My Summertime Song Memories ... 1981

Each week, I am releasing a list of my 15 favorite songs from the first 15 summers I lived in my beloved hometown of Toms River, N.J. between 1974-88. That takes me from the summer I was 7 until the summer I was 21. Each song from each summer has a special meaning and I will try to convey them as best as I possibly can. So I will rank each summer's hit song memory from Nos. 15 through No. 1. Each song was a hit that peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend. An interesting final note here: "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes is NOT in this countdown because it was a hit in the Spring of 1981, hitting No. 1 then, so I did not include it among the summertime memories. 

This week, it's the Sounds of the Summer of '81:

15. Endless Love—Diana Ross & Lionel Richie (#1, August)

OK, I admit I loved this duet when it first came out from the failed Zefferelli film of the same name starring Brooke Shields. It's the dynamic between the two singers that made this such a majstical moment in music history as well as that emotional piano that accompanies the pair played by Richie. It's a beautiful piece of music and though it got overplayed to death that late summer, it's still a worthy summertime memory from that year.

14. Seven Year Ache—Rosanne Cash (#22, July)

In the early 1980s, country music permeated the pop and Top 40 radio stations where I was in New Jersey. This song by Johnny Cash's daughter was a great example. Rosanne Cash's narration of a guy who thinks he's got it with all the ladies, but she knows better, is done in such a Southern style that we can't help but notice. It's subtle, but great storytelling nonetheless. Great steel guitar work by Hank DeVito, who would write a great late summer-early fall hit in 1981 for Juice Newton called "Queen Of Hearts." Then-husband and country star Rodney Crowell did the production on this smash that would turn out to be Cash's lone Top 40 crossover hit.

13. In The Air Tonight—Phil Collins (#19, August)

I had a taken a cruise with my sister and grandmother and it would take us from Montreal to New York City. One night, I'm up on deck and it's foggy and we were in the North Atlantic waters. I had taken my transistor radio on the trip with me and this song suddenly comes on -- that haunting opening was perfect for what I was viewing. So who cares if the story of Phil Collins seeing some guy watch another person drown and then he puts a spotlight on him at a concert to point him out of what he did is not true at all! It makes for an eerie-sounding great memory of that summer. And those drums -- oh, yeah! Those memorable, pounding drums that lead to the very end of the record. Fantastic emotion from start to finish.

12. Theme From "The Greatest American Hero" (Believe It Or Not)—Joey Scarbury (#2, August)

For the record, I never saw one episode of The Greatest American Hero starring William Katt. Not one. Yet the most indelible thing about the show is this song that continues to live long after the show came and went. Joey Scarbury's approach is sweet and needs commending. He never had to be over the top. The only thing about this song over the top is the guitar work by John Goux at the bridge. It's that record that snuck under the radar and became the left-field hit that summer. If not for Diana and Lionel, this would have been a No. 1 song. The song still makes me smile all these years later.

11. Don't Let Him Go—R.E.O. Speedwagon (#24, August)

This song is cranked to 11 practically from the first sound of feedback in the play-in. The booming drums of Alan Gratzer matching the intensity of bass guitarist Bruce Hall sets the tone. Kevin Cronin delivers the lyrics in dramatic and succinct fashion and the song at its bridge has not only a guitar solo from the late Gary Richrath, but it has a keyboard solo by Neal Doughty. It's my favorite song by R.E.O. from the No. 1 album of the year, "Hi Infidelity" and helped to set a great musical summer on fire.

10. Don't Want To Wait Anymore—The Tubes (#35, August)

Not until long ago did I realize that Canadian producer-writer David Foster produced and co-wrote this magnificent piece of music by San Francisco's Tubes. Fee Waybill delivers one of the most dramatic lead vocals I've ever heard and his improvised ending is something I won't ever forget. Bill Spooner's guitar solo is in a perfect place after the first chorus and the whole song is just dramatic from start to finish.

9. Slow Hand—The Pointer Sisters (#2, September)

Always loved that soulful opening on keyboards and Anita Pointer's voice is just downright sexy with her sisters following her in harmony at key moments, including the chorus. This song has its soul roots, but by the middle of the song, you feel like it's going into gospel territory, and that's the Pointers' wheelhouse. Co-written by John Bettis, who co-wrote a number of hits for the Carpenters in the 1970s, and Michael Clark, it's hard to think of anyone else who could do this song other than the Pointer Sisters, but they almost didn't get the song because the writers weren't convinced they could do this song. Boy, were those two wrong. Then a year later, Conway Twitty made it a No. 1 hit on the country music chart.

