WLS Music Survey - September 01, 1979 (Part Two: The Forty-fives)

This one, like every other thing I do, is dedicated to her. September 1, 1979, was her 14th birthday and she had her party in her family's backyard, with her older brother's band providing the tunes, some of which are on today's featured survey. Yesterday, the calendar says she turned 53 but I know that is a filthy lie because I'm looking right at her and she is still as fresh and beautiful and full of life as she was when I first laid eyes on her in 1983... even though she just became a grandmother! She defies time and gravity, even logic. Love her more than I'll ever be able to say in this lifetime.

The flip-side of this week's survey features an admission discount for Old Chicago, the indoor amusement park/shopping mall that was sponsoring the survey sheet. The venue advertises that they would be hosting a Labor Day Weekend Star Bash featuring performances by Gloria Gaynor one night followed by two nights from England Dan and John Ford Coley.

While the latter act's Forty-fives run had ended a year prior, Ms. Gaynor can be found on this week's singles list down at number 34 with "Anybody Wanna Party?", her third and final entry on the station's chart. It also happened to be at its peak position. Eight months later, Old Chicago would shut down, never fully realizing its potential though it inspired other park/mall combos like Mall Of America.

The Bio feature of this week's survey discusses the pedigree of the players who teamed up as Night. The group was moving up the Forty-fives list with "Hot Summer Nights" this week after debuting the week prior at number 40, sitting at number 31 on their way to peaking at number 17 four weeks later. I immediately fell for the voice of Ms. Stevie Lange and this song has been a favorite ever since. As it states right there, the tune was written by Walter Egan but it doesn't say it was included on 1978's Too Shy, closing out the album. That version had been released as an edited down 45 in September 1978, stalling at number 55 on Billboard's Hot 100.

Even though I would consider myself a more than regular listener of WLS back in 1979, I do not recall hearing "The Topical Song" at all. Two or three years earlier, when I was writing non-sensical parody lyrics to songs all on my own, and I would have been a big fan. Pulled it up on YouTube to listen and the only memory it jarred was how great Supertramp's "The Logical Song" is and will always be. That song was sitting at number 16 this week, down four from the previous week after peaking at number 6 back at the end of June. "The Topical Song" was included as a rare EXTRA on the Forty-fives list this week just as it had been the week of August 25 and would jump onto the Forty-fives chart the week of September 8 at number 41 on its way to peaking at number 29 two weeks later. According to ARSA, only one other station - KRUX 1360, a Phoenix Top 40 station - listed the song.

Over on the rest of the Forty-fives chart, disco still dominates the Top 10 with exactly half the spots though they share the stratosphere with rock and country tracks. That blend of genres actually holds true for the rest of the Forty-fives chart as well. Some songs and artists do stand out though. Four artists each land a pair of 45s on the list, beginning with Blondie.

Blondie was pushing two singles up the Forty-fives from its album Parallel Lines even though it had fallen off the Thirty-threes a couple weeks prior. "One Way Or Another" moves up from number 43 to number 39 this week while "Heart of Glass" breaks from number 35 to number 30 even though it had already peaked at number 6 three months ago and would eventually come in at number 11 on WLS's Big 89 of 1979. "One Way Or Another" would eventually peak at number 31 in a few weeks and fail to make the year-end list.

Electric Light Orchestra is up next with "Don't Bring Me Down" stomping up nine to number 20 and falling five with the disco-tinged "Shine A Little Love" at number 26. The latter had peaked at number 13 and the former was on its way to number 5. Both tracks are from Discovery, the number 6 album on this week's Thirty-threes. The two singles will both wind up on the Big 89, with "Shine A Little Love" finishing at number 53 and "Don't Bring Me Down" up at number 24.

"Boogie Wonderland", one of Earth, Wind & Fire's two singles on the Forty-fives, falls three this week to number 21 after cresting at number 12 back in July. Their beautiful ballad "After The Love Has Gone" rises ten to number 17 on its way to topping out at number 12 as well. Both tracks are from the group's album I Am, perched right below Discovery at number 7 this week. The two singles above, along with "September", will all make The Big 89 of 1979.

The fourth artist with a pair of singles on the Forty-fives chart is Donna Summer with two tracks in the top 20. Falling six to number 15 is "Hot Stuff" (go ahead, sing the chorus to yourself, I'll wait) and slipping one to number 3 is the follow-up single "Bad Girls". Along with the singles "Dim All The Lights" and "Heaven Knows", "Hot Stuff" and "Bad Girls" will become the only artist with four tracks on the Big 89 of 1979.

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This is a really great chart with many songs packing good memories of the summer and fall of 1979. (Only three songs remain from this list in April 1979.) Good times at the base roller rink, the youth center (also on base) and just hanging out with friends. There are only a handful of singles here that I wouldn't consider loading into that mythical dream jukebox of mine, the one with an endless capacity.

~1012~