Billboard Hits of May 1981: All Those Years Ago E132

The fastest way to time-travel is to press play on a song you haven’t heard in years, then realize you still know every word. We pull up the Billboard Hot 100 from May 23, 1981 and take it for a spin, bouncing between classic rock, radio pop, and the kind of tracks that were simply unavoidable if you lived anywhere near a car stereo or a skating rink.

Along the way, we dig into what’s actually happening inside these hits: Billy Squier’s “The Stroke” as a music business story, Santana’s “Winning” as a case of “this does not sound like Santana,” and the emotional weight of George Harrison’s “All Those Years Ago,” made even heavier by the Beatles connections around it. We also hit Tom Petty’s “The Waiting,” Hall and Oates’ “You Make My Dreams,” and the early MTV effect that turned songs into permanent memories, for better or worse.

Then we get personal: a Jefferson Starship chorus becomes a full-on dinner-table bit, Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” comes with a wild songwriting backstory, and REO Speedwagon’s “Take It On The Run” gets a deep breakdown of why a vocal and a guitar solo can feel like one continuous emotional punch. We close out the chart with the weird brilliance of Stars on 45 and the long reign of Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes,” then jump to a modern live-music recap featuring Kevin Kinney, Peter Buck, and a surprise Mike Mills appearance, plus a quick Ramones spotlight and a final Van Halen 5150 tangent.

If you love 1980s music, classic rock storytelling, and honest takes on music history, subscribe, and share this with a friend who lived through it.

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Transcript

Welcome And The Time Machine

SPEAKER_03 0:12

Got the feel in it, toe. Got to feel it in it out there, hey everybody.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

This is Jim Boge, and you're listening to Music in My Shoes, Podcasting Worldwide. That was Vic Thrill kicking off episode 132. I'm thrilled to be here with you. Let's learn something new or remember something old. So, Jimmy, I thought it would be fun if we traveled back 45 years to the top songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from May 23rd, 1981.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

All right, fun. I think it sounds like a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Let's do it.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

You are just like, woo.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

But it doesn't look like you really are having fun.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

Not yet. We haven't done it yet.

Billy Squier And Industry Lyrics

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Oh. Oh, I'm supposed to start and then it's fun. I got it. I got it. Okay, so we're gonna get started then. Number seventy-five, Billy Squire, The Stroke. Do you remember that song? Classic. Debuted on Billboard the week before, and it ended up peaking at number 17 on August 15th, 1981. Made it up to number three on rock tracks. You know, there's all different types of charts. There's the Billboard Hot 100, which is, you know, I guess kind of like the top 40 radio, and then there's the rock tracks, and they look at rock and roll stations and what's playing on on there. So yeah, they you know, all kinds of charts. Yeah. To fill whatever your needs are. Of course. There's probably a chart for the look on your face right now, too.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Jim, uh okay, we're barely into the show, and there's just so much uh emphasis on my face.

SPEAKER_01 2:01

You don't look, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

What I'm just ready to be wowed by this list. Really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:06

Oh, okay. So when I first heard this song, The Stroke, I'm like, what the heck is this? So basically, so I can clarify for everybody, this song is about the music business. Oh. It's about, you know, hey, we're gonna make you the, you know, the perfect band, and we're gonna do this, and we're gonna do that from the record company executive point of view, you know, kind of stroking them the, you know, uh, okay. So, and it's kind of funny, you know, when you listen to it, you know, at one point it's like put your left foot out, and then, you know, later put your right foot in. It's like being told every single thing that you have to do.

SPEAKER_00 2:50

Yeah, doing the hokey pokey.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Doing the hokey pokey, or in this case called The Stroke. But it's a classic song. It really is. It's a really good song. Album is fantastic. I love the album. I like the song In the Dark so much. I think that is just a classic, classic song. And and he's got a bunch of them. He really does. And he's I think he's underrated. I don't think that you hear about Billy Squire as much as you should.

SPEAKER_00 3:21

Did he have hits on other albums? He did. Yeah, I don't really remember what they were. He's kind of like almost a one-hit wonder in my mind.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

Well, no. He had my kind of lover on the same album in the dark.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

So there's three songs right there.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

Yeah, but I mean a one album.

SPEAKER_01 3:39

He had that the next album, what was it? Emotions and motions.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Oh, yeah, that's right. Yeah.

