Billboard Singles Chart- January 7, 1984

2 songs I like

Between "Owner Of a Lonely Heart" and "Break My Stride". Choosing the former, after all, although the latter has more nostalgia value in that it is more typical of its (gorgeous) time.

2 songs I like

"Union of the Snake" and...?

2 songs I like

"Union of the Snake" and...?

Can't choose between the best Yes song ever, the Stones' last great song, probably the last power-pop song to hit the top 10 (Romantics) and the stone Lionel classic.

Lionel it is.

I don't like "Union of the Snake" - always kinda hated Durhan Durhan

"Say Say Say" & "Talking In Your Sleep" are good jams, the rest remind me why I was mainly listening to the Sisters of Mercy that year

Say what you want about the eighties, but 27 years later I can still remember every chorus here except the Olivia Newton John one.

Lionel

"Owner Of a Lonely Heart" is a great song (I voted for it), but not even close to the best Yes "song" ever, although none of Yes' best works could really be described as "songs" in the traditional form. :)

FEEL IT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2hawbp5XT4

I actually thought Olivia Newton-John didn't have any more hits after "Physical".

Can't quite believe it myself but I went with Elton John

It remains my favorite Elton ballad. What a good song.

I voted for H&O, by the way – there they are, at the peak of their imperial phase, experimenting with synths and Fairlights, all whipped up with some of their best harmonies.

All Night Long (All Night)

lionel two times

always kinda hated Durhan Durhan

even "Notorious" and "I Don't Want Your Love"?

I'm irrationally infuriated at myself for not having the slightest memory of that Hall & Oates song (and for not having sound on my work computer to end the frustration).

I like "Notorious" pretty well, and "Planet Earth," too - I think there are a couple more I'll go to bat for if pressed - but for the most part I think they were awful

like, I can get nostalgic for a time when the Human League was charting. but you could wipe Duran Duran from my memory banks and I wouldn't consider it any great loss

even "Notorious" and "I Don't Want Your Love"?

I love Duran Duran, but don't see much musical value in those two songs. Particularly not "I Don't Want Your Love". They were at their best on the first three albums, and nicely enough, on their most recent album.

WTF people? Only one vote for "Say It Isn't So" so far? I love almost every song on this list in one way or another, but H&O are so much farther ahead of the rest it's almost crazy.

Yup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0LPNJUGnT8

Love a lot of Hall & Oates, but I guess I don't see "Say It Isn't So" among their crowning moments. The singles from the "Big Bam Boom" album later in the year would be ace though.

fwiw, love Duran but Union of the Snake is rather grating.

"Union of the Snake" was the first DD song that I knew was by them that I liked (I was a big fan of "Planet Earth" but didn't know who did it until several years later)

If I was ordering these, I'd probably go:

2
1
4
9
8
6
5
3
10
7

Contra Geir, Matthew Wilder is the least essential, most dispensable item on this list by a country mile.

Say It Isn't So
I Guess That's Why...
Say Say Say
Undercover of the Night
Twist of Fate
Union of the Snake
the rest

I don't even remember "Undercover of the Night" or "Twist of Fate"

many fond memories of singing "owner of a lonely fart" tho

The battle with the McCartney/Jackson single led disc jockey Peter Bush of New York's WPLJ Radio, which had just switched from rock to Top 40 the previous June, to intro the Hall & Oates entry "Say, Say, Say It Isn't, Isn't, Isn't So, So, So".

4 u Dan:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5OzF-ZT6QI

stones:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHEVPoIsMhs

Rediscovering "Break My Stride" a few years ago was a really happy experience. Then I added it to my iPod. A few listens reminded me of why I forgot it in the first place.

oh shit, I voted for Yes before it registered with me what that H&O song is and I wouldn've totally voted for that

wouldn've

would've

ugh reflexive typo

say it isn't so
owner of a lonely heart
say say say
all night long (all night)
breakuh my stride
undercover of the night
i guess that's why the call it the blues
talking in yr sleep
union of the snake
twist of fate

will rep hard for first 6

soto you doing this for every week of 84 (best us top 40 year of my lifetime)?

Voted Lionel over Elton over H&O over Yes over Stones over MJetc over the rest

soto you doing this for every week of 84 (best us top 40 year of my lifetime)?

hmm...maybe I will. I'll look for the least overlap possible.

Lionel or Talking in Your Sleep

soto you doing this for every week of 84 (best us top 40 year of my lifetime)?

I'll ride for 76 because that was the year "don't fear the reaper" & "lowdown" both charted

The singles from the "Big Bam Boom" album later in the year would be ace though.

Yes! Out Of Touch is far and away my favorite song of theirs.

"Say It Isn't So" is the perfect transition then.

"Rolling like Thundarr" is hard to vote against, but I think I have to go with H&O. I think.

say it isn't so

First 2 songs have the word "Say" in the title, following three have "of" in the title, last two have the word "night" in the title

and "say" doesn't just appear twice, it's actually in the the two titles four times total. And night appears in the last two three times total.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

probably means I should say "night" to ilx

you know, I remember when you admitted several years ago that you only recognized a couple of H&O's biggest hits. Have you come 'round?

yeah I checked out some more, the songs I love I love a lot, but I'm still pretty fairweather, don't think of them as underrated album artists or anything. The 12 song personal best of I made is all I need.

"Say It Isn't So" is the most fun karaoke song ever.

"I Can't Go For That" is my H&O of choice

It remains my favorite Elton ballad. What a good song.

― ginny thomas and tonic (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Friday, May 6, 2011 2:18 PM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

man i heard this song recently and am totally feeling that sentiment. great song.

Goddamn the 80s were awesome. I love pretty much every song on this list (except for the Olivia Newton John one, which I haven't heard. But if I did, I bet I'd love that, too).

have you never been mellow, mr snrub?

when he sings "PICTURE mah FACE in your ha-a-a-a-nds," I just melt.

If we're talking the single version of "Say It Isn't So" and not the video version, that would be the one.

Ok, now I remember - twist of fate was from that totally forgotten movie (of same name) that paired Olivia with Travolta again. It's trash and definitely the odd one out here.

"Break My Stride" and "All Night Long" are the worst things here.

"Say It Isn't So"

The "Twist of Fate" movie is called Two of a Kind, actually. They showed it on TV the other day and I was like, when did this happen?

I think you mean to say 'Why did this happen?'

And why did this happen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shrueJR-udk

Know every song in the list cold, part of the height of my pop-obsessed listening era etc. Haven't thought about any of them in years except maybe Duran Duran.

union of the snake is def when i got off the duran duran bus
really like onj, at least in retrospect, but that song is terrible, she's unrecognizable in the video as well

soto, I hate and love you for getting "Twist of Fate" stuck in my head ALL freakin' weekend!!!!!

Right, sorry - two of a kind. I might have actually seen this movie once.

Union of the Snake. Another freakin' awesome song I haven't heard in a while.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

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

waht

OK which eight of you are Geir socks?

a fascinating year indeed

since when is it a surprise that ILM loves Trevor Horn?

19 people voted for one of the worst songs of all time

okay now I am off to look for a loop of the instrumental breakdown to post in retaliation

damn u internet, you promised me a pony and an endless loop of synth percussion

song is better if you sing "horse" in place of "heart"