the album Departure as the opening track, as a single in 1980 and was rerecorded with Arnel Pineda and Deen Castronovo for their 2008 album Revelation. It was also played by the popular rock band Rise Against. The song was written by frontman Steve Perry and guitarist Neal Schon. It peaked at #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band often plays it to close their concerts. It appears on all four of the band's live albums (Captured, Greatest Hits Live, Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour, and Revelation on DVD).

Since its release, the song has continued to infiltrate public consciousness due to its use in television advertisements by popular brands such as Heinz, McDonald's, State Farm, Ford and Samsung, and its prominent appearance in the comedy film Caddyshack released the same year of the song. The song is also played multiple times, in the television series Chuck. It was also featured during the middle of The Simpsons episode "Viva Ned Flanders" and in the closing scene of the episode "Burns, Baby Burns", as well as at the ending of the episode "The C Word" of the TV series House. It was voted the 80th best hard rock song of all time by VH1 viewers.

According to cowriter Steve Perry, the song was heavily influenced by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy and more particularly by bassist leader Phil Lynott. In July 1979, Journey was touring with Thin Lizzy across the United States when Lynott, Perry and Schon decided to share rhyme scheme exercises during a hanging out in Miami. The "basic" work on "the guitar-vocal-guitar-vocal interchange thing that happened between Phil and his lyrics and the guitarist and his arrangements, inspired the Any Way You Want It sorta give and take thing. It's guitar-voice, guitar-voice, more guitar-guitar-guitar-voice. It be voice-voice and back and forth and that's something that Neal and I think just instinctually picked up by hanging out with him" commented Perry. Schon and Perry would then rework on the song in the band bus, with Schon on acoustic guitar and Perry for vocals Lynott's contribution later influenced other songs built on the same scheme such as "Stone In Love".

    JOHN LENNON - JUST LIKE STARTING OVER (1980) hit #1
"(Just Like) Starting Over" is a song written and performed by John Lennon for his album, Double Fantasy. The B-side was Yoko Ono's "Kiss Kiss Kiss". It was released as a single on 24 October 1980 and reached number one in both the USA and UK two weeks after he was murdered.

This was the first single released from Double Fantasy, and the first new recording Lennon had released since 1975. It was chosen by Lennon not because he felt it was the best track on the album, but because it was the most appropriate following his five year absence from the recording industry. He referred to it during production as the "Elvis/Orbison" track, as he "tongue in cheek" impersonated their vocal styles. The uplifting bell at the intro of the song serves as the antidote to the morose bell sound which opens Lennon's first solo album, Lennon seeing it as his having come full circle.

Although its origins were in unfinished older compositions like "Don’t Be Crazy" and "My Life", it was one of the last songs to be completed in time for the Double Fantasy sessions. “We didn’t hear it until the last day of rehearsal,” producer Jack Douglas said in 2005. Lennon finished the song while on holiday in Bermuda, and recorded it at The Hit Factory in New York City just weeks later.

It is his biggest solo American hit, staying at number 1 for five weeks. (When Lennon was shot in New York City on 8 December 1980 the single was at number 3 in the US and reached the summit for the week ending 27 December, making it the fourth posthumous number one song on the US chart.) In the UK it had peaked at number 8 in the charts and had fallen to position number 21 before Lennon's death propelled it to number 1, making an unprecedented number 21 to number 1 move. It was infamously bumped from the Christmas Number One Single rank by the St Winifred's School Choir's "There's No One Quite Like Grandma," finishing at number 2 on that list. By 6 January 1981 there were three Lennon songs in the UK top 5, a feat never achieved before or since.   Billboard's All Time Top Songs listed it at number 53

    GARY NUMAN - CARS (1980) hit #9
Cars" is a 1979 song by UK artist Gary Numan, and was released as a single from the album The Pleasure Principle. It reached the top of the charts in several countries, and today is considered a New Wave staple. In the UK charts, it reached number 1 in 1979, and in 1980 hit number 1 in Canada two weeks running on the RPM national singles chart and rose to number 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It debuted on the American Top 40 on 29 March 1980, and spent a total of 17 weeks in the AT40. "Cars" was released under the 'Atco' label, with the catalog number of 7211.