8. Gemini Dream—The Moody Blues (#12, August)

One of the first two cassette tapes I bought in the Summer of 1981 was "Long Distance Voyager" by the Moody Blues. I always thought this song with Patrick Moraz's opening keyboard salvo was so cool to my 14-year-old ears that I had to have the "Long Distance Voyager" tape (that also included the other hit song from it, "The Voice."). I also love the duel lead vocals of John Lodge and Justin Hayward on this record. The song is a journey from start to finish and you don't have to tell anyone what zodiac sign you are to enjoy it.

7. This Little Girl—Gary "U.S." Bonds (#11, June)

Many of us who grew up listening to oldies of the 1960s by stars of the early Rock 'n Roll era, especially before the Beatles arrived in 1964 and wiped out most of the pre-Beatles stars of that day, were really relegated to "hearing their songs on vinyl or oldies station." That totally changed the day I heard Gary "U.S." Bonds doing "This Little Girl" on the radio the first time. I nearly cried. Gary "U.S." Bonds was real. My generation had something to get excited about an older act performing a new song. And I'll always thank Bruce Springsteen for bringing him back and producing and writing for him on the album, "Dedication," for which the entire E Street Band is backing Bonds, including that rousing saxophone solo by the late, great Big Man himself, Clarence Clemons. I still feel that emotion when I hear Bruce's subtle opening electric guitar strum. It's like letting a jack in the box free and for a Jersey Shore boy appreciating a guy doing a song that sounds so much like the Jersey Shore, it's forever appreciated.

6. Elvira—The Oak Ridge Boys (#5, July)

Now come on! You -- and that's just about everyone -- indulged in those "Ooom-papa-oooom-papa-mow-mows" that Richard Sterban delivered (come to find out that Sterban was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1943 and graduated from Collingswood High School in 1961). Every summer needs a "fun" record and welcome to that "fun" record courtesy of 1981. There's nothing offensive about it, and the Oak Ridge Boys' record label, MCA Records, saw a lot of cash flow when this song would take advantage of numerous other country songs crossing over to the pop chart. Boy, did it ever! I can never think about that song without thinking of Joe Bonsall's lead vocal and Sterban delivering the "ooom-papa-ooom-papa-mow-mows," especially the deeper his bass got as the song continued on. I can't think about that Summer of '81 without thinking of "Elvira."

5. Double Dutch Bus—Frankie Smith (#30, August)

OK, there was more than one fun record in the Summer of 1981 beside "Elvira." That was provided by the late Frankie Smith of Philadelphia, whose romp through the streets of Philly caught him at rope-jumping activities that the kids would call "double dutch." And it made it that much more fun to listen to all five minutes of this, that cutesy musical backdrop highlighted by that horn honk and Smith rhyming his way through his plight of him "walking to work 15 blocks and I already got a hole in my socks." He's got bad feet, his corns hurt, and to top it off, he's late for work. So he develops this funky walk and says, "shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhu-gar!" And that leads to the greatest form of Pig Latin ever put together -- high use of words with "ilz" at or near the start. Sad that the song only got as high as No. 30 on the pop chart because the effort alone and fun it exuded should have made it a Top 10 hit.

4. Time—The Alan Parsons Project (#15, August)

In the middle of a fun summer, you always have that one song that makes you go inside yourself and think about things like our mortality. That is "Time" by the Alan Parsons Project, which features the haunting vocals of first-time lead vocalist Eric Wolfson, who co-wrote the song with Parsons, who is the second vocalist you hear on the record. That opening piano piece by Wolfson is one of the prettiest-sounding works ever to start a song. Breathless as Wolfson sounds, it works beautifully. And the arrangement of Andrew Powell's Philharmonic Orchestra leaves you near tears, it's that beautiful and makes you think of those you lost in your life. "Goodbye my friend, maybe for forever. Goodbye my friend, the stars wait for me. Who knows where we shall meet again … if ever?" I can't help but think of my late girlfriend and those words. Powerful record and one of the best of 1981 overall.