REO Speedwagon And Skating Rinks

SPEAKER_01 3:45

But then he had one song and the video, and I think that Stalled's whole career. He was kind of like balleting through the video, and that was it. You never heard from him again. Now, I'm not a hundred percent sure. I wasn't at the show, but I believe he opened up for Queen at Madison Square Garden like late 1981. I think they might have done a couple of shows there, and I'm almost positive that he was the opening act. Cool. Yeah, that would be pretty cool to be opening up for Queen. So let's continue. Number 64, Keep on Loving You by Ario Speedwagon. And it entered the Billboard Hot 100 on November 29th, 1980, and it reached number one on March 21st of 1981. And it stayed on the chart until June 6th of 81, when it was number 98 of the top 100. It was on the charts for a really long time. Yeah. I don't like the song at all. Okay? It was a makeout song.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

It was a it was a couple skate song. Really? Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

I I just don't like it at all. All right. So tell me more about before I go, you go first.

SPEAKER_00 5:08

Well, I'm a few years behind you, so it was a it was a skating rink song that they'd play, and then it's like, oh, I need to like go ask a girl if we can hold hands and skate together. You know, it was it was that era for me.

SPEAKER_01 5:19

Really? Yeah. And I'm gonna keep on skating with you.

SPEAKER_00 5:25

Wow, just come up with that?

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

Incredible.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

It is, and because I changed one word, I don't think that I can get sued.

SPEAKER_00 5:32

That's good.

SPEAKER_01 5:34

So for me, this album came out, and all of these people I knew, friends or just people at school that you kind of knew, they weren't necessarily your friend, but you talked to them. People raved about this album. But all I kept hearing for six, seven, eight months, you know, was this keep on loving you.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

High in fidelity, right? Correct.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

And I'm like, this is just not mine. No.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

Take it on the run was a little bit better song.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

That's it. So with this, I kept saying, I'm boycotting it. I don't have any interest whatsoever in this album. And it's like uh, why do you like it so much? I just didn't get it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:19

I wouldn't say I liked it so much, but it was just kind of in the fabric. It was, you know, it was something that everybody listened to. It was always there. Like the whole school year, right? You know, it was like forever.

Santana Confusion And Beatles Tribute

SPEAKER_01 6:30

It was on forever. And of course, you were looking to go skating and meet the next little missy or whatever. Exactly. Number thirty-six, Santana winning. Now, I think we mentioned this song once before on the show. And the reason that I did is because up until this show, I thought this was a journey song. Oh. And if you listen to it, I listened to it again today just to say, all right, let me listen, let me just have an open mind, and I swear I thought it was Steve Perry. I did. It does not sound like Santana whatsoever.

SPEAKER_00 7:10

And I don't know that I would have ever known that was Santana. I remember it being on the radio, but it almost has a little bit of a Genesis vibe to it, too.

SPEAKER_01 7:18

Yeah, you know, you're right. Now that you mention that, it kind of does. It doesn't sound like Santana at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_00 7:25

No, because you get used to Carlos Santana's signature guitar sound, and there's really barely any guitar in it.

SPEAKER_01 7:31

Right. It's kind of like an 81 pop song by any band.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

And the singer's name is Alex Lidgertwood. Whoa, who was a sing Yeah, he was a singer with Carlos Santana from the 70s through uh the 80s and sang on a number of his hits like Hold On.

SPEAKER_01 7:48

You know what? We've talked about this enough. I don't need to hold on. Let's move to number 33, George Harrison, all those years ago. So it debuts at number 33. Okay, it didn't start at 98 or 64 or whatever. Comes right to the charts, number 33, peaks at number two on July 4th, 1981. Besides George, you've got Ringo Starr on drums. Paul McCartney added some backing vocals, you know, kind of um did it, sent it to them, and you know, they just kind of dubbed it, you know, afterwards. So it's kind of cool from that standpoint. It's a song about John Lennon, you know, John Lennon had been shot in December. Oh, yeah. And talking about all those years ago about them, and then having Ringo and Paul play, you know, parts of the song. And I loved it, you know. Obviously, I'm a huge Beatles fan. We talked about that many times. But to have a song out that was talking about the Beatles, it wasn't about the Beatles, this old band, it was like this new song about them. And to me, it was just super cool. And everywhere I went, you would hear people playing it. Everybody seemed to like the song. You know, it was just good. George's voice sounded good. It was fun.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

It almost had a John Lennon flavor to it, too, you know. It reminded me a little bit of some of John Solo stuff, too.

Tom Petty Pop Joy And Keyboard Cat

SPEAKER_01 9:21

Yeah, it had some of that John Lennon, you know, that humor and wit to it. And I I liked it. And I still like it. I think it's a good song. Jimmy, let's move on to number 32, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the waiting.

