Bony Scribe's Random Top 40 Flashback, Volume III

 Hello once again. If you didn't catch my last entry, we had snow in Florida yesterday, and south of Tampa, there still may be a threat of snow showers believe it or not. Later today, the NHL Stadium Series comes to Raymond James Stadium as the Tampa Bay Lightning face off vs. the Boston Bruins.  As of right now, the temperature in Spring Hill (about 45 minutes north of Tampa) is 31 with windy conditions and going down to about 25 by daybreak. Quite the start to my birthday month. 

Today marks the third edition of my random Top 40 flashback feature. In November, I did March of 1989. Then in December, I did May of 1987. Today, I'm going to do the fourth week of August 1997. For those of you who may be new to reading this blog, the way I do my flashbacks is that I take the data (depending on the date) from either the Billboard (Hot 100 from 1980-91, Hot 100 Airplay from 92 on) charts, the Radio & Records CHR charts, or both. For these random ones, I utilize both. A predetermined point value is given to a song in relation to the position of that particular chart, along with bonuses for longevity, or how long that song has been charting. I wrote how and why I did this several years ago on this site, I might have to repost it to give you a reference. Anyway, from the data given, here were the Top 40 songs for the week of August 22, 1997.

Before we begin, there were fifty songs that charted on the BB Hot 100 Airplay and R&R CHR pop charts, so ten missed the cut. Those were:

On My Own by Peach Union (#40 R/R)
Everything by Mary J. Blige (#40 BB)
Turn My Head by Live (#39 R/R)
Love You Down by INOJ (#39 BB)
What Do You Want From Me? by Monaco (#38 R/R)
Supernatural by Wild Orchid (#37 R/R)
Not Tonight by Lil' Kim (#37 BB)
Happy With You by Samantha Cole (#36 R/R)
Stomp by God's Property (#35 R/R)
Walkin' On The Sun by Smash Mouth (#35 BB)

40. Takes A Little Time by Amy Grant (#33 R/R--8 points)

39. G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T. by Changing Faces (#32 BB--11 points)

38. When I Die by No Mercy (#32 R/R--11 points). While both GHETTOUT and When I Die had 11 points, When I Die was on its ninth week on the R/R chart while GHETTOUT was on its eighth week on the Billboard chart.

37. I Belong To You (Every Time I See Your Face) by Rome (#34 BB--12 points)

36. To The Moon & Back by Savage Garden (#29 R/R--17 points)

35. Barbie Girl by Aqua (#36 BB, #27 R/R--19 points)

34. How Do I Live by Leann Rimes (#38 BB, #26 R/R--20 points)

33. I Wanna Be There by Blessid Union Of Souls (#30 R/R--21 points)
32. MMMBop by Hanson (#30 BB--21 points). MMMBop was a former #1 on both charts. I Wanna Be There merely reached the top 20 on the R/R chart and only charted for one week on the Hot 100 airplay chart. Interesting because IWBT was on its 18th week on R/R while MMMBop was on its 19th on Billboard; it had already reached recurrent status on R/R (Under #20 with 20 or more weeks since its debut). Kinda indicates some vast differences between the BB Hot 100 Airplay, which I assume covers all formats, and the R/R charts, which only covers mainstream pop. I wish I had worked in the radio business so I could better try to explain it and possibly give some insight as to why IWBT didn't get as much run on BB.

31. I Don't Wanna Wait by Paula Cole (#33 BB, #24 R/R--27 points)
30. Mo Money Mo Problems by The Notorious B.I.G. f/Puff Daddy & Mase (#19 BB--27 points). In this instance, the opposite of what occurred with the last two songs appears evident, as this was the only song by Biggie to chart on R/R (it hadn't reached the Top 40 yet), and when it did it only reached #29, doing so in October. I'll have another example of that featuring Diddy later.

29. Fly by Sugar Ray (#25 BB, #31 R/R--28 points)

28. Coco Jamboo by Mr. President (#31 BB, #20 R/R--33 points)

27. The Impression That I Get by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (#27 BB, #28 R/R--37 points)

26. Invisible Man by 98 Degrees (#28 BB, #18 R/R--38 points)

25. Say You'll Be There by Spice Girls (#29 BB, #34 R/R--39 points). Pause here to give some of you some eye candy:

...and you wonder why my affinity towards redheads comes from? Forever grateful, Geri.

