"Elvira" by The Oak Ridge Boys

Top 10 Alert!

Platinum Alert!

Grammy Alert!

Song#:  0604
Date:  05/16/1981
Debut:  78
Peak:  5
Weeks:  22
Genre:  Country



Pop Bits:  The Oaks had a long career even before their real hit making days. The group was originally known as the Oak Ridge Quartet they issued their first LP in 1958. Their focus was gospel music and they were highly successful in the genre until they signed with Columbia Records in 1973. Columbia wasn't good at promoting gospel and the group was losing their core fans. They were released from their contract, changed their sound, and in 1977 issued their first country album. The album was a hit and the title track became the first of a long string of country hits that included seventeen #1's. This single from their album "Fancy Free" was their first to crossover to the pop chart and their only one to reach the Top 10. It became their biggest hit and the album would be their best-selling going double-platinum. The song would also earn them a Grammy for Best Country Performance, Duo or Group.

ReduxReview:  Really, this is a silly song. And I'm sure it was written in that spirit. The early versions (see below) are all okay, but the Oaks just took it to a completely different level. One that is just fun and hard to resist. What I loved about the 80s is that a song like this had a chance to catch on, crossover, and be come a pop hit. Do you think it would have a chance today? Very doubtful. Most country songs that crossover are not this...well...country. The only one in recent memory that would come close is Toby Keith's "Red Solo Cup" (#15). But that song almost borders on novelty. In other words, it ain't no "Elvira

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  Although this is by far the most popular version of the song, it wasn't the first. The song's composer Dallas Frazier had a minor pop chart entry (#72) in 1966 with his original take. Kenny Rogers and the First Edition had a funky blues-rock take in 1970. Rodney Crowell had a down-tempo version that scraped the country chart (#95) in 1978. Finally, after hearing Crowell's verison and performing it in concert, the Oaks issued their interpretation. What made the difference and pushed theirs to the top? The sing-along, focused country beat certainly played a part, but many credit bass singer Richard Sterban's solo on the "oom-papa-mow-mow" the key to the singles success.

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"Stronger Than Before" by Carole Bayer Sager

Song#:  0603
Date:  05/16/1981
Debut:  83
Peak:  30
Weeks:  13
Genre:  Pop, Adult Contemporary



Pop Bits:  For folks who are familiar with pop/AC music, if they hear Bayer Sager's name they may recognizing her as a songwriter. In collaboration with others (specifically with her now ex-husband Burt Bacharach), she has written numerous hits and has won a Grammy and an Oscar. Because she's had great success writing, her short solo singing career has often gotten overlooked. Her self-titled debut album was issued in 1978 and featured the quirky #69 entry (#6 UK) "You're Moving Out Today," co-written by Bette Midler. Her second LP didn't fare well but her third and final album "Sometimes Late At Night" featured this Top 30 entry, which was her best and last effort on the singles chart.

ReduxReview:  Although a great songwriter, Bayer Sager is not the most gifted vocalist. Her voice is an odd combo of a little girl shoved inside an 80 year-old woman - young sounding but wobbly. Luckily, some of her songs rise above the voice like this one. I had always liked this song, but never got around to buying it. Then Dionne Warwick did a version and I ended up liking her's better, so I never went back to Bayer Sager's. But it is definitely a nice slice of AC.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  While still in high school, Bayer Sager co-wrote the song "A Groovy Kind of Love" which turned in to a #2 hit for The Mindbenders (1966) and a #1 for Phil Collins (1988).

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"The Stroke" by Billy Squier

Song#:  0602
Date:  05/16/1981
Debut:  84
Peak:  17
Weeks:  20
Genre:  Rock, Arena Rock



Pop Bits:  Squier's first album, "The Tale of the Tape," kind of sunk without a trace, but his solo career kicked into high gear with this first single from his next LP "Don't Say No." It raced to #3 on the Mainstream Rock chart and crossed over to pop for his first Top 20 hit. The album reached #5 and eventually became a triple-platinum seller.

ReduxReview:  What a great single. It's has great guitar licks all over the place, a hot chorus, and the production is excellent - and it still sounds awesome. We played the heck out of this song back in the day. It was rather kick-ass.