SPEAKER_00 9:35

It's the hardest part.

SPEAKER_01 9:36

Well, you were supposed to wait there till I finished. Oh. Obviously, it was the hardest part for you. Oh my lord. It would peak at number 19 on June 20th, 1981. Every day you get one more yard. You take it on faith, you take it to the heart, the waiting.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

It's the hardest part.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Oh, so you're into the show now, Jimmy. Yes, I told you I would be. Yeah. All right, I feel better now. Uh uh your face is just like a huge smile. Good. This is great. I liked it. It was just something different, but I like when he does it uh solo acoustic, also. It's a really good song. The words are really cool. Um definitely enjoy the waiting. And obviously you do too. Number 31, Hall of Oates, You Make My Dreams. Ah, classic. It would make it to number eight on July twenty fifth, nineteen eighty-one. We talked about Holland Oats a few episodes ago. We were talking about Kiss on My List. And you know, just these songs, these poppy songs that they put together that everybody was singing. You know, it came on, and even if you didn't like it, you would know the words and you would just go and you know, what I want, you've got, and it might be hard to handle. Dot dot dot. You make my dreams come true.

SPEAKER_00 11:05

So an early internet video, you know, back when they first started having viral videos on the internet where, oh wow, YouTube exists or whatever. And uh there was this thing called keyboard cat where somebody took their cat and made it look like they were playing the piano. And then somebody took keyboard cat and made him the keyboard player in the Hall of Notes video, like very, very, very crudely, but it made it even funnier. And uh my family always loved that video. And I do a really good keyboard cat impression, but it's unfortunately a visual impression, so nobody in the audience will see it. Do you want to see it? I'd like to see it. All right.

SPEAKER_01 11:52

Oh my lord. I almost thought I had to call 911. I didn't know what was I thought you were gonna pass out on the floor.

SPEAKER_00 11:59

No. Oh my lord.

SPEAKER_01 12:02

That was great. That was great.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Too bad we're not on video, folks. You know what? Look up keyboard cat. Uh, you make my dreams come true, though. You'll you won't regret it.

Jefferson Starship And Dinner Antics

SPEAKER_01 12:13

Listen, I have said about us doing, you know, some sort of song or something. We need to make a video now that I've seen that. That is just put me over the top and made me say we're going to do something. What it is, I don't know. But we're gonna have to figure it out because that was definitely a a laughable moment right there. Oh man, we need to find our way back, and we are at number 29, Jefferson Starship. This was the highest it reached on the chart. Grace Slick was back in the band after a three-year hiatus, and she sang uh, I think a co-lead vocal on um Stranger, the single Stranger. And I think she did some uh backing vocals on some other songs. She didn't join until like late in the process. They were already into the whole album. Find Your Way Back, I think is a great song.

SPEAKER_00 13:08

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:08

I like it a lot. So I'm going to tell you a story that relates to Jefferson's Starship. I went to New York over the weekend and we went out to a restaurant on Saturday night to sell celebrate Mother's Day. And it was my brother, his wife, me and my mom. And I don't know why, but I just looked at my brother like right before dinner came, and all of a sudden I go, We built this city. And he just looked at me like, What?

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:44

And I kept doing it over and over, where you could see it was bothering him. So I got louder and I waited till like all of the you know, restaurant staff would walk by our table, and I'd just get louder. And then all of a sudden, I was getting to, we built this steakhouse. I just I just really just kept going. And then it was like, we built this salad with extra honey mustard dressing. And you know, I You were on fire. I was. And then we got out into the car and he said, Why do you have to be so annoying?

SPEAKER_00 14:19

All right. This is the same brother that said that was better than a 17-hour flight.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

No, that the uh Bob Weir was worse than a 17-hour flight. Oh my lord. Yeah, he wasn't happy. And uh he's like, you just have to keep going and going.

SPEAKER_00 14:38

But you're like the energizer Bonnie.

Jesse’s Girl And MTV Context

SPEAKER_01 14:40

Yeah, I thought it was funny. Ever other people were laughing. I think the wait staff thought something was wrong with me because I kept doing it. But it is what it is. Hey, we found our way back. And number 28. Okay, you know, I wish that I had Jesse's girl. Rick Springfield. It would reach number one on August 1st, 1981, which was also the same day that MTV debuted, but only in like a few cities. It wasn't that big in 81. Took 1982 before everybody got their MTV.

SPEAKER_00 15:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:20

So, you know, Rick Springfield, he was uh on General Hospital. Yeah. I think he was a doctor, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 15:29

Probably, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

I have to be honest.