3. Stars On 45 Medley—Stars On 45 (#1, June)

Yeah, it's kind of over the top -- the Beatles done by Dutch session singers. But no one was exactly hawking the market on it at the time and so CNR Records in the Netherlands thought it'd be a kitschy idea to make a Beatles medley, having those session singers sing in English their most recognizable songs for a 4-plus minute medley, add a Dutch favorite in "Venus" by Shocking Blue (just the opening guitar riff) and the Archies' "Sugar Sugar" and then tie it all up in one big huge bow with a hook line chorus to explain the "Stars on 45." Sure! If you loved the medley like I did for its near-precise vocals of the Beatles when they recorded those songs, you knew it was a No. 1 hit in this country. And it was -- stepping into the top spot in between Kim Carnes' nine-week run of "Bette Davis Eyes" at the top.

2. Jessie's Girl—Rick Springfield (#1, August)

Paging Dr. Noah Drake to the recording studio! Paging Dr. Noah Drake! When the spring came and this song was climbing the chart, I thought nothing of it. This was the dude that did the inspirational "Speak To The Sky" in 1972. What could he possibly bring to the table this time? Well, he brought us a song that would last us generations, even if the subject is his infatuation with his best friend's girlfriend he was seeing while they were all going to stained glass class. By July, that song was in my head and I couldn't get it out … and 38 summers later, I'm glad it never departed. Fantastic vocals and guitar from the ageless Aussie Mr. Springfield.

1. The Stroke—Billy Squier (#17, August)

If you rank a song on its lyrical content, this wouldn't be at No. 1, even as the years have passed and the idea that the song was about self-gratification was simply rumor. But it's Bobby Chouinard who is the true MVP of this record. He's the guy who has to do the "stroke"-like drum from start to finish and you know it couldn't have been that easy. While drums are supposed to be harder and faster, this one sets the entire song off in one distinct rhythmic way. Billy Squier's vocals are never flinching and the crashing guitar brought forward by Cary Sharaf still resonates all these years later. The "stroke" bridge of this record forever is entombed in this record and that last "stroke" part like they are trying to make it to the shoreline within only moments near the end of the song makes this one for the classic rock music files. Just hear that backbeat in your head and you'll be going to sleep with it in your head tonight, thinking how can I get rid of it tomorrow at work. It's that powerful to this day and part of the reason why the "other" cassette tape I purchased that summer was Squier's "Don't Say No." Still love it to this day and why "The Stroke" was my favorite song of the Summer of '81.

My Summertime Song Memories ... 1980

Each week, I am releasing a list of my 15 favorite songs from the first 15 summers I lived in my beloved hometown of Toms River, N.J. between 1974-88. That takes me from the summer I was 7 until the summer I was 21. Each song from each summer has a special meaning and I will try to convey them as best as I possibly can. So I will rank each summer's hit song memory from Nos. 15 through No. 1. Each song was a hit that peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend. An interesting final note: 

This week, it's the Sounds of the Summer of '80:

15. Magic—Olivia Newton-John (#1, August)

In my opinion, not one of Olivia Newton-John's strongest songs, though lots of people liked it enough to be a No. 1 song for four weeks. It grew on me after awhile, thanks to a searing guitar solo by her producer and songwriter, John Farrar, on this record and a haunting vocal that seemed to be one of the few good things to come from the movie "Xanadu" since the film was an absolute bust.

14. Take A Little Rhythm—Ali Thomson (#15, August)

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to that phase of music in the late 1970s/early 1980s called "Yacht Rock," the very smooth-sounding songs that permeated the radio airwaves that you always pictured out on the open sea enjoying a fantastic lifestyle. Thomson is the younger brother of Supertramp's Dougie Thomson and he held his own on this breezy tune that features super saxophone work and has every bit of an adult contemporary hit in it. Pass me another martini, please.

13. Brass In Pocket (I'm Special)—The Pretenders (#14, June)

The thing I loved most about the debut hit in this country for the Pretenders (after this hit No. 1 in the previous winter in the UK) was the sassy that lead singer Chrissie Hynde brought to this song. Great track from the self-titled debut album by the band, it's not too much rock, but it's not really too much New Wave either. This song is somewhere gloriously in the middle and that would make it quite a bit pop. With music starting to mellow out as the '80s approached, some of the New Wave acts needed to make their presences on the chart. This song was perfect timing for the Summer of  1980.