24. More Than This by 10,000 Maniacs (#26 BB, #22 R/R--41 points)

23. Building A Mystery by Sarah McLachlan (#17 BB, #25 R/R--42 points). No, there wasn't a sappy commercial from the ASPCA that accompanied this song, nor was it featured in that infamous dead dog dedication. Maybe my next flashback will feature the song that was involved with that.

22. Barely Breathing by Duncan Sheik (14 BB--45 points). Already reached recurrent status on R/R.

21. A Change Will Do You Good by Sheryl Crow (#22 BB, #23 R/R--47 points). The song with one of my favorite lines, "Jack off Jimmy everybody wants more."

20. If You Could Only See by Tonic (#21 BB, #21 R/R--47 points)

19. The Difference by The Wallflowers (#23 BB, #16 R/R--47 points)

18. One Headlight by The Wallflowers (#11 BB--52 points). As was the case with Barely Breathing, One Headlight had also reached recurrent status on the R/R chart.

17. Honey by Mariah Carey (#18 BB, #14 R/R--53 points). I read recently that Mariah has only five Grammy wins. How is that possible?! Then again AMPAS voted Jethro Tull over Metallica for best hard rock performance in the early 90s and in 2001 had an album of the year win by Steely Dan. Steely Dan.

16. Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews Band (#20 BB, 19 R/R--58 points)

15. Push by Matchbox 20 (#13 BB, #12 R/R--73 points)

14. Foolish Games by Jewel (#12 BB, #10 R/R--76 points)

13. Return Of The Mack by Mark Morrison (#16 BB, #17 R/R--79 points)

12. Where's The Love by Hanson (#24 BB, #6 R/R--84 points). Coming off the heels of "MMMBop," this track proved that a strictly pop hit while almost a certain smash on R/R doesn't guarantee success on the Hot 100 Airplay chart.

11. The Freshmen by The Verve Pipe (#9 BB, #13 R/R--97 points)

10. I'll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy & Faith Evans f/112 (#6 BB, #15 R/R--103 points). Remember the earlier example regarding Biggie? Diddy reached #4 on Billboard with this tribute track to Biggie and Tupac (who were assassinated in separate incidents over the prior six months), and surprisingly got some rub on R/R yet only managed #13.

  9. Do You Know (What It Takes) by Robyn (#15 BB, #7 R/R--108 points)

  8. Bitch by Meredith Brooks (#10 BB, #9 R/R--110 points). Don't think that song would work today. Censorship has started to run rampant present day. Case in point, the E****** files.

Seriously, nothing makes sense anymore. That gets bleeped out on TikTok while Chappel Roan practically exposed her breasts on the red carpet of the GRAMMYs last night.

  7. All For You by Sister Hazel (#7 BB, #8 R/R--120 points)

  6. 2 Become 1 by Spice Girls (#8 BB, #4 R/R--137 points). Again, I ask for your indulgence:

  5. Sunny Came Home by Shawn Colvin (#2 BB, #11 R/R--167 points). Speaking of the GRAMMYs, remember Colvin's win for Best Song in 1998 and her acceptance speech got hijacked by Ol' Dirty Bastard? Come to think of it this was the same GRAMMYs where "Soy Bomb" interrupted a performance by Bob Dylan. Now, the whole WORLD is unhinged...

  4. Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) by Backstreet Boys (#5 BB, #2 R/R--190 points)

  3. How Bizarre by OMC (#4 BB, #3 R/R--195 points)

  2. Men In Black by Will Smith (#1 BB, #5 R/R--210 points)

and my top spot for the week of August 22, 1997 went to...

  1. Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind (#3 BB, #1 R/R--235 points).

A quick word about this week before I wrap things up for this entry. Not only is Sunday my birthday, but it's also Super Bowl Sunday. I pick Seattle to get revenge on what happened a dozen years ago in Arizona to the hands of New England. Friday I'm going to have some fun, but also the Winter Olympics begin in Italy. During the Opening Ceremony, wouldn't it be something if, given the state of matters in the US, a member or several members of Team USA as they're marching into the San Siro for the parade of athletes did THIS gesture:

Food for thought. Anyway, enjoy the week!

Bonyscribe.

