Month: October 2010

We were talking the other day about what song was the number one hit the year we graduated from high school. Thanks to Wikipedia we have the answer. For me the song was Shadow Dancing by Andy Gibb. I know. Sad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Billboard_Hot_100_chart_achievements_and_milestones

Hot 100 songs of the year: 1958-2009

1958 – "Volare (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)" – Domenico Modugno

 

 

 

 

 

1959 – "The Battle of New Orleans" – Johnny Horton

 

 

 

 

 

1960 – "Theme from A Summer Place" – Percy Faith

 

 

 

 

 

1961 – "Tossin' and Turnin'" – Bobby Lewis

 

 

 

 

 

1962 – "Stranger on the Shore" – Mr. Acker Bilk

 

 

 

 

 

1963 – "Sugar Shack" – Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs

 

 

 

 

 

1964 – "I Want to Hold Your Hand" – The Beatles

 

 

 

 

1965 – "Wooly Bully" – Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs

 

 

 

 

 

1966 – "Ballad of the Green Berets" – SSgt Barry Sadler

 

 

 

 

 

1967 – "To Sir With Love" – Lulu

 

 

 

 

 

1968 – "Hey Jude" – The Beatles

 

 

 

 

 

1969 – "Sugar, Sugar" – The Archies

 

 

 

 

 

1970 – "Bridge Over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel

 

 

 

 

 

1971 – "Joy to the World" – Three Dog Night

 

 

 

 

 

1972 – "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack

 

 

 

 

 

1973 – "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" – Dawn Featuring Tony Orlando

 

 

 

 

 

1974 – "The Way We Were" – Barbra Streisand

 

 

 

 

 

1975 – "Love Will Keep Us Together" – Captain & Tennille

 

 

 

 

 

1976 – "Silly Love Songs" – Wings

 

 

 

 

 

1977 – "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)" – Rod Stewart

 

 

 

 

 

1978 – "Shadow Dancing" – Andy Gibb

"Shadow Dancing" is a song by Andy Gibb that reached number one for seven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. According to Billboard's Book Of Number One Hits, Gibb became the first solo artist in the history of the U.S. pop charts to have his first three singles hit the number-one spot. Additionally, "Shadow Dancing" was listed by Billboard as being the number one single of 1978. In addition the song peaked at number eleven on the soul chart.^[1]

The song was written by Andy and his brothers (Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb) in Los Angeles, while the trio of brothers were working on the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. "And one night," Andy would recall, "while we were relaxing, we sat down and we had to start getting tracks together for the album" (also titled Shadow Dancing, which would eventually hit #7 on the U.S. album charts). "So we literally sat down and in ten minutes, we had a group going, (singing) the chorus part. As it says underneath the song, we all wrote it, the four of us."

While Andy Gibb would have three more Top 10 hits in the U.S., this would be his final chart-topping hit in America.

The song lists at #40 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.[1]

You got me looking at that heaven in your eyes
I was chasing your direction
I was telling you no lies
And I was loving you
When the words are said ,baby , I lose my head
And in a world of people , there's only you and I
There ain't nothing come between us in the end
How can I hold you when you ain't even mine
Only you can see me through
I leave it up to you

Do it light , taking me through the night
Shadow dancing , baby you do it right
Give me more , drag me across the floor
Shadow dancing , all this and nothing more

All that I need is just one moment in your arms
I was chasing your affection
I was doing you no harm
And I was loving you
Make it shine, make it rain , baby I know my way
I need that sweet sensation of living in your love
I can't breath when you're away , it pulls me down
You are the question and the answer am I
Only you can see me through
I leave it up to you

Do it light, taking me through the night
Shadow dancing , baby you do it right
Give me more, drag me across the floor
Shadow dancing , all this and nothing more

And in this world of people there's only you and I
There ain't nothing come between us in the end
Ah, can I hold you when you ain't even mine
Only you can see me through
I leave it up to you

Do it light , taking me through the night
Shadow dancing , baby you do it right
Give me more, drag me across the floor
Shadow dancing , all this and nothing more

 

 

1979 – "My Sharona" – The Knack

 

"My Sharona" is the debut single by The Knack, released in 1979 from their album Get the Knack. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart where it remained for six weeks and was #1 on Billboard's Top Pop Singles of 1979 year-end chart. It was certified gold (one million units sold) by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Contents [hide] 1 Inspiration 2 Legacy 3 Chart performance 4 Parodies, samples and covers 4.1 Parodies 4.2 Audio samples 4.3 Cover versions 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Inspiration

The easily recognizable riff of "My Sharona" was written by the band's guitarist, Berton Averre, years before he ever joined The Knack. He had played it and a drum groove for Doug Fieger, the group's lead singer and rhythm guitarist, who loved it and promised to make it a song. However, Fieger, with no lyric ideas to add, was unsure what to do with it beyond that.

When Fieger, who was 25, met Sharona Alperin, who was 17 at the time,^[1] she inspired a two-month-long run of songwriting, as well as becoming Fieger's girlfriend for the next four years. "It was like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat; I fell in love with her instantly. And when that happened, it sparked something and I started writing a lot of songs feverishly in a short amount of time." Whenever Fieger thought about Alperin, he would think of Berton Averre's guitar riff, and the two worked out the structure and melody from there. Averre was originally averse to using Sharona's name in the song, but Fieger wanted it to be a direct expression of his feelings; Averre ultimately relented. ^[2]

Sharona herself appears on the picture sleeve for the single, and became a major booster of the band bringing many girls to their early shows.^[3] Sharona Alperin is now a real estate agent in Los Angeles, California.^[4]

[edit] Legacy

In 1994, "My Sharona" re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart (peaking at #91) when it was released as a single from the Reality Bites soundtrack album.

The song gained some attention in 2005 when it appeared on the playlist of U.S. President George W. Bush's iPod.^[5]

"My Sharona" was ranked at #75 on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs in 2008.^[6]

A cover version song is also featured as downloadable content the music video game series Rock Band. The original version of the song, along with its music video, is featured on Lips: Party Classics on Xbox 360.

[edit] Chart performance

Chart (1979)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles	1
Australian Kent Music Report	1
UK Singles Chart	6

[edit] Parodies, samples and covers

With both the notoriety gained from being an international hit, and its distinctive rock guitar riff, "My Sharona" has been the subject of numerous parodies, tributes, and sampling, including:

[edit] Parodies

• The song was parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "My Bologna". It was the song that kickstarted his career in song parody.^[7] The Knack approved of the parody and even had Yankovic inked to a one-off deal with their label, Capitol Records. A re-recorded version appeared on his debut album "Weird Al" Yankovic.

• The Chicago radio personality Steve Dahl parodied the song as "Ayatollah" (following the Iranian Revolution of 1979).

• In their sarcastic, anticapitalist song "Pull My Strings", The Dead Kennedys parodied "My Sharona" as "My Payola".

• The song was spoofed in a Taco Bell commercial as "My Chalupa".

• The song was heard in a Toyota commercial as "My Toyota."

• Two versions of "Nine Coronas" was parodied by John Cougar Mammoser.

• A parody titled "Babylona" was performed by the Christian parody band ApologetiX on their Keep the Change album.

• Parodied as "My Mohegan" in a Mohegan Sun commercial.

• Parodied as "Comme des Conards" ("Like Jerks") for the French movie Les 11 commandements directed by the French comedian Read More