The song was the first release credited solely to Gary Numan after he dropped the band name Tubeway Army, with which he had released four singles and two LPs, including the number one UK hit "Are 'Friends' Electric?", and its parent album, Replicas. Musically, the new song was somewhat lighter and more pop-oriented than its predecessors, Numan later conceding that he had chart success in mind: "This was the first time I had written a song with the intention of 'maybe it could be a hit single'; I was writing this before 'Are "Friends" Electric?' happened."

"Cars" is based on two musical sections: a verse/instrumental break and a bridge. The recording features a conventional rock rhythm section of bass guitar and drums, although the rest of the instruments used are analog synthesizers, principally the Minimoog (augmenting the song's recognisable bass riff) and the Polymoog keyboard, providing austere synthetic string lines over the bass riff. The bridge section also includes a tambourine part. Numan's vocal part is sung in an almost expressionless, robotic style. There is no "chorus" as such.

    KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND - PLEASE DON'T GO (1980) hit #1
Please Don't Go" is a song recorded and released in 1979 on the KC and the Sunshine Band album Do You Wanna Go Party. The song was the band's first love ballad, in which the subject pleads obviously for a second chance. Shortly after the song's one-week run at number one, the group broke up and Harry Wayne Casey went solo. The song was a number-one hit on the Australian ARIA Charts, the band's fifth and final number-one hit on Billboard Hot 100 charts, and the first number-one hit of the 1980s.

The song is incorrectly noted by some sources as being the last number one hit of the 1970s and the first of the 1980s on the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, it was only the number one song for the chart week of January 5, 1980, making it the first #1 single of the 1980s. It was both preceded and followed at number one by "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes, which dropped to number two for the week that "Please Don't Go" was number one. The B-side, "I Betcha Didn't Know That", peaked at #25 on the R&B Singles Chart.

The song was also an international chart hit, reaching #1 in Australia and Canada and charting in Belgium (#8), Germany (#20), Ireland (#5), the Netherlands (#7), New Zealand (#3), Norway (#4) and the UK (#3).

 

    ROCKY BURNETTE - TIRED OF TOEIN' THE LINE (1980)
Tired of Toein' the Line" is the name of a song written and performed by Rocky Burnette. The song became an international hit when released as a single in 1980. The song's lyrics detail an imminent breakup.

By peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, "Tired of Toein' the Line" tied "You're Sixteen" as the highest-charting Hot 100 single from a member of the Burnette family. The single was also #1 in Australia.

In 1988, British singer Shakin' Stevens released a cover version of the song on his album "A Whole Lotta Shaky  

Rocky Burnette (born Jonathan Burnette, 12 June 1953) is an American rock and roll singer/musician and the son of rock and roll pioneer, Johnny Burnette. He is best known for his 1980 hit single "Tired of Toein' the Line."

Rocky Burnette was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and became part of the early 1980s revival of the rockabilly style. He released his first album, Son of Rock 'n' Roll, on EMI America in 1979. In the summer of 1980, his single "Tired of Toein' the Line" became a Top Ten hit in the United States. The song was also popular internationally, becoming a #1 hit in Australia and peaking at #3 in South Africa. It reached #58 in the UK Singles Chart.[2]EMI America's financial problems interfered with promotion efforts for the follow-up singles (several of which became hits in other countries), and Burnette's second album, Heart Stopper, was not successful.

In 1981, Burnette toured Europe with the final version of his late father's The Rock and Roll Trio. He also used the band on his next album, Get Hot or Go Home! on Enigma Records. It also sold poorly, and Enigma dropped Burnette and the Trio rather than release a follow-up.