Hell Hath Frozen Over

 Good evening, and I sincerely hope you're staying warm. As I'm typing this, there are scattered snow flurries across Florida. You read that right, it's snowing in Florida. For the second time this year in some spots in the panhandle. We don't plan on getting any accumulation of course, and anything from this point forward will only be some stray flakes every now and then, but the bottom line is hell hath frozen over.

I wonder for a brief second if this is karma for what has been happening in Minneapolis this month; ICE terrorizing the citizens of MSP. You already know about the two shootings that happened there this month, but according to eyewitness accounts on the ground there, it's been worse than what you're being told by the media. 

So, what happens? Mother nature has sent two wicked winter storms the past two weekends over MAGAland. Oh, and the new Melania movie that's out? 7% on Rotten Tomatoes. Add that to the batch of Epstein Files that were released last night, and this has been a rough weekend for MAGA.

Good...

Bonyscribe

One Year In...

 Good early morning to everyone, especially to Curt Cignetti, who has successfully turned what was a traditional basketball school into a football school with their triumph over Miami last night. Congrats, Hoosiers. Before the game, as the "Star-Spangled Banner" played, the cameras at Hard Rock Stadium cut to a shot of the Petulant Toddler in Chief, to a mixed reaction. Which reminded me that we are now exactly one year into Trump's second term, and to call this administration of Keystone Cops a shit show wouldn't do it any justice whatsoever, and folks this seems to be the general consensus around the world.

Seriously, covering Trump if you're a journalist (unless it's Fox "News") has been more than annoying and exhausting, and it's only getting worse because HE'S getting worse. Did you hear his latest presser outside Air Farce 1 (that's what I'm calling his plane while he's in office) last night? Batshit crazy stuff coming out of the man's piehole. Remember last year when I predicted on this very blog that Trump wouldn't make it for the entirety of this term? That still applies, but I'm now willing to bet his presidency doesn't survive the calendar year. 

This just in: Trump is threatening to send Army troops to Bloomington, Indiana if Curt Cignetti doesn't hand over Indiana's newly earned National Championship trophy. 

I just want to post blogs about music charts of days gone by, sports, and life in general. But these past two weeks have really been tough. 

Oh, by the way, about that ICE shooting. I am of the opinion that the wife of Renee Good bears some responsibility for what happened. Now does that justify his actions? Abso-freaking-lutely not. He was very thin-skinned and obviously less than qualified to be in such a position, however, the wife, obviously not knowing he was this way, didn't help the situation by taunting him and getting in his face. That's all I have to say about that.

Back to Trump though. He's leaving (or has left) for that economic conference in Davos this morning, and the way he's been carrying on about occupying Greenland in what is tantamount to what is called in the business world as a "hostile takeover," this should be a doozy.

And we're only one year in...

Bonyscribe

Happy New Year, Welcome To World War III

 Good afternoon, I'm more than a little bit late with this, but since I had to wait to have a procedure done in Tampa yesterday (isn't getting older fun?) I had to wait until now to say it...

...and no sooner than the calendar had been freshly turned, the United States, or rather Donald Trump's regime, sprung itself to a war with Venezuela. JFC.

Now, is Maduro in the words of Trump a "bad hombre?" Of course he is. But the way this administration has went about this capture and arrest, as well as the reasons we're being told Maduro was arrested, is totally bogus. It isn't about fentanyl, which is evil in its own right because there have been friends of mine that have been greatly affected by it. It isn't about cocaine either. It's about Venezuela's crude oil supply all for the purposes of making the American Oil Lobby richer. Remember George Carlin's line from that one comedy special he did about twenty years ago, in which he said, "it's a big club, and you're not in it" when he was talking about the rich and powerful? The American Oil Lobby is part of said club.

And now, Trump is bitching and whining about wanting to take over Greenland...again. Greenland was part of the Kingdom of Denmark long before the United States even came to existence. Furthermore, Denmark has been a long-standing ally of NATO. In the words of Scott Van Pelt, "what are we doing here?" Then again, Trump has never been a friend of NATO and totally wants to upset the "New World Order" applecart that George H.W. Bush spoke of in 1988. It seems like he wants the new axis of evil to be us, Russia, and China. Let me repeat that, US, Russia, and China, an axis of evil.

Folks, we're better than this. At least I thought we were. Because this isn't the same America that I gave six years of my life defending in the US Navy in the early 1990s. One such indicator is probably the obscenest "billboard" I have seen in my life, heading northbound on US 41 just north of Tampa. If you're from that area, and you know my world view, I think you know what I'm referring to.

