Showing posts with label 1981. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1981. Show all posts

Sunday, August 1, 2021

The 40th Anniversary of MTV

In celebration of MTV’s 40th anniversary, this is a snapshot of significant dates and videos in the network’s early years. This page covers from MTV’s beginnings on August 1, 1981 to the point when the network started to shift away from music and more toward general youth programming in 1992.

Spotify Podcast:

Check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast episode The Birth of MTV which celebrated the 40th anniversary of the cable network by showcasing some of the videos that were instrumental in establishing the format. It debuted August 3, 2021.

August 1, 1981: The Launch of MTV

The first video to air on the brand new network was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles. You can see a full list of all the videos which aired during the first 24 hours here.

1982: Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf”

Duran Duran were one of the first bands to become stars because of their videos. The early days of MTV were marked by a lot of videos from British new wave bands. Duran Duran were photogenic, had catchy songs, and grasped the power of video. “Hungry Like the Wolf” was shot in Sri Lanka and captured the atmosphere of the movie The Raiders of the Lost Ark.

March 10, 1983: “Billie Jean” Breaks the Color Barrier

Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” had already hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 when MTV aired the video for the first time. The video has been credited with breaking the network’s color barrier, which isn’t entirely accurate. The network was dominated by white, album-oriented artists, but they did play some black artists. However, “Billie Jean” was considered the video to knock down the doors, a move largely attributed to the president of CBS Records threatening to pull all the label’s videos from the network if they didn’t air “Billie Jean.” That year, Prince, Eddy Grant, Donna Summer, Herbie Hancock, and Lionel Richie followed with videos in heavy rotation.

December 2, 1983: “Thriller” premiered

By the end of 1983, Michael Jackson was the biggest music star on the planet, making the premiere of his epic video for “Thriller” a monumental event. The $900,000 budget was the biggest ever for a music video at the time. John Landis, who’d done An American Werewolf in London, directed the nearly-fourteen-minute, zombie-themed mini-movie and it transformed music videos into a serious art form. It ranks #1 on the Dave’s Music Database list of the Top 100 Videos of All Time.

March 9, 1984: First Top 20 Video Countdown

Four of the videos featured on the first countdown rank in the Dave’s Music Database list of the Top 100 Videos of All Time – the aforementioned “Thriller” at #14, “You Might Think” at #9, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” at #7, and “Jump” at #2. The #1 video that week was Kenny Loggins’ “Footloose.” You can see the full top 20 here.

“You Might Think” had just premiered on MTV that week. It would go on to be the first Video of the Year winner.

September 14, 1984: First Video Music Awards

Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler served as hosts for MTV’s first annual Music Video Awards (often abbreviated as VMAs) ceremony, held at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Among the awards given out were Video of the Year to the aforementioned “You Might Think” by the Cars, Female Video to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” Male Video to David Bowie’s “China Girl,” Group Video to ZZ Top’s “Legs,” and Best New Artist Video to Eurythmics for “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This.”

The most memorable point of the night came not from an award winner, but a performance. Madonna debuted her song “Like a Virgin” dressed in a bridal gown and making waves by writhing around on the floor. One of the comments on the YouTube post said it “was the equivalent of breaking the Internet in the 80s.”

Check out the links below to see annual winners for various MTV video awards:

1985: aha “Take on Me”

“Take on Me” was first released in October 1984 and was a hit in a-ha’s native Norway, but didn’t gain an international audience. They re-recorded the song and shot a new video with director Steve Barron, who’d also directed Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and the Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me?.” The combination of live action and pencil-sketch animation took 16 weeks to finish. It won six awards at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards and ranks at #3 on the DMDB’s top 100 videos list.

1985: Dire Straits “Money for Nothing”

Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler was inspired to write “Money for Nothing” after overhearing a delivery man in an appliance store lamenting how easy musicians had it. The video played up the same idea with computer-animated versions of two working-class guys commenting on music videos. It ranks at #7 on the DMDB’s top 100 videos list and won Video of the Year in 1986.