12. Biggest Part Of Me—Ambrosia (#3, June)

Great blue-eyed soul from the Los Angeles-based band Ambrosia. David Pack's lead vocals are every much soulful as that of Bill Medley and Michael McDonald, just not quite as noticeable. The organ work of Christopher North is totally appreciated as in some cases, it's an organ that seems reminiscent to those that you heard growing up at a hockey arena or a baseball stadium. And I've always appreciated the longer version featuring the saxophone of Ernie Watts. It always gets ignored on the single edit of this great song … another of the Yacht Rock genre.

11. Take Your Time (Do It Right)—The S.O.S. Band (#3, August)

Disco may have practically died a hard death the year before, but man, did it have challengers to revive it, even for a short bit. One of those challengers was this iconic early '80s blast from the past jam by Atlanta's S.O.S. Band. By the end of the song, you find yourself uttering, "Let's do it!" Mary Davis' lead vocals are passionate and strong and that elastic, rubber-band sounding musical backdrop with a great horn section standing front and center provided by Sonny Killebrew and B.E. Ellis, "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" is a true summertime jam to get down to.

10. JoJo—Boz Scaggs (#17, August)

Anything with Boz Scaggs' soulful vocals on it is going to make any song better. "JoJo" just sounded like it came from a musical catalog you shopped from, just add vocals to it. Interestingly, the guitar work on this particular record is provided by Steve Lukather of Toto and Ray Parker Jr. Adrian Tapia delivers a strong sax solo that puts this song into the "Yacht Rock" genre as well. I always loved the longer version of this record in which Scaggs sings, "Hey, what do you think of gentlemen wearing mink?" Interesting. I guess we must ask Joe Namath.

9. Atomic—Blondie (#39, July)

This song jams! This song felt like one amazing party and long, rocked-out jam session, opening with that "Three blind mice" vibe. Yes, Debbie Harry delivers lead vocals on this record, but for this record, less is best. Don't get me wrong -- I love her lingering, long-note vocals, singing, "Your hair is beautiful. Oh, tonight … atomic!" It's Disco long after Disco went away, it's R&B, it's New Wave AND it's pop. Also a former No. 1 hit in the UK, "Atomic" was a great bridge for Blondie in between the No. 1 hit "Call Me" and their late 1980 album "Autoamerican." Again, the music makes this song what it was.

8. Clones (We're All)—Alice Cooper (#40, July)

Prior to this song peaking at No. 40 on the Fourth of July 1980 (and never played on American Top 40 because it spent one week in the Top 40 and AT40 was doing a special chart "records" countdown show), this song was always played on WJRZ-FM in Manahawkin and Toms River, my new choice of radio station for the Summer of 1980. What makes this song really, really stand out is the fact it got away from the rock Cooper was famous for. He decided on this album called "Flush The Fashion," he wanted to go New Wave. And this song screams it as the electronic element takes over. It rocks out by the end, though, so it's never forgotten, but still, the best part is in the bridge in which Cooper is having to explain why computers are taking over his world by repeating the line, "I just wanna be myself, I just wanna be myself, I just wanna be myself, be myself, be myself."

7. A Lovers Holiday—Change (#40, July)

Like "Clones," this song spent one week in the Top 40, peaking at No. 40 (How come the really memorable, hook-induced records that summer barely reached the Top 40?). Another song left behind from the Disco era, the Italian-based dance act Change has fun on this song and that old-sounding piano makes for a memorable record for generations to come. And those vocals by Zach Sanders of "Schoolhouse Rock" fame? Wow! That guy took over that record and most of us are happy he did so. Change didn't last long, but they definitely helped re-shape the dance music scene after disco's death.

6. Tired Of Toein' The Line—Rocky Burnette (#8, July)

The son and nephew of Johnny and Dorsey Burnette, Rocky Burnette came into his own in the Summer of '80 with the roller-disco favorite "Tired Of Toein' The Line." Outstanding guitar work by Burnette and that raucous musical backdrop reminds me of what the early '50s rock-a-billy sound was like when Johnny and Dorsey were a major part of the scene. In some ways, the younger Burnette was paying homage to his dad and uncle and rockin' out as well. I never have gotten tired listening to "Tired Of Toein' The Lines" all these years later.