But don't take my word for it, check our my reposts on my TikTok page (@bonyscribe1), especially from Former MLB agent Joshua Kusnick. There are other reposts I have on there sounding the alarm that World War III is impending.

Folks, it isn't impending, it's here. The world is at war. Buckle up buttercup.

I should have my normal flashback blog post sometime later in the week. But for now, 2026 is off to a rough start.

Be sure to follow my socials:

Twitter, Threads, and Bluesky: @bonyscribe
TikTok: @bonyscribe1

Happy New Year, I guess.

Bonyscribe

A Bony Scribe Christmas Wish

 Good morning, everyone. It's hard to believe that we are already less than a week away from Christmas, which means we are less than two weeks away from 2026 and less than three weeks away from my colonoscopy. Isn't it fun getting older? Heck, may as well write up a small review of 2025 while I'm at it.

2025 personally was filled with plenty of highs, a few lows, and some personal growth at the end. All in all, it was a pretty good year for the Scribe, even if the end didn't quite live up to what I had hoped for. However, I didn't let what may or may not have occurred upset me like in years, heck, even months past. That's a terrific attribute I hope to take with me into the new year. As usual, I won't have anybody to kiss in the New Year with (I think), which is a shame since there is some mistletoe hanging in the boundary between the kitchen and dining room. But hey, the year isn't over just yet, and stranger things have happened.

I haven't really gotten into the Holiday Spirit much this year. That isn't to say I haven't felt it at all, because I have as evidenced by this tree: 

But there have been several things that have contributed to the lack of spirit this season. The Bucs are playing like total crap, and so are the Lightning. Over the past week, headline news has been anything but inspiring, including two noteworthy deaths yesterday in North Carolina alone. Moreover, the general mood surrounding what's been happening in the US has been awful. To be honest, I don't think I've ever felt as low about our nation as I do right now, and as Forrest Gump would say "that's all I've got to say about that."

However, there is hope for the upcoming year, most notably come November when the midterms happen. Plus, the Chiefs are not going to the playoffs this year, so there's that. It would be great if the entire Trump administration were removed by ANY LEGAL MEANS NECESSARY, so that we don't have to worry about the future of our nation. I'm not looking forward to the Olympic Games or the World Cup this summer, because you know Fox will ramp up the propaganda machine for it, and I for one, won't be in the mood. When certain entities use a sporting event to push forth a political ideology, I have to draw the line.

Perhaps I've become jaded with the prospects of the future. I don't see myself becoming a stepfather anytime soon, if ever. I'm also coming to grips with the fact that next year I will have lived as many years in the 21st century as the 20th century. I know I'm appreciated, and that matters more than anything, I guess. Heck, I consider myself a good luck charm at times. Hopefully that continues into 2026.

So, I guess for my Christmas wish for 2025 and the New Year is to maintain my peace throughout the year and beyond. Just hope and pray that things don't get topsy-turvy because I know everything can change in a New York minute. 

So, from me to you, have a merry and blessed Christmas and a wonderful new year, and I'll see you in 2026.

Thank you for reading this blog,

Bony Scribe

Bonyscribe's Random Top 40 Flashback, Volume 2

 Hello everyone. This blog post is not sponsored by K Jewelers, who remind you this holiday season, that every diss begins with "K." Question for all of you, especially if you follow racing of any sort. You ever watch or visualize a car (or an athlete) have an insurmountable lead in said race only to crash out (or pull up lame). Actually, I have the perfect analogy. If any of you follow Indy Car racing, particularly the Indy 500, you may remember the bonkers finish to the 2011 race. JR Hildebrand somehow found his way in the lead late in the race, but with one lap, check that one CORNER to go before reaching the checkered flag, he got high off turn four and slammed the wall. This would allow Dan Wheldon to storm from behind and pass him for the win at the finish line. Another sports analogy I could make would be Russell Wilson calling a pass play at the goal line in the Super Bowl instead of giving the ball to Marshawn Lynch. The pass was intercepted, and the Seattle Seahawks lost the game. I bring those up because over the course of this past week, something happened regarding my life that could be quite similar to those situations mentioned, which gives me this reaction:

Also, I have another have another GIF to describe my feelings:

Oh well. I'm okay by the way, I just have a little more money to spend this holiday season now...