ReduxRating:  9/10

Trivia:  When this song first came out, the general assumption was that the song was about masturbation. But that is not really the case. It deals with Squier's meeting with some record execs before he started his solo career.

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"Double Dutch Bus" by Frankie Smith

Gold Record Alert!

Song#:  0601
Date:  05/16/1981
Debut:  86
Peak:  30
Weeks:  19
Genre:  R&B, Funk, Rap



Pop Bits:  This oddity from a former staff writer at Philly International ended up hitting #1 on the R&B chart while also becoming quite influential. Smith originally created a song called "Double Dutch" that was about the popular jump-rope style/game. With co-writer Bill Bloom they kept adding elements which included a rap from Smith that was influences by his experience applying for and getting denied a job as a city bus driver. The whole song was quite long and eventually it was split up with the "Double Dutch Bus" section getting released as an A-side single. It's popularity finally spilled it over to the pop chart where it became Smith's one and only chart entry.

ReduxReview:  I remember just not getting this song way back when. The whole jump-rope thing and the strange "language" in the song was lost on me. But I can appreciate the song much more and I find it kind of fun. Plus I love "Gossip Folks" (see below) so that helps in the likability factor of this single.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Triple Shot! 1) The song brought more mainstream popularity with the slang usage of 'ilz' and 'izzle,' made even more famous much later with Snoop Dogg.  2) This was the second single that went gold twice - once for the 12" version and once for the 7" version. The Summer/Streisand duet "Enough Is Enough" was the first to do so.  3) The song has been sampled many times. Perhaps the most well-known use of the song was in Missy Elliott's "Gossip Folks," which reached #8 in 2003.

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"What Cha' Gonna Do for Me" by Chaka Khan

Song#:  0600
Date:  05/16/1981
Debut:  87
Peak:  53
Weeks:  9
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  Performing in various groups since she was 11, Khan found success when she joined the group Rufus in 1973. A year later their second LP featured the #3 Grammy-winning smash "Tell Me Something Good" (written by Stevie Wonder). While still with the group, Khan began recording solo albums and her 1978 debut disc included the classic "I'm Every Woman" (#21 pop, #1 R&B). Her third solo disc provided this title-track entry which wasn't a big success on the pop chart, but did become her second #1 R&B hit.

ReduxReview:  There is no question that Chaka Khan is a terrific singer. But sometimes no matter how good the vocalist is, some folks just may not like the voice. I'm kind of like that with Khan. When she is just doing a nice R&B groove or covering a nice standard, I like her voice. But it doesn't usually take long for her to rev up and when she does her voice gets all piercing and screamy. That is what kills her voice for me. There are foghorn singers I really like, but with Khan I think it is the shrill tone of it. For the most part, she does okay with this song even though her chorus voice is a bit annoying and she goes overboard in the final seconds. The song itself is perfectly pleasant R&B, but nothing really special.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Born Yvette Marie Stevens in Chicago, Khan joined the Black Panther Party in the late 60s and adopted a new name give to her from an African shaman, of which the first name was Chaka. Later, she married musician Hassan Khan and by the time she joined Rufus she chose the stage name of Chaka Kahn.

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"Two Hearts" by Stephanie Mills with Teddy Pendergrass

Song#:  0599
Date:  05/16/1981
Debut:  88
Peak:  40
Weeks:  13
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  After the Top 10 success of "Never Knew Love Like This Before," Mills debuted her next album "Stephanie" with this lead single duet. The song just hit the Top 40, but did far better at R&B where it reached #3. It was enough to get Mills her third consecutive gold album and a Grammy nod for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female.

ReduxReview:  Here you have two powerhouse singers that should supply sparks to any song. But I'm just not hearing it here. I don't think it is necessarily their fault. The song is just kind of a standard R&B/AC groove. Pendergrass puts some oomph in his vocals but Mills is oddly sedate through most of it. Overall it's a little disappointing for me.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  The previous year, Mills recorded a duet with Pendergrass that appeared on his hit "TP" album. The song "Take Me in Your Arms Tonight" would not be released as a single, but Pendergrass returned the vocal favor for this song and as a duo they finally reached the chart.