5. Against The Wind—Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (#5, June)

Every so often, Bob Seger shows reflection in life. He did so on his first big hit in 1977, "Night Moves" and later did so in 1986 with the Top 15 hit "Like A Rock." "Against The Wind," the title track from his No. 1 album, always reminds me of looking back, especially the line, "Well those drifter days have passed me now. I've got so much more to think about. Deadlines and commitments. What to leave in, what to leave out?" And I can't think of this song without hearing Paul Harris' piano solo and the harmony vocals of the late Glenn Frey. I also can't think about this song without thinking of "Forrest Gump" and "For The Love Of The Game," two movies that used the song (Janie was the character played by Kelly Preston in "For The Love Of The Game," so it made sense).

4. It's Still Rock 'N Roll To Me—Billy Joel (#1, July)

When I first heard the "Glass Houses" album and heard this song, one song came to mind -- the Cars' classic "Just What I Needed." That song in the Summer of 1978 was hip and here and ready to lead the New Wave era and one of the all-time great debut songs by an act. You can literally hear "Just What I Needed" in key parts of "It's Still Rock 'N Roll To Me," Billy Joel's lament of the changing face of the pop music industry. Richie Cannata's sax solo still shines all these years later and Joel's posturing, while asking questions within the lyrics, will always make this record special as well as that rhythmic musical backdrop.

3. Funkytown—Lipps, Inc. (#1, May)

The first time I ever heard "Funkytown," the first thing that came out of my mouth was "That's a No. 1 song." Even a 13-year-old like myself understood this. Why? That hook … that melody. You walk away humming that hook, that melody. Cynthia Johnson puts vocals on it, but if that record was ever simply an instrumental track, it would have worked, too. Producer and writer Steve Greenberg figured he had new electronic toys to play with, let's go out and find what these sounds are all about. "Funkytown" delivers in a most memorable way. Johnson, by the way, is also playing the saxophone on the song as well. Arguably the most infectious song of the '80s, "Funkytown" hit No. 1 in 28 different countries. It still is important to this day.

2. Steal Away—Robbie Dupree (#6, July)

If not for the song at No. 1, this record may be the most memorable ever in the Yacht Rock genre. It is one of the breeziest songs ever recorded and one of the greatest fade-ins for any record. Carpenter-turned-singer Robbie Dupree made "Steal Away" a summertime memory for me for years and years. It's one of the most playful-sounding tunes as well, as cheery as the summertime days this song was being played on my radio. Personally, I can never thank Robbie Dupree enough for one of my favorite hits as a young teen.

1. Sailing—Christopher Cross (#1, August)

No one was as hot as Christopher Cross was by the Summer of 1980. "Ride Like The Wind" had just missed being a No. 1 hit thanks to Blondie's "Call Me," but how do you follow it up? You follow it up with maybe the greatest record that ever paints a picture of what a day on the water must feel like. Close your eyes and you can see the sails being pushed by the wind in the water, whether it be a bay or the ocean, the guitar backdrop acting like the sun reflection on the placid water, the piano solo providing for those on this sailboat looking out at the water as the land in the background passes by. That is exactly what producer Michael Omartian and the song's writer, Cross, did to always make this record a strict summer song, period. In other words, you can't get more placid and light as "Sailing," the grand-daddy of all the Yacht Rock songs ever recorded.

My Summertime Song Memories ... 1979

Each week, I am releasing a list of my 15 favorite songs from the first 15 summers I lived in my beloved hometown of Toms River, N.J. between 1974-88. That takes me from the summer I was 7 until the summer I was 21. Each song from each summer has a special meaning and I will try to convey them as best as I possibly can. So I will rank each summer's hit song memory from Nos. 15 through No. 1. Each song was a hit that peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend. An interesting final note: 

This week, it's the Sounds of the Summer of '79:

15. Ring My Bell—Anita Ward (#1, June)

One of the all-time great left-field hits, it's one of those songs borne from the Disco era and got so catchy that it got to be irritating after a while and maybe the reason why this former school teacher from Tennessee, Anita Ward, was a one-hit wonder. But those "Booooooh" sounds made on this record really accentuated a Disco classic and kept me entertained throughout the entire Summer of '79. OK, they were a little annoying, but they made the record what it was.

14. Heart Of The Night—Poco (#20, July)

I loved this pop-country-adult contemporary smash the moment I heard it. And when I think of this song, I think of the city of New Orleans and those who endured after Katrina. Lead singer Rusty Young painted a beautiful picture of the city on "Heart Of The Night," perhaps during a far better time. He sings, "And the river she rises, just like she used to do. She's so full of surprises she reminds me of you." Great words by songwriter Paul Cotton and an even greater saxophone solo by Phil Kenzie. Even if you never have been to the Crescent City, you fall in love with the beauty of it pre-Katrina.