Anyway, back to the subject at hand, this is the second installment of my random Top 40 flashback from a day in the past. Early last week, I did one for the beginning of March 1989. This week, instead of rolling a D20 die to determine the week, I got inspiration from a TikTok I saw regarding how the arrangement to one of my favorite songs, "With Or Without You" by U2 was created. So, for this week, I'm going to pick the week ending May 15-16, 1987, which was the first week that song was number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Radio and Records pop charts. And like the previous entry, it will be a hybrid of both Billboard and Radio and Records charts for that week. So, without further ado, here were the Top 40:

40. Don't Disturb This Groove by The System (#39 BB, #35 R/R--8 points). This one-hit wonder is a lost favorite from that 1987. I remember it from an ad for a radio station based out of Wilmington, NC on TV back in the day.

39. Alone by Heart (#33 R/R--8 points). This monster ballad and the band's biggest hit would debut on this date in 1987.

38. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship (#34 BB--12 points). Easing its way off the countdown was this track that I think is better than "We Built This City," which is considered by some metrics to be the worst song of the 80's. The movie it came from ("Mannequin") wasn't too bad, either.

37. Stone Love by Kool & The Gang (#32 BB--14 points)

36. Fascinated by Company B (#36 BB, #31 R/R--15 points). I swear the first time I heard this song, it was during a high school talent show my freshman year. Two girls, Angela Crews and Cyndi Ellis, did a choreographed routine to this song at Hoke High School. Angela's now a curator of a museum in Texas, as for Cyndi, I don't know for sure. She probably avoids social media like the plague (and I wouldn't blame her to be honest) but I hope she's doing okay.

35. Serious by Donna Allen (#28 BB--15 points). Every time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on Sunday Night Football, and the game goes to commercial, you'll hear this song because Donna Allen once upon a time was a Tampa Bay Bucs cheerleader.

34. Lessons In Love by Level 42 (#37 BB, #24 R/R--21 points). Indulge me for a second. Some think I need some (lessons in love), but I'm standing on business. I sometimes don't understand the younger generations of people, and I'm sure they don't understand us. I really don't care though...

33. Just To See Her by Smokey Robinson (#33 BB, #27 R/R--22 points)

32. Get That Love by The Thompson Twins (#31 BB, #30 R/R--23 points)

31. Songbird by Kenny G (#35 BB, #23 R/R--24 points). A very rare accomplishment these days, an instrumental that charted on the Top 40. You don't see that anymore.

30. I Wanna Dance With Somebody Who Loves Me by Whitney Houston (#38 BB, #20 R/R--24 points). Nothing more can be said about Whit's signature hit (I Will Always Love You will always be considered a Dolly hit to me), other than too bad she's no longer around to perform it.

29. Heartbreak Beat by Psychedelic Furs (#30 BB, #29 R/R--25 points). I think Love My Way was a better song by PF.

28. What's Going On? by Cyndi Lauper (#16 R/R--30 points). Her remake of the Marvin Gaye classic wasn't released as a single, so it never made the Billboard Hot 100. But it got a ton of airplay, although not in Fayetteville, North Carolina, because I don't remember hearing it.

27. I Knew You Were Waiting For Me by Aretha Franklin & George Michael (#22 BB, #38 R/R--32 points)

26. The Right Thing by Simply Red (#27 BB, #26 R/R--33 points)

25. You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon (#29 BB, #21 R/R--34 points). Before most of us realized Chevy Chase was not a good guy, he was cast to hijack Paul's music video for this song.

24. Sign O' The Times by Prince (#17 BB, #39 R/R--36 points). Give this song a listen sometime, if you think that the 80's were nothing but good times, think again. That decade had more than its share of bad news, tragedies, and crises. Some of them were alluded to in this song.

23. Day In Day Out by David Bowie (#25 BB, #22 R/R--37 points)

22. Se La by Lionel Richie (#20 BB, #25 R/R--41 points)

21. Diamonds by Herb Alpert (#23 BB, #17 R/R--42 points). Janet Jackson did the vocals for this song and even made a cameo at the beginning of the music video.

20. Meet Me Halfway by Kenny Loggins (#26 BB, #15 R/R--45 points). This was one of those songs that one couldn't reach for the radio dial fast enough, and probably only gets airplay nowadays on that friggin' Delilah show. Ugh.