    QUEEN - ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST (1980) hit #1
Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, the song featured on the group's eighth studio album The Game (1980). The song was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and the Disco Top 100, and number seven in the UK Singles Chart. The song is credited as Queen's best selling single, with sales of over 7 million copies. This version was ranked at number 34 on Billboard's All Time Top 100. American author and music journalist Nicholas Schaffner described the musical style of the song as being funk rock in his 1982 book The British Invasion: From the First Wave to the New Wave.

The bass line was inspired by the song "Good Times" by the disco group Chic. In an interview with New Musical Express, Chic co-founder Bernard Edwards stated, "...that Queen record came about because that Queen bass player... spent some time hanging out with us at our studio".

The song garnered Queen a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The band lost to Bob Seger's album Against the Wind. The music video for "Another One Bites the Dust" was filmed at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. This song is played when the Chicago Bulls win a home game.

In the early 1980s, "Another One Bites the Dust" was one of many popular rock songs that Christian evangelists alleged contained subliminal messages through a technique called backward masking. It was claimed that the chorus, when played in reverse, will be heard as "decide to smoke marijuana" or "It's fun to smoke marijuana". A spokeswoman for Hollywood Records (Queen's current US label) has denied that the song contains a backward message.

    DEVO - WHIP IT (1980)
    DIANA ROSS - I'M COMING OUT (1980)
"I'm Coming Out" is a hit single released by Motown singer Diana Ross in 1980, written and produced by Chic members Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers for her album diana (1980).

In 1979, Ross commissioned Chic founders Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards to create material for a new album after taking her daughters to see the band in concert, following the success of Ross's final Ashford & Simpson-composed and produced LP, The Boss . Rodgers got the idea for "I'm Coming Out" after noticing three different drag queens dressed as Diana Ross at a New York club called the GG Barnum Room. The lyrics hold an additional meaning to Ross, as she was leaving Motown Records and "coming out" from under the thumb of Berry Gordy.

The song was a hit, peaking at number five on the U.S. Pop Singles chart. It is also notable for being the first song usually performed at Ross' performances and concerts since 1980.

Rodgers convinced his neighbor, producer Meco Monardo, to contract the horns for the album in return for a commitment by Rodgers to co-produce Monardo's then-upcoming album of music from The Empire Strikes Back. Monardo, a former first-call session player who had a string of hits in the late 1970s with disco versions of film music, also played trombone on the album and is featured in a solo towards the end of "I'm Coming Out":

    KENNY ROGERS - LADY (1980)
Lady" is the title of a song written by Lionel Richie and recorded by American country artist Kenny Rogers. It was released in September 1980 as the only single from the album, Kenny Rogers Greatest Hits.  It is listed at #47 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.

The song was written and produced by Lionel Richie, recorded in 1980, and ranks among Kenny Rogers's biggest hits. Rogers once told an interviewer, "The idea was that Lionel would come from R&B and I'd come from country, and we'd meet somewhere in pop."  The success of "Lady" also boosted Richie's career. The production work on the song was his first outside the Commodores and foreshadowed his success as a solo act during the 1980s. Rogers was also a featured vocalist on "We Are the World," co-written by Richie. Richie performed the song himself on his 1998 album, Time, and he and Rogers performed the song as a duet on Richie's 2012 release "Tuskegee"

Since his breakup with the First Edition, Rogers had tasted considerable success as a solo act, with nine No. 1 entries on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart (prior to the release of "Lady"), plus several Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary Singles charts.   "Lady," according to music historian Fred Bronson, would prove to be an important record for both Richie and Rogers. It became the first record of the 1980s to chart on all four of Billboard magazine's singles charts - country, Hot 100, adult contemporary and Top Black Singles.   It reached No. 1 on three of those charts in late 1980, including a six-week run on the Hot 100 and one week on the Hot Country Singles chart. "Lady" also peaked at number forty-two on the Top Black Singles chart.   As a country entry, "Lady" was Rogers' 10th chart-topping hit in a career that saw him collect 20 No. 1 songs between 1977 and 2000. On the Hot 100, it was his only solo chart-topping song, although Rogers would have a duet No. 1 three years later (1983's "Islands in the Stream" with Dolly Parton). On the Adult Contemporary Singles chart, "Lady" was Rogers' second (of eight) songs that reached the chart's summit.