SPEAKER_00 15:31

I don't think he was a janitor. He yeah, he probably wasn't. Those are the only the only two roles for men on General Hospital.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00 15:41

No, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

Oh, you had me there. I actually watched it. I can't tell you anything about it because the group of girls that we hung out with, they were like general hospital heads and they had to watch it every day. So, you know, I remember like the summer of eighty we're watching it, and yeah, you just continue, and that's how I got to know who Rick Springfield was, and I'm like, he's got a song, you know, and I think everybody knows Jesse's girl.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

So Rick Springfield had a record deal, and he made a cassette, like you know, the 90-minute cassettes we used to have. And he made front and back, just song after song after song. He'd come up with a song idea, he would write it, and he would put it on this tape, and he gave it to the record company. Like, here's a ton of song ideas. And they were like, We want to do Jesse's Girl. We think that that's gonna be your single. And he's like, I don't remember that one. And he had to go back and listen to the tape to even remember this song that he had written along with all these other songs, and uh said, Okay, yeah, great, we'll do that one, and ended up being his biggest hit.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Jimmy, have you ever done that before? All right, that you wrote a song, because you're a songwriter, you're a singer, you're in a band. Have you ever written something that's relatively recent and be like, yeah, I don't remember that.

SPEAKER_00 17:00

No, definitely not, but I also haven't written that many things. Like he he probably wrote 40 songs or something in quick succession, so he just kind of forgot, you know, which one that was.

SPEAKER_01 17:14

So you think it's possible to forget like that?

SPEAKER_00 17:17

Yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

I recited something I wrote in the spring.

SPEAKER_00 17:21

Not like he didn't remember it at all. The spring of 1981.

SPEAKER_01 17:25

You know, a few m episodes ago, I was like, oh, hey, the sun is shining, you know, and I went into this whole thing. I remembered it. I didn't remember the whole thing, but I had a good feeling of it.

SPEAKER_00 17:34

Yeah, I think that's where he was at. He remembered the song, but he was like, I gotta go back and relearn that.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

1981, that's 45 years ago, also. Maybe that will be our what did you call it? Cat creature video? What is it?

SPEAKER_00 17:48

Cat cat creature. We'll go with that.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Uh whatever.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

Keyboard cat.

SPEAKER_01 17:52

Keyboard cat, keyboard cat. We're gonna have to add, I'm gonna have to think how keyboards are gonna go into this song that we're gonna do. Maybe it'd be spoken word, maybe I'll I'll just belt it out and sing it. But we're gonna work on that one. So, Jimmy, what'd you think of Jesse's girl?

SPEAKER_00 18:05

Uh, it's a catchy song. Very catchy.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Number five song for the year on Billboard.

SPEAKER_00 18:11

Mm-hmm. You know, it's got a good uh theme that everybody can relate to. Like, man, you know, I wish she was my girl, but she's somebody else's.

SPEAKER_01 18:20

You know any guys named Jesse? I I don't think I I don't know that I have. I can't think of any. I tried to think of some today. I could not think of any.

SPEAKER_00 18:29

I do. I work with a producer named Jesse. I um you know, of course, there are several people in entertainment. Uh Jesse was one of the characters on Breaking Bad was the uh have not seen it. Oh, okay. It was like his partner in crime.

SPEAKER_01 18:47

Okay. Like I know Jesse Barfield. I think that was a um a sports player, you know.

SPEAKER_00 18:53

Jesse Plemens is an actor that was uh just in a big movie last year, you know.

Clapton The Who And Radio Staples

SPEAKER_01 18:59

I don't know. Jesse, he was a friend. Yeah, he was a friend after you wanted his girl. 38 Special, Hold On Loosely, peaked at number 27 on Billboard for two weeks on this countdown and the week before. This song played all the time. This is another one of those things. 38 Special was huge. They did a a show at the Nassau Coliseum that I've talked about. They've released that. You know, people loved 38 Special. They were on MTV all the time in the early days, you know, wild-eyed Southern Boys and you know, just uh they were cool. It was kind of seeing, you know, a a different type of music than what I listened to. And I liked them. I just thought that they were kind of cool.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

Yeah, it was a different kind of Southern rock that was a little bit more 80s, you know. They were maybe a little bit more like REO Speedwagon than they were like Leonard Skinnard.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

There you go. I get that. Number 23, I can't stand it. Eric Clapton and his band. I really like this song. I've always liked it since it came out. It's like a serious song, but it's kind of like a smooth, serious song. And there's just something about it that I just like. I think it's catchy, but it's not really flashy, but it's a good song. And obviously a bunch of people thought it because it made it to number 23.