19. The Finer Things by Steve Winwood (#18 BB, #28 R/R--46 points). This song doesn't get enough love in my opinion.

18. Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House (#15 BB, #32 R/R--52 points). Barring an absolute miracle, I think it is. For some of you, IYKYK. For others, don't worry about it.

17. Head To Toe by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam (#19 BB, #14 R/R--52 points). If you all remember the end of this song, there was a pregnant pause that lasted about a measure (musical term) before it sang the one line in the chorus. I recall G105 radio in Raleigh at the time would install certain sound drops during that pause, one of them being some pastor saying, "SAY HALLELUJAH!" If it were up to me, it would be a sound drop of Dave Mishkin yelling "SCOOORRREEE!!!"

16. If She Would've Been Faithful by Chicago (#21 BB, #12 R/R--56 points). Faithful? In this day and age (and in this economy)?? Pffffft...

15. In Too Deep by Genesis (#24 BB, #10 R/R--57 points)

14. Wanted Dead Or Alive by Millie Bobbie Brown's father-in-law's band (#14 BB, #13 R/R--58 points). Yes, I'm talking about Bon Jovi. Yes, I had to throw in a "Stranger Things" reference. That said, I'm kinda surprised we haven't heard a Bon Jovi song on that program...yet. There's still five episodes left.

13. Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You by Glenn Medeiros (#13 BB, #19 R/R--58 points). Tiebreaker goes to him because while both it and DoA were #13 on different charts, this song was on longer at the time of the chart than DoA

12. Talk Dirty To Me by Poison (#9 BB, #18 R/R--75 points)

11. Right On Track by Breakfast Club (#11 BB, #11 R/R--78 points). To think that if not for this song, this group would be the answer to a trivia question: which band did Madonna get her start with?

10. I Know What I Like by Huey Lewis & The News (#12 BB, #8 R/R--88 points)

  9. Always by Atlantic Starr (#10 BB, #6 R/R--102 points)

  8. Heat Of The Night by Bryan Adams (#6 BB, #9 R/R--112 points). I once thought NBC missed an opportunity here. A little over a year after this song came out, the TV show (based off the 1967 movie) "In The Heat Of The Night" debuted. At the time, fourteen-year-old me thought to myself, "why doesn't NBC use the Bryan Adams song for the promotional videos regarding that program?" In retrospect, I'm glad they didn't because the song has a completely different vibe from the TV show. I just didn't realize it at the time. God I was naive back then.

  7. La Isla Bonita by Madonna (#4 BB, #16 R/R--115 points). I had such a crush on her back then that I badly wanted to see her music videos, unfortunately, we didn't have cable TV back in May of 1987. Dammit. 

  6. The Lady In Red by Chris Deburgh (#5 BB, #7 R/R--132 points). Pardon me while I run to the restroom and projectile vomit...

  5. Big Love by Fleetwood Mac (#7 BB, #4 R/R--142 points)

  4. You Keep Me Hanging On by Kim Wilde (#8 BB, #3 R/R--144 points). One hit wonder? No, not really. "Kids In America" reached the top 20 in the early part of the decade, plus she's more popular in the United Kingdom.

  3. (I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight by Cutting Crew (#3 BB, #5 R/R--180 points). A figure of speech, I would love to do that just one time, but at my age I might actually die if I ever do that. Yikes.

  2. Looking For A New Love by Jody Watley (#2 BB, #2 R/R--220 points). Why I just may be Jody.

  1. With Or Without You by U2 (#1 BB, #1 R/R--265 points). I wonder if this will find its way onto "Stranger Things." Probably not though, because to me it doesn't vibe with the storyline. Unless it's used towards the end between Mike and Eleven, but we'll see.

It took me three whole days to finish this entry. I haven't really been feeling myself the whole weekend. Got to get that turned around, somehow. Until next time, friends.

Bonyscribe

  

Bonyscribe's Random Top 40 Flashback, Volume 1

 Hello again everyone. Today, I thought I would do my normal flashback feature on this blog but with a bit of a twist. Instead of dispensing a certain year on the week that a particular blog entry is published, I decided to switch things up and select a random date. Why? Because to keep things fresh and to give my D20 dice more of a workout. No, I don't play D & D (and I never have), but I had thought that a 20-sided die was cool ever since I was a teenager, so I got a dice set from wish a few years ago.