    BLONDIE - CALL ME (1980)
Call Me" is a song by the American New Wave band Blondie. Released in 1980, "Call Me" topped the singles charts in both the US (where it became the band's biggest selling single and second #1) and the UK (where it became their fourth no.1 hit). It was Billboard's #1 hit of the year for 1980.

The song was the main theme song of the film American Gigolo. European disco producer Giorgio Moroder originally asked Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac to help compose and perform a song for the soundtrack, but she declined (as a recently signed contract with Modern Records prevented her from working with Moroder). It was at this time that Moroder turned to Debbie Harry and Blondie. Moroder presented Harry with a rough instrumental track called "Man Machine." Harry was asked to write the lyrics and melody, a process that Harry states took only a few hours. Harry stated that the song is about driving, and that "When I was writing it, I pictured the opening scene, driving on the coast of California." The completed song was then recorded by the band, with Moroder producing. The bridge of the original English language version also includes Harry singing "Call Me" in Italian ("Amore, chiamami") and French ("Appelle-moi, mon cheri").

The single was released in the United States in February 1980. It peaked at #1 for 6 consecutive weeks, and was certified Gold (for one million copies sold) by the RIAA. It also spent four weeks at number two on the U.S. dance chart. The single was also #1 on Billboard magazine's 1980 year-end chart. It was released in the UK two months later, where it became Blondie's fourth UK no.1 single in little over a year. The song was also played on a British Telecom advert from the 1980s. Twenty-five years after its original release, "Call Me" was ranked at #283 on the list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 1981, the song was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The song lists at #44 on Billboard's All Time Top 100

    PAUL McCARTNEY - COMING UP (1980) hit #1

Album:  McCartney II (1980)

A few weeks after John Lennon died on December 8th 1980 my Beatles kick was in full gear and my grandpa borrowed The Beatles Sgt Pepper and McCartney II from the Frances Morrison public library on vinyl and I listened to them for the first time in January 1981 at age 9.  This was the very first time I ever heard any songs by Paul McCartney and the first time I heard any of the songs from Sgt Pepper.

Coming Up" is a song written and performed by Paul McCartney. It is the opening track on his second solo album McCartney II, released in 1980. Like the rest of the album, the song had a minimalist synthesized feel to it. It featured vocals sped up by using vari-speed tape machine. McCartney played all the instruments and shared harmonies with his wife Linda McCartney.  John Lennon liked the song, crediting it for driving him out of retirement to resume recording.

A live version of the song was recorded in Glasgow, Scotland on 17 December 1979 by Wings during their tour of the UK. This version had a much fuller sound and was included as one of the two songs on the B-side of the single; the other B-side was also a Wings song, "Lunchbox/Odd Sox", that dated back to the Venus and Mars sessions. Both B-sides were credited to Paul McCartney & Wings.  In the US, Columbia Records promoted the live version which subsequently received more airplay than the studio version. McCartney was unaware Columbia planned to promote the live version, otherwise he might have pushed for the A-side, which he thought was the stronger version. An executive from Columbia Records explained the switch by stating "Americans like the sound of Paul McCartney's real voice."

In the US, "Coming Up" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over one million copies. Although the live version received more airplay, Billboard listed the A-side on the Hot 100 for the first 12 weeks on the chart, including three weeks at number one, before switching to the more popular B-side for the remaining nine weeks on the chart

    QUEEN - CRAZY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE (1980) hit #1
Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a song by the rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury in 1979, the track featured on their 1980 album The Game, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits. The song peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart in 1979, and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. on 23 February 1980, remaining there for four consecutive weeks. It topped the Australian ARIA Charts for seven weeks