13. Dance The Night Away—Van Halen (#15, July)

Pre-"1984," there were very few Van Halen songs you could play on pop radio. This song stands the test of time as a pop and rock classic. "Dance The Night Away" is just a good time where the band rocks out, but doesn't go over the top with guitar solos or drum solos from the Van Halen boys. Sensational backing vocals by Michael Anthony and Eddie Van Halen behind lead vocalist David Lee Roth. Simple rock and roll turned up, but not all the way to a Spinal Tap 11. It's soothing for the ears in a rocked-out way.

12. Good Times—Chic (#1, August)

Who knew rap music would become an over-the-counter venture thanks to the Sugarhill Gang taking the musical backdrop of this record and putting a rap behind it to give the world "Rapper's Delight?" But in this original Disco form, its basic booming bass from the late Bernard Edwards and a great example of the "chucking" guitar style that Nile Rodgers developed on numerous records over the years made "Good Times" what it was. The pair wrote it and produced it and put Great Depression-like references in the record ("Happy days are here again," "and "Let's the cut the run, little jive and jitterbug") to parallel the economic tough times we were going through during President Carter's time in charge of this country.

11. Morning Dance—Spyro Gyra (#24, August)

This is the absolutely most perfect song to have Sunday brunch to. Picture it: A sun-splashed summertime late morning in the northern part of the country, the yellow sun blending in around some puffy white clouds and an absolutely amazing blue sky, you at a table with a friend or your love enjoying eggs and bacon and enjoying a mimosa … or a Bloody Mary, it depends … while this record with a stirring Caribbean feel comes over the speakers. Those marimbas and steel drums played by Spyro Gyra member Dave Samuels makes "Morning Dance" what it is. Great sax work by group leader Jay Beckenstein on this instrumental just adds to the easy, morning feel that we've experienced on that wonderous occasion when the brunch wasn't the most important thing about the day.

10. One Way Or Another—Blondie (#24, July)

Today, I think of this as a song for commercials, but in 1979, Debbie Harry was the bomb and so was Blondie, coming off a No. 1 hit in "Heart Of Glass." Always loved the rocked-out guitar open and even more so, her powerful, but sexy-sounding vocals, especially when she sings, "I'll getcha-getcha-getcha-getcha." To me, "One Way Or Another" will forever be a summer song.

9. When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman—Dr. Hook (#6, August)

The familiar vocals of Dennis Locorriere set this song off and the message of what it's like to be enthralled in the everyday doings of a beautiful woman is espoused in such a soft, mellow manner that you could probably put this record under the category of "Yacht rock." You won't hear a guitar solo on this one or any solo of any kind. It's a simple pop song done in under three minutes with a sensational backing vocal track. Some simple records make for great summertime memories like "When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman."

8. Getting Closer—Wings (#20, July)

Never has the word "salamander" been so endearing on any record in the history of recorded music. But that's in the very first line of the song as it hits the radio fast and Sir Paul McCartney yells out, "Say you don't love him, my salamander." Was his late wife Linda a dark-skinned lizard-like amphibian when we didn't see her in public? Gosh, I hope not. Still, a great rocker for the band, who were really on their last legs as a group with the ill-fated "Back To The Egg" album (let's just say the reviews weren't good). Wings came off the Top 5 hit "Goodnight Tonight," so in reality, anything that got away from Disco at the time was good. 

7. Gold—John Stewart (#5, July)

The man who was a part of the Kingston Trio during the 1960s and who wrote the Monkees' last No. 1 hit, "Daydream Believer," was back as a solo performer, armed with Stevie Nicks on backing vocals with the song "Gold," which Stewart wrote and produced. It sounded like what life in Southern California was all about away from suburbia ("When the lights go down in the California town, people are in for the evening."). The music seems very dark and brooding for '70s pop, but maybe it's that tone that really set it apart from a lot of other songs on the radio at the time. It wasn't Disco, yet it wasn't slow enough to be adult contemporary then. And Stewart's vocals were emphatic, making it a true summertime classic.