Anyhow I rolled said dice, and the D-20 landed on ten, then I rolled a regular die, and it landed on even (1980-1999). Then I rolled a D-12 die, it landed on three (March). Finally, I rolled the regular die again, and it landed on one meaning I would be using the first week. So, today's flashback is from the first week of March 1989. I thought about rolling the regular die again to see which chart I would use (Billboard or R/R or combined), but I skipped it and decided to go with a combined chart for that particular week. Keep in mind, back then Billboard's Hot 100 chart was based on sales while R/R was based on airplay lists submitted to them by radio station managers throughout the nation.

I use a points system based on chart position and longevity on the chart, kind of like music meets the old NASCAR points system, I have to write another blog someday and review said process for that points system and find a way to pin it on my blogger page or any other of my social media pages. I know I wrote it in the early days of this blog (before Covid), but I didn't really want to look through all the entries to find it. Writing this can be time-consuming enough as it is. 

So, without further ado, here were the top 40 songs based on data from Billboard and Radio and Records magazines for the week ending March 4, 1989. There were five songs that missed the cut as 45 songs reached the Top 40 of both charts that week, those were Funky Cold Medina by Tone Loc (39 R/R), Room To Move by Animotion (38 R/R), Angel of Harlem by U2 (38 BB), The Last Mile by Cinderella (36 BB), and Second Chance by 38 Special (35 R/R). Tiebreakers are broken by higher chart position followed by weeks on the chart)

40. All This Time by Tiffany (39 BB--7 points). As I recall, this was Tiffany's final chart hit, but she's still very active in the nostalgia music scene touring across the world.

39. Heaven Help Me by Deon Estus (34 R/R--7 points). I know he was one of the backup singers for the late George Michael, who actually helped back him with this track, but I don't really know what happened to him after this came out.

38. Feels So Good by Van Hagar Halen (33 R/R--8 points)

37. She Won't Talk To Me by Luther Vandross (40 BB, 31 R/R--11 points). Story of my life, buddy. Though not so much now.

36. When The Children Cry by White Lion (34 BB--12 points). They disappeared after this song was released. I guess we were left "wait"ing for more. That's a bad pun. I don't expect you to get it unless you're GenX like myself.

35. I Wanna Have Some Fun by SAMANTHA Fox (33 BB--13 points). I'll assume you know why Samantha is capitalized. Anyway, this was the last of her three big hits in America, and like Tiffany, she's very active on the nostalgia circuit.

34. Your Mama Don't Dance by Poison (37 BB, 28 R/R--17 points)

33. Cryin' by Vixen (35 BB, 29 R/R--18 points). The only band (to my knowledge) that was a female hard rock/hair metal band from that era. Of note, Richard Marx co-wrote their other hit, "Edge of a Broken Heart."

32. Walking Away from Information Society (22 BB, 40 R/R--24 points). As I recall this band had a fixation with Spock from the original "Star Trek" series. 

31. You Got It by Roy Orbison (29 BB, 26 R/R--27 points). Orbison tragically passed away the previous December at the age of 52. He had been working at the time as part of the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys

30. When I'm With You by Sheriff (24 BB, 38 R/R--27 points). Song which was first released six years earlier but somehow found new life at the start of 1989.

29. Superwoman by Karyn White (32 BB, 22 R/R--28 points)

28. More Than You Know by Martika (31 BB, 21 R/R--32 points). Debut hit from the Cuban emigrant, who would later score with "Toy Soldiers" that summer. Her hit after that was a remake of Carole King's "I Feel The Earth Move," which appeared destined to be at least a top ten hit but was victimized by rotten timing; the Loma Prieta earthquake which affected that year's World Series happened as that song was gaining popularity.

27. She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals (30 BB, 20 R/R--32 points)

26. Dial My Heart by The Boys (19 BB, 37 R/R--33 points)

25. The Love In Your Eyes by Eddie Money (27 BB, 23 R/R--34 points)

24. Stand by R.E.M. (28 BB, 19 R/R--35 points). The video of this song kind of freaked me out. Remember those three students that were detained for crossing into Iran a few years ago, and do you recall the video package showing those students doing a hideous dance? That "dance" reminded me of that video, and oh, my opinion speaking here, I think those students should have been detained not for crossing into Iran, but that dance performance. It was that bad.