Having composed "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" on guitar, Mercury played rhythm guitar while performing the song live, which was the first time he played guitar in concert. Queen played the song live between 1979 and 1986, and a live performance of the song is recorded in the albums Queen Rock Montreal and Queen at Wembley. Since its release, the song has been covered by a number of artists. The song was played live on 20 April 1992 during The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, performed by Robert Plant with Queen. The style of the song was described by author Karl Coryat as rockabilly in his 1999 book titled The Bass Player Book

The "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" single hit number two in the UK Singles Chart in 1979, and became the first U.S. number-one hit for the band, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks. The song also topped the Australian ARIA charts for seven consecutive weeks from 1 March to 12 April 1980. Some copies contain an alternate b-side; Spread Your Wings (live)

    THE ROLLING STONES - EMOTIONAL RESCUE (1980) hit #3

Album: Emotional Rescue (1980)

I received Tattoo You for Xmas 1981 at age 10 and then quickly followed up with Big Hits for my 11th birthday on January 15th 1982 and then sometime afterwards got More Hot Rocks and Aftermath.  At age 11 these was the only songs I knew of the Stones but to this date would say More Hot Rocks is my favorite Stones album.  I was given a new copy of Undercover for Xmas 1983 when it came out.  Other than those albums I have not appreciated any other Stones albums except hit compilations.  I saw The Rolling Stones in concert in Regina, SK in 2006 with Valerie I was dating plus my mother and sister and friends Dan and Debbie.  I sold my unique Regina concert t-shirt on ebay in 2007 for $56.00

Emotional Rescue" is a song by the English rock 'n roll band, The Rolling Stones. It was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and is featured on their 1980 album Emotional Rescue.

Recorded between June and October 1979, "Emotional Rescue" is a disco-influenced number, somewhat similar to the band's 1978 hit "Miss You". The song is notable as one of the earliest songs by the group to show the growing rift between Jagger and Richards. Although Richards plays guitar and added backing vocals towards the end of this track, he is noted to not have liked the direction in which Jagger was trying to take the band with disco-like compositions, although this may have been exaggerated by the press and Richards' hard-rock-oriented image.

Mick wrote the song on an electric piano and from the beginning it was sung in falsetto (similar to Marvin Gaye's lead vocal on his 1977 hit "Got to Give It Up"). When the song was brought into the studio they kept the electric piano and falsetto lead. With Ronnie Wood on bass and Charlie Watts on drums they worked out the song. They then added the saxophone. Bass guitarist Bill Wyman plays synthesizer on the record, while Jagger and Ian Stewart play electric piano.  Jagger said the song was about "a girl who's in some sort of manhood problems", not that she was going crazy but she's "just a little bit screwed up and he wants to be the one to help her out".   Released as the album's lead single on 20 June 1980, "Emotional Rescue" was well received by some fans. Other fans of the Rolling Stones' work took note of the change in direction and were disappointed by it. Reaching #9 on the UK Singles Chart and #3 in the US., "Emotional Rescue" became popular enough to feature on all of the band's later compilation albums.

    THE ROLLING STONES - SHE'S SO COLD (1980) hit #26

Album: Emotional Rescue (1980)

I received Tattoo You for Xmas 1981 at age 10 and then quickly followed up with Big Hits for my 11th birthday on January 15th 1982 and then sometime afterwards got More Hot Rocks and Aftermath.  At age 11 these was the only songs I knew of the Stones but to this date would say More Hot Rocks is my favorite Stones album.  I was given a new copy of Undercover for Xmas 1983 when it came out.  Other than those albums I have not appreciated any other Stones albums except hit compilations.  I saw The Rolling Stones in concert in Regina, SK in 2006 with Valerie I was dating plus my mother and sister and friends Dan and Debbie.  I sold my unique Regina concert t-shirt on ebay in 2007 for $56.00

She's So Cold" is a song recorded by The Rolling Stones, released on 19 September 1980 as the second single from the album Emotional Rescue.

Recording on the song started in early 1979. The single peaked at #33 in the UK Singles Chart and #26 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1980.

