While radio stations picked old American Top 40 year-end shows to usher in 2025, I used a random number generator to cherry-pick 100 tracks from 1970 to 2003.
Last week, I shared the results from 100-51:
This week, let’s look at the top half of the countdown. Here are the results by hour! (…I followed the structure AT40 tended to follow):
Hour 5:
50-39
50. “Cryin’” – Aerosmith (1993)
49. “Tainted Love” – Soft Cell (1982)
48. “Around the World” – ATC (2001)
47. “Love Shack” – The B-52s (1989)
46. “Automatic”– The Pointer Sisters (1984)
45. “Living for the City” – Stevie Wonder (1974)
44. “Livin’ It Up” – Ja Rule (2002)
43. “Rocket Man”– Elton John (1972)
42. “Stray Cat Strut” – Stray Cats (1983)
41. “Save Tonight” – Eagle-Eye Cherry (1998)
40. “The Joker”– The Steve Miller Band (1974)
39. “We Belong” – Pat Benatar (1985)
Hour 5 notes…
Not a bad set.
- Ja Rule’s song samples Stevie Wonder’s “Do I Do,” so it’s fitting that it follows a classic Wonder song. Not bad for randomness!
- On the other hand, ATC’s “Around the World” is one of those earworms that can drive you crazy if you let it.
- Fortunately, the B-52s and the Pointer Sisters do their best to cleanse the eardrums.
- “Save Tonight” is an underrated late ’90s tune…
- …And the version of “We Belong” from the year-end countdown includes the oft-omitted, nearly a cappella lead-in that I love.
Hour 6:
38-26
38. “When the Lights Go Out” – Five (1998)
37. “Underneath It All” – No Doubt featuring Lady Saw (2002)
36. “The Wild Boys” – Duran Duran (1985)
35. “Touch Me (All Night Long)”– Cathy Dennis (1991)
34. “All the Things She Said”– Tatu (2003)
33. “If You Could Only See” – Tonic (1997)
32. “Tell Her About It” – Billy Joel (1983)
31. “This Is It” – Kenny Loggins (1980)
30. “All Around the World”– Lisa Stansfield (1990)
29. “Toy Soldiers”– Martika (1989)
28. “Loverboy”– Billy Ocean (1985)
27. “Everything Falls Apart” – Dog’s Eye View (1996)
26. “Southern Nights” – Glen Campbell (1977)
Hour 6 notes…
This collection balances the big names…
- Duran Duran
- Billy Joel
- Kenny Loggins
- and No Doubt
…with mid-tier acts like:
- Lisa Stansfield
- Billy Ocean
- and Cathy Dennis…. and lesser-known artists like:
- Five
- Tatu
- Martika
- Dog’s Eye View
- and Tonic.
- “When the Lights Go Out…”
- …and “All the Things She Said” are so-so.
- But “All Around the World,”
- “Loverboy,”
- “Toy Soldiers,”
- “This Is It”
- and “The Wild Boys” stand out, and not one of them is overplayed.
Hour 7:
25-14
25. “I Can See Clearly Now” – Johnny Nash (1972)
24. “I Want Your Sex” – George Michael (1987)
23. “Without Me” – Eminem (2002)
22. “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” – Prince (1994)
21. “The Earth, the Sun, the Rain” – Color Me Badd (1996)
20. “Just Like a Pill” – Pink (2002)
19. “Sideshow” – Blue Magic (1974)
18. “Heart of Glass” – Blondie (1979)
17. “Ballroom Blitz” – Sweet (1975)
16. “Looking for a New Love” – Jody Watley (1987)
15. “Fire” – Pointer Sisters (1979)
14. “What’s Luv?” – Fat Joe featuring Ashanti (2002)
Hour 7 notes…
- A great kickoff with Johnny Nash, although how that song could rank that low in 1972 is beyond me. (It went to No. 1 for a month, though it might have been considered late in the survey year.)
- It’s an urban legend that Casey Kasem never said the name of George Michael’s hit. Casey does, however, rush through the title so that it sounds like “Iwantyoursex.”
- This Eminem track is more tolerable than the one earlier in the countdown, but that’s faint praise.
- The Pink song amusingly and unnecessarily edits the word “bitch” (I’m sure that wasn’t done to Meredith Brooks a few years earlier)
- Color Me Badd’s song is well sung but quickly forgotten.
- Fat Joe’s track snaps a strong six in a row from Pink to the Pointers.
Hour 8:
13-1
13. “Midnight at the Oasis”– Maria Muldaur (1974)
12. “U Got It Bad” – Usher (2002)
11. “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” – John Denver (1975)
10. “Shine” – Collective Soul (1994)
9. “You’re So Vain” – Carly Simon (1973)
8. “I’ll Be There for You” – The Rembrandts (1995)
7. “Go Away, Little Girl” – Donny Osmond (1971)
6. “How Will I Know?” – Whitney Houston (1986)
5. “Kiss You All Over” – Exile (1978)
4. “Love Theme from ‘A Star Is Born’ (Evergreen)”– Barbra Streisand (1977)
3. “Another Day in Paradise”– Phil Collins (1990)
2. “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor (1982)
1. “Say, Say, Say” – Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (1984)
Hour 8 Notes:
- Casey’s story of Maria Muldaur’s mom pulling teenage Maria out of a recording session for Jerry Butler doesn’t sound as amusing in 2025 as it might have in 1974. Still, the song retains its quirky charm.