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"Jones vs. Jones" by Kool & the Gang

Song#:  0598
Date:  05/16/1981
Debut:  89
Peak:  39
Weeks:  11
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  Their previous single "Celebration" was still on the chart after 30 weeks when this follow-up debuted. The mid-tempo ballad couldn't come close to the #1 peak of "Celebration" and it just squeaked into the Top 40. It did about as well at R&B hitting #33.

ReduxReview:  This song is kind of strange. It's one of the happiest sounding songs I've heard about divorce. The melody kind of meanders around and although there are repeated sections, it's like there is no definitive chorus. After the excitement of "Celebration," this is certainly a lackluster single choice.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  Although the album from which these singles come from, "Celebrate!," would be their highest peaking on the LP chart reaching #10 (their only Top 10 pop album), it would not be their best-selling. That would come along in a few years with 1984's "Emergency," which sold double-platinum but missed the Top 10 at #13.

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"Rain in May" by Max Werner

Song#:  0597
Date:  05/16/1981
Debut:  90
Peak:  74
Weeks:  6
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  Werner spent most of the 70s as the lead singer of the successful Dutch prog-rock group Kayak. That group didn't gain a huge following in the US, but they did get one single on the chart with 1978's "I Want You to Be Mine" (#55). He remained with the band until their breakup in 1982, but before that he began a solo career and his second LP "Seasons" featured this slight chart entry. It would be his only one to reach the chart. The song was a hit in his native Netherlands (#6) and reached #2 in Germany.

ReduxReview:  I like an oddball single on occasion and this certainly is one. It's kind of a sing-songy tune that almost sounds like a weird combination of Peter Gabriel and Abba. Frankly, I can't even imagine this on US pop radio. It just seems so out of place. I kind of like it, but I also find it a bit annoying. Either way, it is an interesting listing.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Werner was lead singer of Kayak on their first five albums. He moved over to playing drums on the rest of the albums prior to the band's break-up. Oddly, it was the group's first album with new lead singer Edward Reekers (with Werner now on drums) that they scored their biggest Dutch hit, the #6 "Ruthless Queen."

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"Nobody Wins" by Elton John

Song#:  0596
Date:  05/09/1981
Debut:  71
Peak:  21
Weeks:  13
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  After ending the 70s with a pair of dud albums (and still only partially working with Bernie Taupin), John got a little of his mojo back with the LP "21 at 33," which featured the Top 10 hit "Little Jeannie." He was probably hoping the resurgence would continue with his new disc "The Fox," since a good chunk of the album featured songs recorded during the previous album's sessions. But the disc didn't do as well and even failed to reach gold status. This first single slumped up against the Top 20 and kind of fell flat.

ReduxReview:  Not sure why, but the opening of this song reminds me of a TV newscast theme. It's kind of a dark and mournful tune and I'm not sure folks jumped on board with that. John kind of moans his way through it as well. It does have a European feel (see below) and not one that US audiences typically like. The tune is okay, but certainly wouldn't belong on a list of John's best singles.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  This is one of the rare songs that John did not write. It was written by Jean-Paul Dreau as the French song "J'Veux de la Tendresse" and originally done by Janic Prevost in 1980. One of John's co-writers at the time, Gary Osborne, wrote the English lyrics and it became "Nobody Wins." John also recorded the original French version for release in France.

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"Modern Girl" by Sheena Easton

Song#:  0595
Date:  05/09/1981
Debut:  81
Peak:  18
Weeks:  18
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  Easton's debut US single "Morning Train" was sitting comfortably in the #1 spot when this follow-up single hit the chart. In the UK, this song was actually her first single and it fizzled at #56. However, when "Morning Train" became a hit, this single was reissued and ended up reaching #8.

ReduxReview:  Originally I liked this song far better than "Morning Train" and bought the single. I still love it, but "Morning" ended up having a little bit of timelessness to it where this one has gotten a bit dated. Both songs were terrific first singles and they started her career off with a bang.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  Having a #1 hit with her debut single plus this Top 20 entry helped get Easton the Grammy for Best New Artist winning over Adam & the Ants, The Go-Go's, James Ingram, and Luther Vandross.

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