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.
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
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