WLS Music Survey - May 30, 1981 (Part Two: Forty-fives)

The flip-side of the WLS Music Survey dated May 30, 1981, features the lyrics to "Angel Of The Morning", the number 5 song on the Forty-fives. While I enjoy the 1968 Merrilee Rush version of the song, I think I have to give the nod to Juice Newton's 1981 version as a better-sounding performance all around, from the vocals to the musical backing and production.  

The Bio feature this week spotlights 32-year-old Steve Winwood's sixteen-year career right up to his latest album, 1980's Arc Of A Diver, sitting at number 7 on the Thirty-threes. Winwood's latest single "While You See A Chance" is moving down the list of Forty-fives at number 19. Note the transcribing error in the title of the first Traffic LP.

Flipping this week's survey back over, we are greeted by a rather tasty chart of Forty-fives. Let's look at a few of our favorites.

We mentioned the other two EXTRAS in our Thirty-threes writeup of this week's survey but saved the best for last. "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins first appears on the WLS chart this week as an aforementioned EXTRA and would hold that designation for a second week before debuting at number 26 the week of June 13. The track peaked on the Forty-fives list dated July 4, 1980, spending a total of seventeen weeks on the station's surveys. "In The Air Tonight" wound up at number 5 on WLS's Big 89 of 1981. (Fellow EXTRAs "Winning" and "A Life Of Illusion" would wind up at numbers 13 and 35 respectively on the year-end countdown.) For this listener, "In The Air Tonight" reached immortal status in 1984 when it was perfectly synched with a scene in the debut episode of Miami Vice.

"Ah! Leah!" falls from number 37 to number 45 this week. The song first appeared on the WLS's singles list as an EXTRA for two weeks in February 1981 before making a proper debut at number 44 later that same month. The song peaked at number 7 for two weeks in April and spent a total of seventeen weeks on the chart. "Ah! Leah!" showed up at number 52 on the year's Big 89. Whenever we hear the crunchy guitar riff that opens this delightful double-scoop of power-pop, we snap to attention and begin playing our trusty air guitar while miming along with the vocals with just the right amount of attitude.

"The Party's Over (Hopelessly In Love)" drops nine spots this week to number 44. It first appeared on the WLS's list of singles as an EXTRA in March before debuting at number 40 the following week. The song spent fourteen weeks moving up and down the Forty-fives chart, peaking at number 24 in April and finishing the year on the Big 89 at number 89. We were immediately captivated by the musical commotion at the song's intro and Steve Perry's improvised exclamation before he began singing. And he is in fine voice, here.

John O'Banion's blast of soft rock "Love You Like I Never Loved Before" debuted at number 45 on the WLS singles list in May. This week finds the song up at number 40. Next week, it'll peak at number 38 and then wind up at number 45 again on the chart dated June 13, 1981, in its sixth and final week. I don't recall ever hearing this song until late in 1983 when one of my Aunts gave me a three-album set she ordered off the TV called The Greatest Hits Album and asked me to dub it onto cassette for her. Actually, she asked my Dad first and he declined the job so she asked me. It was like a triple-disc K-tel album filled with like a dozen songs I needed for my collection, including "Love You Like I Never Loved Before".

"Turn Me Loose" appeared as an EXTRA on WLS's Forty-fives the week before debuting at number 39 on the chart dated May 30, 1981. In a twelve-week run on the station's singles list, the single peaked at number 24 for two weeks in June. I saw Loverboy perform two songs on American Bandstand on February 21, 1981: "Turn Me Loose" and "The Kid Is Hot Tonite". Hours later, I was listening to my newly purchased copy of the group's self-titled debut album.

"Don't Stop The Music" stops at number 32 for a second week this week. The song spent thirteen weeks on the list, debuting in March at number 43 before peaking at number 19 in April. This slinky groove is best experienced with the dang near eight-minute album cut. Thank me later. 

"This Little Girl" moves up seven steps to number 23 on this week's Forty-fives. In a fourteen-week stint on the chart, the song would peak at number 17 for two weeks as June turned into July. With a little help from The Boss and Miami Steve, Bonds made a brief comeback twenty years after his first single. The song sounded pretty good on WLS but took on another dimension in glorious FM stereo on WLRW as if it had been ripped from the Sixties and given an Eighties production makeover.