This song was also featured in The Simpsons episode "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation

Emotional Rescue is the 15th British and 17th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1980. Upon release, it topped the charts in both the US and UK.

Recorded throughout 1979, first in Nassau, Bahamas (Compass Point), then Paris (Pathe Marconi), with some end-of-year overdubbing in New York City, Emotional Rescue was the first Rolling Stones album recorded following Keith Richards' exoneration from a Toronto drugs charge that could have landed him in jail for years. Fresh from the revitalization of Some Girls, Richards and Mick Jagger led the Stones through dozens of new songs, some of which were held over for Tattoo You, picking only ten for Emotional Rescue.

    STEVIE WONDER - MASTER BLASTER (1980) hit #5

Album:  Hotter Than July (1980)

Master Blaster (Jammin)" is a 1980 single by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder from his 1980 album Hotter than July.

The song, built on a heavy reggae feel, is an ode to reggae legend Bob Marley; Wonder had been performing with Marley a few times in concerts (and actually billed him as an opening act) on his US tour in the fall of that year. Lyrics mention Marley, joining as "children of Jah", and the end of the civil war in Zimbabwe.    The song was the leading single from Wonder's Hotter than July album. It was a major hit, spending seven weeks at number one on the Billboard R&B singles chart, reaching number five on Billboard's pop singles chart in the fall of 1980 and peaking at number two on the UK Singles chart. It can be played as a follow on segue to Marley's hit "Jamming", and some critics believe it was designed as an extension of that song. The song is also significant for the difficult vocal maneuvers Wonder showcased especially on the line, "I bet you if someone approached you yesterday/to tell you that you would be jammin'/you would not believe it/they would be jammin' thought that you'd be jammin'". The song also includes the "hotter than July" line

    LED ZEPPELIN - FOOL IN THE RAIN (1980) hit #21

Album:  In Through The Outdoor (1979)

Fool in the Rain" is a song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1979 album, In Through the Out Door. It was the final U.S. single released during the band's tenure, reaching number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1980.

The song exhibits a Latin feel. The main section is in 12/8 meter; this section employs an unusual 6-over-4 polyrhythmic groove, with the piano and bass playing 6 beats per measure and the melody (and parts of the drum kit) playing 4 beats per measure. The result is that most of the instruments appear to be playing quarter-note-triplets against the swing of the melody and drum kit. Drummer John Bonham plays a shuffle beat similar to the "Purdie shuffle" rhythm attributed to session drummer Bernard Purdie, along with a samba-style breakdown. A master drum track shows that the samba breakdown (2:25) was recorded separately.

Bass player John Paul Jones and vocalist Robert Plant developed the idea for the samba beat from watching the 1978 FIFA World Cup tournament in Argentina. Guitarist Jimmy Page used an MXR Blue Box effect pedal during the solo to produce the octave sound.

Lyrically, the song is about a man who's supposed to meet a woman on a certain street corner. When the woman does not appear, he is filled with sorrow at being stood up. By the final verse, he realizes that he has not gone to the right place, making him "just a fool waiting on the wrong block," as Plant sings.

    THE EAGLES - I CAN'T TELL YOU WHY (1980) hit #9
I Can't Tell You Why" is a song from the Eagles which appeared on their 1979 album The Long Run. The song was written by Timothy B. Schmit, Glenn Frey, and Don Henley, and was the first Eagles song to feature Schmit on lead vocals.

In the 1980 promotional video for the song, Schmit (on bass guitar) is accompanied by Frey (electric piano), Henley (drums), Don Felder (electric guitar and guitar solos), and Joe Walsh (organ), along with Joe Walsh's touring sideman Joe Vitale (synthesizer). The studio version became a Top 10 hit in April 1980, reaching #8 and also peaked at number 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart. "I Can't tell You Why" also appears in live versions on Eagles Live in 1980 and Hell Freezes Over in 1994.

Schmit performed the song while on tour with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band in 1992. A performance was released on the 1993 live album Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band Volume 2: Live from Montreux.