March 10, 1986: 120 Minutes Premiered

The show focused on alternative rock and underground videos. One of the most celebrated videos of all time, Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991),” made its debut on the network during the program. The classic which is largely credited as the quintessential grunge song ranks #4 on the DMDB’s top 100 videos list.

1986: Peter Gabriel “Sledgehammer”

The groundbreaking video combined claymation, pixilation, and stop-motion animation. Gabriel had to lay under a sheet of glass for 16 hours while the video was filmed one frame at a time. Although MTV didn’t say how many plays it had received, they revealed in 2000 that “Sledgehammer” was the most played video in their history. Nine of the top 10 were from the 1980s. See the article here. The video ranks at #2 on the DMDB’s top 100 videos list, and won the Video of the Year in 1987 as well as eight other awards.

April 18, 1987: The Headbangers’ Ball Premiered

The show focused on heavy metal music. Guns N’ Roses first appeared on the show in October to promote their Appetite for Destruction album and trashed the set. Their single at the time, “Welcome to the Jungle,” became a top 10 hit on the pop charts in 1988 after the success of their #1 single “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Both songs appear on the DMDB’s top 100 videos list.

August 6, 1988: Yo! MTV Raps Premiered

The show celebrated hip-hop music. Run-DMC became one of the most important rap acts of the 1980s. Their song “Rock Box,” from 1984, was the first rap video in rotation on MTV. Their 1986 remake of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” was the first top 10 rap hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The inventive video cheekily pitted Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry against the rap trio in a battle to see who could outdo the other with them covering together in the end. It appears at #17 on the DMDB’s top 100 videos list.

November 26, 1989: MTV Unplugged Premiered

The show featured artists performing their songs acoustically. Early episodes featured a variety of artists. The very first episode included Squeeze, Syd Straw, and Elliot Easton. Later episodes focused on big-name stars, including Tony Bennett, Mariah Carey, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Nirvana, Rod Stewart, and Neil Young. Many of the Unplugged performances were released as albums. Eric Clapton’s was the most successful, going ten times platinum and winning the Grammy for Album of the Year.

May 21, 1992: Real World Premiered

This unscripted TV show followed seven real people thrown into a house together and filmed to see how they interacted. Not only did it launch reality shows, but it marked a shift in MTV’s programming from exclusively music-based to more teen and young-adult programming. Many have since lamented the disappearance of “music” from “Music Television.” In fact, the network did eventually just go by “MTV” and did not refer to itself as Music Television anymore.

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First posted 8/1/2021.

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Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Mainstream Rock: Top 100 Songs, 1981-2021

First posted 1/24/2021; updated 2/92021.

Mainstream Rock:

Top 100 Songs, 1981-2021

Billboard launched its Album Rock Tracks chart (now called “Mainstream Rock”) on March 21, 1981. Since then, more than 7000 songs have hit the chart; 2000 of which went top 10. This list ranks those songs which hit the top 10 in order of their overall status in Dave’s Music Database. These are the top 100 songs:

Note: click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

1. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983)
2. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991)
3. Bryan Adams “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” (1991)
4. Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” (1988)
5. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll” (1981)
6. R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (1991)
7. U2 “With or Without You” (1987)
8. Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” (1981)
9. Santana with Rob Thomas “Smooth” (1999)
10. The Human League “Don’t You Want Me?” (1981)

11. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” (1982)
12. U2 “One” (1992)
13. Oasis “Wonderwall” (1995)
14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” (1986)
15. Goo Goo Dolls “Iris” (1998)
16. Nickelback “How You Remind Me” (2001)
17. Van Halen “Jump” (1984)
18. Aerosmith “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” (1998)
19. Green Day “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (2004)
20. Eric Clapton “Tears in Heaven” (1992)

21. Men at Work “Down Under” (1981)
22. Journey “Don’t Stop Believin’” (1981)
23. Foreigner “I Want to Know What Love Is” (1984)
24. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” (1995)
25. Phil Collins “Another Day in Paradise” (1989)
26. Dexy’s Midnight Runners “Come on Eileen” (1982)
27. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Under the Bridge” (1991)
28. U2 “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (1987)
29. Pearl Jam “Jeremy” (1991)
30. Meat Loaf “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” (1993)