SPEAKER_00 20:24

All right.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

The Who, You Better You Bet, peaked at number 18 for the second week in a row, March 16th, 1981.

SPEAKER_00 20:33

Oh, that might be one of my favorites of the year. That's a great one.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

Really? You really like it? Yeah. I I think it is. I think the whole Face Dances album is a really good album. I really enjoy it.

SPEAKER_00 20:44

Yeah, You Better You Bet feels like a Pete Townsend song. You know, it kind of has his imprint on it to me.

Slow Dance Songs And Lennon Love

SPEAKER_01 20:51

Mm-hmm. Another one that it was all over MTV, like you saw the video all over and over and over. And, you know, no doubt that MTV influenced, you know, you don't have to be a um genius or a mathematician to figure out that MTV just totally influenced so much what was going on because when you saw this visual, that made you like the song even more, or it made you not like the song. But you generally it made you like the song more than what you would have if you just heard it on the radio. True. So number 17 climax blues band I Love You, it would rise to number 12 on June 20th, 1981. But it was played at like school dances and you know, who's dancing with who when this song I Love You is on and blah, blah, blah, blah.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

Well, this is like your REO speedwagon. You know, you were you were more into this one, and the skating rink had a little bit more. Keep on loving you.

SPEAKER_01 21:55

Yeah, keep on loving you.

SPEAKER_00 21:57

Yeah, this song, you know, is very uh wistful. The I Love You song, right? You know, just kind of it's kind of a mellow tune.

SPEAKER_01 22:05

Yeah, but I think it's it's definitely kind of cheesy. I don't think that Keep on Loving You is cheesy, but I think that this one is, you know. Yeah, but it was a song.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

They could both be considered cheesy by the right person.

SPEAKER_01 22:17

This says extra cheese.

SPEAKER_00 22:18

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

This says Provolone. How about that? Number 16, Hauling Oats with another song on the chart. Kiss on My List, a song we spoke about a few episodes ago, like I mentioned. A great song. I don't want to spend any more time on that. We talked about it a bunch a few episodes ago. Number 15, Neil Dime in America, peaked at number eight for three weeks beginning June 13th, 1981. I like this song, you know. It kind of starts off not just slow, but starts off super low, where you didn't even know if you had the radio on or not, because uh the song from before would be at this level, like this, and then all of a sudden this song would be like, hmm. Like, you know, it was just such a huge difference.

SPEAKER_00 23:07

You turn up your radio and then all of a sudden it's loud when it kicks in.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

And um I always liked it. It was uh a cool song. I think it was from uh the jazz singer, if I'm not mistaken.

SPEAKER_00 23:18

Was it? Okay.

SPEAKER_01 23:19

I think so. Maybe I'm wrong, but for some reason that's what I'm thinking. Number 13, morning train, Sheena Easton. Number one for two weeks, May 2nd, 1981. My baby takes the morning train. He works from nine to five.

SPEAKER_00 23:34

And then he takes another home again.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

There you go. You got the song. Number 10, John Lennon watching the wheels. So I like this countdown that you have John Lennon peeking at number 10 with Watching the Wheels, which is one of my favorite John Lennon solo songs. Absolutely love this song. And you have George Harrison all those years ago with Ringo and Paul. So in 1981, one week they were on for more than one week, but I'm saying this one particular week, you've got all four of the Beatles, and it's just super cool to me. That is this is a great song. This is talking about when he took his five-year break and people thinking he's crazy, and him just answering about what he's doing, his response back, and it it's just great. What a an awesome song. Number nine, too much time on my hands, sticks. This was the highest spot on the chart for the song. If it was on in the background, I would listen to it. I wouldn't put it on purpose, but you know, sticks to sticks. You know, they've got their little thing, and there they go. Number six.

SPEAKER_00 24:55

Ringing endorsement.