6. I Was Made For Lovin' You—KISS (#11, August)

Many people jumped all over KISS for going Disco at this time, but 1) a lot of famous artists were going Disco at the time, so hey, why not the loudest band on the planet back then and 2) it was refreshing to see KISS go in a different direction, even if the backlash was as great as it was at the time. There's far from anything wrong with this number and it always sounded like in the bridge that the band were setting off flares to get themselves noticed on the remote island they were stranded on. But while it may be considered a Disco song, it still rocks out with the best of KISS' catalog. Some may loathe "I Was Made For Lovin' You." I love it as a great late Summer of '79 memory.

5. I Can't Stand It No More—Peter Frampton (#14, July)

Speaking of brooding bass lines like in John Stewart's "Gold," this one is the gold standard for rockers that don't completely rock out, but get the point across when it comes to rock songs. Yes, Peter Frampton gives you that guitar solo that you are more than pleased with, but it's a record that, in my opinion, was never over the top as a rocker. Frampton's lead vocals pound the backdrop he and his band lay down and a great bridge part vocally highlights the tune ("Every woman made a fool out of me. My mama told me, when she set me free. She said, 'Son,  you just have got to find … find a girl who can treat you, like I do.") Not a very easy task … practically impossible. (He wrote the song after the breakup with his then-girlfriend at the time.) But Frampton makes do with what his life is and he trudges along. Great musicianship on what would turn out to be his last Top 40 hit.

4. I Want You To Want Me—Cheap Trick (#7, July)

The moment Bun E. Carlos sets off with that memorable drum opening after Robin Zander exclaims "I want you to want … ME!" you know the band Cheap Trick had finally arrived, even if it came during a concert in front of 12,000 screaming fans in Japan at Budokan. Get a listen to the original studio version of "I Want You To Want Me," and though it's a good little rocker, it doesn't quite have the same effect as it did in front of that crowd of screaming Japanese fans. Rick Nielsen goes off on guitar and Zander's vocals pound the musical atmosphere as it was meant to be on the studio version. That song leaves you exhausted by the end and makes you wonder how the band even continued after that performance.

3. Hot Stuff—Donna Summer (#1, June)

The first time I heard "Hot Stuff," my mouth dropped. Even at 12 years old, I recognized this was a departure of the Disco records the Queen of Disco was famous for. The dance quality of this record remained from all those other great songs the late Donna Summer did, but to hear those hard-hitting pounds of the drums to open the record -- those are still legendary. And Summer's voice comes clearly through the radio with little difficulty, as if she was meant to sing this dance rocker. Then to hear Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of the Doobie Brothers lay down that time-stopping guitar solo -- one of the best guitar solos EVER! "Hot Stuff" changed the paths of Disco music in 1979 as many a Disco record that sounded alike had flooded the radio airwaves by then, and changed the career path of Summer, who would go into the 1980s refreshed and set on a new path musically. Still as great-sounding as it was 40 years earlier.

2. Makin' It—David Naughton (#5, July)

Kitschy, but irresistible. The best words I could describe about the song that started out as a the theme song to the ill-fated TV series of 1978 by the same name that David Naughton was a cast member in, and turned out to be a sizzling, summertime theme song for those who lived through that Summer of '79. "Makin' It" is just a happy, enjoyable dance tune that got caught in the throes of Disco's last legs, but was acceptable no matter where you heard that song that summer. A new audience found the song thanks to the Bill Murray movie "Meatballs" that summer and it got a bigger appreciation on the music chart. Though the guy we know as the Dr. Pepper guy because he sang all their jingles had one hit, he made this summertime memory a Top 5 pop classic.

1. My Sharona—The Knack (#1, August)

There is noooooooooooooo song close to this one for No. 1 in the Summer of '79. This song WAS the Summer of '79 for a lot of reasons: That opening drum beat by the late Bruce Gary set this song off on the right path. That perfect marriage between classic rocker and pop staple. Lead singer Doug Feiger's vocals sound like he's an infatuated 14-year-old all over again trying to get this girl's attention. The amazing work of lead guitarist Burton Averre. The musicianship of all the members during that musical refrain right before the end on the longer version of this record. It's all in this song that started out as a fascination to me when I heard it on the radio on WJRZ-FM in early July 1979, but turned into this monster hit and one of the all-time greatest songs ever recorded, spending six weeks at No. 1 and becoming the biggest hit of the year. Though Feiger has been gone for nearly 10 years, "My Sharona" will forever be his legacy, the record he wrote because he was infatuated by his girlfriend's 17-year-old bestie who hung around the studio. I never met the real-life Sharona in person, but she was about to become a huge part of my life going forward.