31. Cyndi Lauper “Time After Time” (1983)
32. Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (1985)
33. 3 Doors Down “Kryptonite” (2000)
34. Bruce Springsteen “Dancing in the Dark” (1984)
35. Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” (1985)
36. Bruce Springsteen “Born in the U.S.A.” (1984)
37. Kenny Loggins “Footloose” (1984)
38. Hoobastank “The Reason” (2004)
39. Peter Gabriel “Sledgehammer” (1986)
40. Simple Minds “Don’t You Forget about Me” (1985)

41. J. Geils Band “Centerfold” (1981)
42. Rick Springfield “Jessie’s Girl” (1981)
43. Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight” (1981)
44. U2 “Pride (In the Name of Love)” (1984)
45. Oasis “Live Forever” (1984)
46. Metallica “Enter Sandman” (1991)
47. Phil Collins “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” (1984)
48. The Rolling Stones “Start Me Up” (1981)
49. John Cougar Mellencamp “Jack and Diane” (1982)
50. Tears for Fears “Shout” (1984)

51. David Bowie “Let’s Dance” (1983)
52. Creed “With Arms Wide Open” (1999)
53. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” (1982)
54. Lifehouse “Hanging by a Moment” (2000)
55. Green Day “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” (1997)
56. Soundgarden “Black Hole Sun” (1994)
57. U2 “Vertigo” (2004)
58. Steve Miller Band “Abracadabra” (1982)
59. Don Henley “The Boys of Summer” (1984)
60. Robert Palmer “Addicted to Love” (1985)

61. Foreigner “Waiting for a Girl Like You” (1981)
62. The Scorpions “Wind of Change” (1990)
63. The Police “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” (1981)
64. Nickelback “Photograph” (2005)
65. Queen with David Bowie “Under Pressure” (1981)
66. U2 “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (1983)
67. Huey Lewis & the News “The Power of Love” (1985)
68. Nirvana “Come As You Are” (1991)
69. Midnight Oil “Beds Are Burning” (1987)
70. Smashing Pumpkins “1979” (1995)

71. The Wallflowers “One Headlight” (1996)
72. Hinder “Lips of an Angel” (2006)
73. Rush “Tom Sawyer” (1981)
74. REO Speedwagon “Keep on Loving You” (1980)
75. Nirvana “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993)
76. Tom Petty “Free Fallin’” (1989)
77. Nirvana “All Apologies” (1993)
78. Steve Winwood “Higher Love” (1986)
79. Linkin Park “In the End” (2000)
80. Toto “Rosanna” (1982)

81. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Dani California” (2006)
82. Staind “It’s Been Awhile” (2001)
83. R.E.M. “The One I Love” (1987)
84. Oasis “Champagne Supernova” (1995)
85. Peter Gabriel “In Your Eyes’ (1986)
86. Collective Soul “Shine” (1993)
87. Live “Lightning Crashes” (1994)
88. Green Day “American Idiot” (2004)
89. Silverchair “Tomorrow” (1994)
90. Steve Winwood “Roll with It” (1988)

91. Green Day “Basket Case” (1994)
92. Mike + the Mechanics “The Living Years” (1988)
93. The Clash “Rock the Casbah” (1982)
94. Modern English “I Melt with You” (1982)
95. Yes “Owner of a Lonely Heart” (1983)
96. Whitesnake “Here I Go Again” (1987)
97. Pearl Jam “Daughter” (1993)
98. U2 “New Year’s Day” (1983)
99. Stone Temple Pilots “Interstate Love Song” (1994)
100. Bon Jovi “You Give Love a Bad Name” (1986)

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Saturday, January 16, 2021

Rock Tracks: Top 200 Songs, 1981-2021

First posted 1/16/2021.