Take It On The Run Breakdown

SPEAKER_01 24:57

You know what? I have too much time on my hands because I'm going to number six. Take it on the run. Ario Speedwagon peaked at number five the following week. I think this song is in my top hundred songs of all time. Oh my God. Wow. Yes. Now I've talked about this song before, and the reason I talked about it is I love songs. For those of you who don't know, I love songs that not just you hear it, but you can hear the singer singing it, that he feels the words. And then the ultimate is when the band is playing like the guitar solo, which takes it into the guitar solo, feels the words, feels the pain, feels everything, and this song is that.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

Yeah, it does have a blistering guitar solo in it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 25:49

Uh the late what, Gary Rickrath? I'm not sure. I think it was. No longer with us, but man, it you know, a lot of times when you listen to a song and you the words, you get that break where all of a sudden it goes into a solo of whatever, whether it's a piano or guitar or whatever it might be, and you get to take a deep breath and you're like, okay, I can get through this. Not with this song, but they because that solo, it just brings you into it even more. And then as soon as it's done, boom, he starts singing again.

SPEAKER_00 26:25

Yeah, and it kind of has two sections to it, really. I mean, and in a way, it reminds me a little bit of like a Pink Floyd guitar solo, like Uncomfortably Numb that you've got these, you know, it it gets into the really kind of minor sounding whining part near the end of the solo. And then it's yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:45

And that is, to me, the crying of the guitar and this person that's singing this song and everything that they feel. And that is why this song is in my top 100. I don't think I've explained many of the songs that are in my top 100, but that right there in a nutshell is why.

SPEAKER_00 27:07

So I was in the seventh grade and I took a few guitar lessons. I ended up really learning how to play guitar late in the tenth grade, but um I took a few guitar lessons on this big acoustic classical guitar that my brother, older brother Bob, had loaned me. And uh I went in with Ramon's album and this guitar and said, Hey, can you teach me how to play some of these songs? And the guy was like, No, you can't really play those songs on this classical guitar, but I can teach you take it on the run. Oh, he that was the first song that I tried to learn, and then I gave it up and I didn't pick it back up for another three years.

SPEAKER_01 27:47

So you heard it from a friend that you couldn't play those songs on a classical guitar.

SPEAKER_00 27:52

Yeah, I I'd been messing around, but took it on the run.

Stars On 45 And Summer Hits

SPEAKER_01 27:56

And it all worked out. It did. It did work out. Number five, I think, is one of the strangest songs ever. That was a hit. Number five, okay. But it reached number one on June 20th, 1981. To me, that this is just crazy. And it was Stars on 45.

SPEAKER_00 28:17

Oh, yeah, that's so weird.

SPEAKER_01 28:19

Like, how did this become a number one song? It was, you know, they were did like words from Beatles songs, and you know, they had this beat where, you know, it's like the bass drum boom, boom, boom, and then it's like the hands clapping, you know, and it just like through the whole thing. Like, who would want to do something like that? And then, you know, the Beatles songs, I have to be honest, they did have some singers that you kind of were like, wait, is that them? Did they speed it up? Or, you know, when you first heard it, I'm not saying after you heard it a bunch of times, but when you first you're like, huh, what is this? And it was just, you know, all these different things, and they put it together, and I was just like, who would ever think of doing this? You know, the boom, boom, boom, and it made it to number one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:13

Was it like a dance hit, maybe?

SPEAKER_01 29:16

I remember being everywhere. I probably was a dance hit because they continued to put more out, you know? Yeah. If you can make a buck, let's do it. Number four, Angel of the Morning, Juice Newton. All right, four straight weeks at number one. Number three, just the two of us, Grover Washington Jr. peaked at number two for the three previous weeks. I love that song. I do like that song. I think that is a really cool song.

SPEAKER_00 29:44

I like when Dr. Evil and Many Me sing it in uh I believe it's in Austin Powers 2.

SPEAKER_01 29:50

You know what, Jimmy? Just the two of us. You and I. Number two, being with you, Smokey Robinson. It was number two for three weeks. And this is, you know, uh a really good song. It was good to see Smokey Robinson still being able to belt out a hit, you know, in uh 1981. And it's funny, I remember there being a commercial for a record where it was, you know, all these old songs on it. And the one thing I remember, I can't tell you any song that was on there, but I remember like I think the kid was turn that radio down.

SPEAKER_00 30:30

But dad, it's smoky.

unknown 30:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:34

It was Smokey Robinson's greatest hits, is what it was. Was it really? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:39

I I remember seeing the ads for that all the time. I like Smokey Robinson, I do.

unknown 30:44

You know?

SPEAKER_00 30:45

Yeah, I do too. He was an incredible songwriter. I I heard a thing about him one time that he went in with his band to audition for Barry Gordy, and they were just teenagers. And he had written like one of the songs, I think, was Tears of a Clown. And so they did these songs, and they were like, We're gonna pass on the band. But he's like, Hey, you, come here. Who wrote those songs? And he's like, Oh, I did. And he's like, Ah, my name's Barry Gordy, and he he got the record deal, he got a publishing deal because he was a great songwriter.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

Dun dun dun dun dun dun. Yeah, definitely, without a doubt. Number one for the second week in a row, Betty Davis Eyes. It would remain at number one until June 13th, 1981, and then it dropped to number two for a week, and then back to number one on June 27th, 1981, for four more weeks until July 27, 1982.