23. Walk The Dinosaur by Was Not Was (26 BB, 16 R/R--42 points). I seem to recall a long time ago, I want to say maybe 20 years ago, that I was watching (I think) "Pop Up Video" on VH-1 back before it became lame reality TV, and it stated that the song had a very dark meaning. Like the end of the world was going to happening.

22. Born To Be My Baby by Bon Jovi (15 BB, 30 R/R--46 points). I remember recording this on tape back when I was in high school on WJMX radio out of Florence, SC.

21. Dreamin' by Vanessa Williams (20 BB, 17 R/R--47 points)

20. I Beg Your Pardon by Kon Kan (18 BB, 18 R/R--50 points). I don't know if "The Jukebox From Hell" exists anymore on certain radio shows, but if I had a radio program, as well as that segment, I would submit this song as one such entry.

19. Respect by Erasure (14 BB, 24 R/R--51 points)

18. Just Because by Anita Baker (23 BB, 14 R/R--52 points)

17. She Wants To Dance With Me by Rick Astley (11 BB, 32 R/R--53 points). I haven't danced in a long time.

16. The Look by Roxette (25 BB, 10 R/R--56 points)

15. You're Not Alone by Chicago (21 BB, 11 R/R--61 points). Yes, the band Chicago was still a thing back in 1989, without Peter Cetera.

14. What I Am by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians (7 BB, 25 R/R--78 points)

13. Don't Tell Me Lies by Breathe (16 BB, 8 R/R--79 points). That should be a prerequisite for any woman I may want to date. So, if you're reading this...

12. Girl You Know It's True by Phony Baloney Milli Vanilli (12 BB, 9 R/R--83 points). Remember the nostalgia circuit I was mentioning earlier? Well, I saw a photo on Facebook with Tiffany alongside Fab Morvan, the surviving member of Milli Vanilli. My question: he is actually singing the songs now, right? 

11. Eternal Flame by The Bangles (17 BB, 6 R/R--86 points). From what I recall by watching "Behind The Music" they HATED that song and part of the reason they split apart not too long afterwards, but they're back together now.

10. Wild Thing by Tone Loc (6 BB, 27 R/R--86 points). This song was on both charts longer than "Eternal Flame" (9 vs 4/5) so this wins the tiebreaker. 

  9. Surrender To Me by Ann Wilson & Robin Zander (9 BB, 13 R/R--87 points). Zander I understand has called the Tampa Bay area home for quite a while now, and I think him and the other members of Cheap Trick still get together.

  8. My Heart Can't Tell You No by Rod Stewart (13 BB, 5 R/R--106 points)

  7. Paradise City by Guns N' Roses (10 BB, 4 R/R--127 points)

  6. The Lover In Me by Sheena Easton (2 BB, 15 R/R--138 points). The fact that this song made it number TWO on one of the charts surprises me. I thought it was top five for sure, but TWO?

  5. Straight Up by Paula Abdul (3 BB, 12 R/R--139 points). Thus began my adolescent crush on Paula.

  4. You Got It (The Right Stuff) by New Kids on the Block (5 BB, 7 R/R--140 points). Many great things have come from Boston, Paul Revere, Dunkin' Donuts, Gillette, Sean McDonough, and this group. And speaking of things coming from Boston...

  3. Roni by Bobby Brown (8 BB, 3 R/R--144 points). How easy it is to forget that New Edition formed in Boston.

  2. The Living Years by Mike + The Mechanics (4 BB, 2 R/R--187 points). I hated this song, and I imagine that this only gets played on the equally revolting Delilah program. This entry by the way was not sponsored by Tragic 94.9, all Delilah, all the frigging time. If you've ever lived in Tampa, you know what I'm referring to.

  1. Lost In Your Eyes by Debbie Gibson (1 BB, 1 R/R--262 points). A unanimous number one, which is something I should research from 1980 to 2006 when Radio and Records magazine got bought out by Billboard and vanished into Bolivia as Mike Tyson once said years ago.

And there it is, the first volume of my random Top 40 flashback, which is a welcome relief from the disaster that is current events and news as well as the recent play of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now I'm off to dispose of a dead squirrel that somehow got dropped beside my driveway by some bird of prey. Hey, at least it wasn't a cat along US 74 in North Carolina. Take care!

Bonyscribe