Rock Tracks:

Top 200 Songs, 1981-2021

Billboard launched its Album Rock Tracks chart (now called “Mainstream Rock”) on March 21, 1981. On September 10, 1988, the magazine followed with its Modern Rock Tracks chart (now known as “Alternative Rock”). Numerous songs have overlapped between the charts over the years. Because of that, this list consolidates the two charts, ranking the top 200 songs between the two charts. This list includes all songs which hit #1 on one or both charts for a combined six weeks. Ties are broken by songs’ overall Dave’s Music Database status. Weeks at #1 on each chart are noted with an M for mainstream rock and A for alternative rock.

Note: click here to see other genre-specific song lists.

36 weeks:

1. Staind “It’s Been Awhile” (2001) M: 20, A: 16

30 weeks:

2. Green Day “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” (2004) M: 14, A: 16

26 weeks:

3. Nickelback “How You Remind Me” (2001) M: 13, A: 13
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Dani California” (2006) M: 12, A: 14
5. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Scar Tissue” (1999) M: 10, A: 16

24 weeks:

6. Foo Fighters “The Pretender” (2007) M: 6, A: 18

23 weeks:

7. Linkin Park “What I’ve Done” (2007) M: 8, A: 15

22 weeks:

8. Seether “Fake It” (2007) M: 14, A: 8

21 weeks:

9. U2 “Mysterious Ways” (1991) M: 12, A: 9
10. Red Hot Chili Peppers “By the Way” (2002) M: 7, A: 14
11. Staind “So Far Away” (2003) M: 14, A: 7
12. Foo Fighters “Something from Nothing” (2014) M: 13, A: 8
13. 3 Doors Down “Loser” (2000) M: 21

20 weeks:

14. 3 Doors Down “Kryptonite” (2000) M: 9, A: 11
15. Portugal, the Man “Feel It Still” (2017) A: 20
16. Creed “Higher” (1999) M: 17, A: 3
17. Linkin Park “New Divide” (2009) M: 8, A: 12

19 weeks:

18. Live “Lightning Crashes” (1994) M: 10, A: 9
19. Puddle of Mudd “Blurry” (2001) M: 10, A: 9
20. Muse “Madness” (2012) A; 19

18 weeks:

21. Foo Fighters “Rope” (2011) M: 5, A: 13

17 weeks:

22. 3 Doors Down “When I’m Gone” (2002) M: 17
23. Muse “Uprising” (2009) A: 17
24. Three Days Grace “Pain” (2006) M: 13, A: 4
25. All Time Low with Blackbear (2020) M: 17

16 weeks:

26. Panic! At the Disco “High Hopes” (2018) A: 16
27. Days of the New “Touch, Peel, and Stand” (1997) M: 16

15 weeks:

28. Stone Temple Pilots “Interstate Love Song” (1994) M: 15
29. Linkin Park “Numb” (2003) M: 3, A: 12
30. Collective Soul “Heavy” (1999) M: 15

14 weeks:

31. Marcy Playground “Sex and Candy” (1997) A: 14
32. Audioslave “Like a Stone” (2002) M: 12, A: 2
33. Twenty One Pilots “Level of Concern” (2020) A: 14
34. Disturbed “Inside the Fire” (2008) M: 14

13 weeks:

35. Imagine Dragons “Radioactive” (2012) M: 13
36. The Rolling Stones “Start Me Up” (1981) A: 13
37. Imagine Dragons “Believer” (2017) A: 13
38. Shinedown “Second Chance” (2008) M: 10, A: 3
39. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Other Side” (1999) A: 13
40. Velvet Revolver “Slither” (2004) M: 9, A: 4

41. Breaking Benjamin “Breath” (2006) M: 7, A: 6
42. Three Days Grace “Chalk Outline” A: 13

12 weeks:

43. Gotye with Kimbra “Somebody That I Used to Know” (2011) A: 12
44. Twenty One Pilots “Stressed Out” (2015) A: 12
45. Fuel “Hemorrhage (In My Hands)” (2000) A: 12
46. Trapt “Headstrong” (2002) M: 7, A: 5
47. Foo Fighters “Walk” (2011) M: 4, A: 8
48. Shinedown “Save Me” (2005) M: 12
49. Shinedown “Bully” (2012) M: 12
50. Chevelle “Face to the Floor” (2011) M: 12