SPEAKER_00 31:42

I was gonna say I remember it being the whole summer, you know, that song was huge. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:47

Yeah. And and I don't know why, but I again I know the words. I would sing it, it would come on, I would listen. We all were infatuated with Betty Davis' eyes.

SPEAKER_00 31:59

Kim Carnes.

SPEAKER_01 32:00

I didn't even say that, did I?

SPEAKER_00 32:02

No.

Kevin Kinney Peter Buck Show Recap

SPEAKER_01 32:02

Yeah, you're right. It was Kim Carnes. I was so infatuated, I didn't even care to say who sang it. Oh my God. Hey, that was some of the hits of the top 100 of May 23rd, 1981. So, Jimmy, I went and saw Kevin Kinney and Peter Buck the other night. I'm sure that surprises you.

SPEAKER_00 32:27

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 32:27

Yeah, the Rialto Club. Uh yeah, I've seen them so many times, I don't have enough hands and feet and toes and fingers and so forth. Uh Rialto Club in Athens, Georgia, May 13, 2026. I will say the highlight was Mike Mills of REM came out and joined them, did four songs, including the final one, Fall on Me, Kevin Kinney, absolutely great job singing it, and then having Mike Mills doing, you know, the backing vocals like he does on the record. It was really cool. It was so good. People were just like, wow. And there was tons of videos, you know, out on the internet. If you get a chance, check it out because it's definitely cool. The next night, Kevin Kinney and Friends was at the Sun ATL art gallery here in Atlanta, and it had Anna Jensen's paintings of the different songs that she's done for Kevin for the Let's Go Dancing Living Tribute.

SPEAKER_03 33:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:29

And had some guests come out that they played some of their songs or and played some of the songs that were on the album. And some of them were Puddles, Pity Party, Abe Partridge, Slightly Famous Somebod's, you know, a handful of others. And it was just a fun time. It was a lot of people that were there that were really interested in the Let's Go Dancing tribute, that were really interested in hearing people do the songs, really interested in there were a couple of jams, different people, you know, people had fun. It was it was a really cool thing.

SPEAKER_00 34:04

Great.

SPEAKER_01 34:05

So the night ends, and I go up to Kevin, and I see him. He's talking to um Laura Slade-Wiggins and Jonathan Spencer from Slightly Famous Somebodies. So I'm like, oh yeah, I'll go up. I know, you know, know them all. And I'm like, oh, hey, let's get a picture. And there was another person from uh Slightly Famous Somebodies, the flute player, Natalie. And so she's getting in the picture. And Abe Partridge, who I just talked to, telling him I saw him at camping last year and you know, enjoyed him. He sang a fantastic song about looking a chicken directly in the eyes. He's got an album that's going to be coming out soon. Great song. You're gonna everybody's gonna have to listen to it. But I guess his daughter or someone was with him, like, hey, can you take our picture? And I was like, Abe, why don't you get in the picture? So the picture's Abe, Kevin Kinney, three people from Slightly Famous Somebodies, and Mr. Not Famous At all.

SPEAKER_00 35:05

Oh, you're famous now, Jim.

SPEAKER_01 35:08

And it was just so funny, and it it was cool to be in the picture with all of them. People started taking pictures, and I'm like, no, I'm I'm just trying to take a picture with people. And it was fun. It was definitely a good idea. They did. I should have shaved. That's all I can say. All this scrap I I think I look like Wolverine, if Wolverine was white and gray.

SPEAKER_00 35:32

But it was a fun time. You and Hugh Jackman, dead ringers.

Minute With Jimmy On Ramones

SPEAKER_01 35:38

Oh, well, thank you very much. You're welcome. Whoa, I'm gonna take it on the run now. Hey, you know what? I think now would be a perfect time for tick, tick, tick. It's minute with Jimmy. It's time for a minute with Jimmy, Minute with Jimmy, Minute with Jimmy. It's time for a minute with Jimmy, Minute with Jimmy, Minute with Jimmy.