- Collective Soul and the Rembrandts bring a strong 1990s vibe,
- And Usher’s “U Got It Bad” is a good 21st century entry.
- The randomness of the generator becomes clear with No. 7 – yuck!!
- Although, the superb Houston track easily wipes away any aftertaste.
The Top 5 is less than ideal.
- I like “Evergreen” and, surrounded by stronger tracks, would have no problem with it.
- The Collins and Exile songs, though, are borderline.
- “Say, Say, Say,” a song I like, does not deserve to be the No. 1 song of 1984, let alone this countdown.
- And Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” fortunately brings some energy to the runner-up spot.
As an exercise where I didn’t control the selections, it was fun to see what might come up (even if Eminem, Fat Joe or Donny Osmond were among the results).
I’ll probably try this again sometime.
What songs from this top half do you love or hate?
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As far as recognizing the songs by name, I scored a C on this half- 72%.
The Lisa Stansfield song that you highlighted will be featured in an upcoming article of mine at some point down the line, and Living in the City was on my playlist from the last one. To answer your question- Heart of Glass is my number one out of this batch, and Underneath It All is probably #2. 10 year old me wants Ballroom Blitz at #3, but I will go with Tainted Love. The offerings from Donnie, Exile and Aerosmith are at the bottom.
Now a question for you, Chuck, or actually two-
Did you know all of these songs by name?
What were your top 3 and bottom 3?
Of the Top 50, I did not know the Ja Rule, Eminem and Fat Joe tracks, and it had been a long time since I heard Tatu, Five or ATC. My top 3 of these 50 would be Love Shack, All Around the World, and How Will I Know? The bottom 3: ATC, Fat Joe, and at the bottom, Donny Osmond.
I have over 3200 songs in my playlist for driving and always have it on shuffle. It makes for some pretty strange segues, like here.
Hour 5 is the best of the bunch with Soft Cell, The B-52s, Stevie Wonder, and Stray Cats. Good lineup! Hour 1 though is disappointing. Such is randomness. “You’re So Vain” is the only one I’d go out of my way to hear. I’d put it, “Heart Of Glass,” and “Love Shack” in my top 3.
My favorites playlist is just over 2000 songs. I bow to my overlord. The last two songs on the list, which is organized by last time played, are Bread’s ‘Lost Without Your Love’ and Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Albatross,’ not listened to since late 2023. So mdarno.
Such a funny exercise…I wanted to rail on hour 6, which is my least favorite of this bunch, but then again there’s a few songs that redeem it. It’s all so…random! Favorites include “Midnight at the Oasis”, “Evergreen”, “Fire”, “Heart of Glass”. And “Rocket Man”. It may be played into the ground, but that Elton song stands the test of time for me.
There were 12 songs I didn’t know by title, but I’d probably know half of them if I played them all.
I’m with you on Eagle Eye Cherry, Save Tonight is a great song.
Johnny Nash, Survivor, Sweet, Blondie and Elton are other highlights.
For lowlights; most of the last hour takes the joy out of the experience. I like the randomness of not knowing what’s coming but I’d be tempted to switch to something more carefully curated before Survivor redeemed it.
I was familiar with all but 12 of them. I concur that Hour 5 was the best of the bunch. For the ones I did know, Go Away Little Girl and Say Say Say are the worst, and it’s especially surprising how big they were in 1972 and 1984 respectively and basically ignored today except for only the most adventurous oldies stations and outlets. Great job again, Chuck!
Better choices than last time:
49. “Tainted Love” – Soft Cell (1982)
47. “Love Shack” – The B-52s (1989)
46. “Automatic”– The Pointer Sisters (1984)
45. “Living for the City” – Stevie Wonder (1974)
43. “Rocket Man”– Elton John (1972)
42. “Stray Cat Strut” – Stray Cats (1983)
41. “Save Tonight” – Eagle-Eye Cherry (1998)
40. “The Joker”– The Steve Miller Band (1974)
39. “We Belong” – Pat Benatar (1985)
37. “Underneath It All” – No Doubt featuring Lady Saw (2002)
36. “The Wild Boys” – Duran Duran (1985)
31. “This Is It” – Kenny Loggins (1980)
30. “All Around the World”– Lisa Stansfield (1990)
29. “Toy Soldiers”– Martika (1989)
28. “Loverboy”– Billy Ocean (1985)
26. “Southern Nights” – Glen Campbell (1977)
25. “I Can See Clearly Now” – Johnny Nash (1972)
24. “I Want Your Sex” – George Michael (1987)
23. “Without Me” – Eminem (2002)
22. “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” – Prince (1994)
18. “Heart of Glass” – Blondie (1979)
17. “Ballroom Blitz” – Sweet (1975)
16. “Looking for a New Love” – Jody Watley (1987)
15. “Fire” – Pointer Sisters (1979)
11. “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” – John Denver (1975)
10. “Shine” – Collective Soul (1994)
9. “You’re So Vain” – Carly Simon (1973)
8. “I’ll Be There for You” – The Rembrandts (1995)
6. “How Will I Know?” – Whitney Houston (1986)
5. “Kiss You All Over” – Exile (1978)
4. “Love Theme from ‘A Star Is Born’ (Evergreen)”– Barbra Streisand (1977)
2. “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor (1982)
1. “Say, Say, Say” – Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (1984)