SPEAKER_00 35:59

Kyogi Umbata Kom Zuzu Kom Manak. Does that mean anything to you? That is from the 1986 Ramon song Ape Man Hop that was on their album Animal Boy, which came out, yes, 40 years ago this week, uh, May 19th, 1986, to be exact. And somebody liked the intro to Ape Man Hop with this made-up Ape Man language that they said so much that they put it into a movie, a 2009 movie called House of the Wolf Man that was like a tribute to old cinema. But um the album a uh the album Animal Boy has some good Ramon songs on it. Somebody put something in my drink is a good song, starts out the album. I believe that was written by Richie Ramon, their kind of newish drummer at the time. Uh Crummy Stuff is a fun song, and of course, Bonzo Goes to Bitburg is a bit of a classic Ramon song. The one time that Joey got um political. Now, Johnny, of course, was opposite from Joey on the political spectrum. Joey was offended that Ronald Reagan had gone to Germany and laid a wreath at a memorial, which included World War II soldiers, which of course in Germany were Nazi soldiers. And so Joey was offended by that, wrote that song, and uh and Johnny just didn't want to get political like that. So he tried to rename the song My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down, which is what the chorus says. And uh on the album it ended up being called My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down, and then in parentheses, Bonzo goes to Bitburg. So they both kind of got their way.

SPEAKER_01 37:48

Somebody put something in my drink, was a W-L-I-R screamer of the week. I'm gonna go with uh and I'm just guessing here. I'm gonna say probably in June of 1986. I'll have to check it out, but that's my guess. And that's a really cool song. That's a, you know, like that drum you starts and Joey's like somebody, you know, and it's just a definitely cool song. Like it kind of brought them back a little bit when that song came out. And I think, you know, Bonza Goes to Bitburg. I think for them, that's really a s a song, you know. It's not a lot of times when people try to talk about what their beliefs are, some of the times it doesn't it doesn't come out like a song. It comes out more about what they are thinking. But I think it's a real, true song that happens to express what John excuse me, Joey was thinking, which is the opposite of what Johnny was thinking. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

SPEAKER_00 38:47

Yeah, it's not that Johnny was in you know, he Johnny Johnny was just a Reagan voter, is what he was, so he wasn't like wanting to say something bad about Reagan. You know? Understandable.

SPEAKER_01 38:57

So unfortunately, we're not able to say anything else today because that's it for this episode of Music in My Shoes. How's my face? You look very upset that the episode is ending.

SPEAKER_00 39:11

I know. I thought there was more. I thought Okay.

Van Halen 5150 Quick Take

SPEAKER_01 39:14

You know what? I'm gonna give you a quick one, Jimmy. All right, I'm gonna give you a quick one. We're gonna talk about May 17th, 1986.

SPEAKER_00 39:22

Okay.

Closing Thanks And How To Connect

SPEAKER_01 39:22

All right, why can't this be love by Van Halen off the 5150 album? And let me say I prefer David Lee Roth over Sammy Hagar. Don't dislike Sammy. I went and saw Sammy Hagar, what, was it two years ago? But I definitely liked Why Can't This Be Love? I just think this song is a really good song. And I would play it over and over. And it's seriously, from the first time I heard it, I was like, oh man, this is this isn't half bad, you know? So it kicks off with keyboards that sound a lot more natural than they did on the song Jump. You know, the song Jump it sounded I don't want to Yeah, kind of like a toy keyboard thing, sort of. And at times you could almost think that it was a guitar, that a guitar could be making these sounds, but it wasn't. What was crazy is that Sammy Hagar does the guitar solo in the song. Oh and Eddie's just playing the keyboards the entire song. I didn't realize that. And it's just crazy to think this is Van Halen. The band is named after you, and you're letting Sammy do it. I like Sammy. Again, we talked about going to see Sammy and he was making uh margaritas for people. He stopped the show. I thought that was fantastic, you know? Three lock box, the red rocker, all right. I just like David Lee Roth better in those particular years of Van Allen. Right. But this song, wow. It was a good song. It was a good song. So you know what, Jimmy? What? I'm gonna have to say that's it for this episode of Music in My Shoes. I'd like to thank you, Jimmy, show producer and owner of Arcade 160 Studios, located right here in Atlanta GA, and Vic Thrill for our podcast music. You can reach out to us at musicinmyshoes at gmail.com. Please like and follow the Music in My Shoes Facebook and Instagram pages. We're having a lot of people join and uh follow us on Instagram lately. Over the last couple of months, it's really picked up. So be one of them and join and say hello. Or just like us, whatever you want to do. This is Jim Boge, and I hope you learned something new or remember something old. We'll meet again on our next episode. Until then, live life and keep the music playing a big deal.