11 weeks:

51. R.E.M. “Losing My Religion” (1991) M: 3, A: 8
52. Twenty One Pilots “Heathens” (2016) A: 11
53. The Black Keys “Lonely Boy” (2011) A: 11
54. X Ambassadors “Renegades” (2015) A: 11
55. Foo Fighters “Best of You” (2005) M: 4, A: 7
56. Weezer “Pork and Beans” (2008) A: 11
57. The Black Keys “Fever” (2014) A: 11
58. Audioslave “Be Yourself” (2005) M: 7, A: 4
59. Velvet Revolver “Fall to Pieces” (2004) M: 11
60. The Black Crowes “Remedy” (1992) M: 11

61. The Offspring “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” (2008) A: 11
62. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” (1999) A: 11
63. The Dirty Heads with Rome “Lay Me Down” (2010) A: 11
64. Metallica “Turn the Page” (1998) M: 11
65. Jet “Cold Hard Bitch” (2004) M: 8, A: 3
66. Nickelback “Figured You Out” (2003) M: 11
67. Puddle of Mudd “Psycho” (2007) M: 9, A: 2
68. Three Days Grace “Break” (2009) M: 11
69. Three Days Grace “Misery Loves My Company” (2012) M: 11

10 weeks:

70. Oasis “Wonderwall” (1995) A: 10
71. The Wallflowers “One Headlight” (1996) M: 5, A: 5
72. U2 “Desire” (1988) M: 5, A: 5
73. Milky Chance “Stolen Dance” (2013) A: 10
74. Arctic Monkeys “Do I Wanna Know?” (2013) A: 10
75. The Black Keys “Tighten Up” (2010) A: 10
76. Everlast “What It’s Like” (1998) M: 1, A: 9
77. Foo Fighters “All My Life” (2002) M: 10
78. R.E.M. “Orange Crush” (1988) M: 2, A: 8
79. Avenged Sevenfold “Hail to the King” (2013) M: 10
80. Cage the Elephant “Come a Little Closer” (2013) M: 10
81. Seether “Country Song” (2011) M: 10
82. Days of the New “The Down Town” (1997) M: 10

9 weeks:

83. The Police “Every Breath You Take” (1983) M: 9
84. Pearl Jam “Daughter” (1993) M: 8, A: 1
85. Collective Soul “December” (1995) M: 9
86. Goo Goo Dolls “Name” (1995) M: 5, A: 4
87. Sting “All This Time” (1990) M: 7, A: 2
88. Imagine Dragons “Natural” (2018) A: 9
89. Creed “My Sacrifice” (2001) M: 9
90. Green Day “Know My Enemy” (2009) M: 3, A: 6

91. Aerosmith “Livin’ on the Edge” (1993) M: 9
92. The Neighbourhood “Sweater Weather” (2012) A: 9
93. Lovelytheband “Broken” (2017) A: 9
94. Three Days Grace “Animal I Have Become” (2006) M: 7, A: 2
95. Metallica “The Day That Never Comes” (2008) M: 9
96. Alice in Chains “Check My Brain” (2009) M: 8, A: 1
97. The Lemonheads “Into Your Arms” (1993) A: 9
98. Breaking Benjamin “Failure” (2015) M: 9
99. Volbeat “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown” (2016) M: 9

8 weeks:

100. Van Halen “Jump” (1983) M: 8
101. Kings of Leon “Sex on Fire” (2008) A: 8
102. Sugar Ray “Fly” (1997) A: 8
103. Third Eye Blind “Semi-Charmed Life” (1997) A: 8
104. Collective Soul “Shine” (1993) M: 8
105. Blink-182 “All the Small Things” (1999) A: 8
106. Incubus “Drive” (1999) A: 8
107. Pearl Jam “Better Man” (1994) M: 8
108. Nirvana “You Know You’re Right” (1994) M: 4, A: 4
109. Red Hot Chili Peppers “My Friends” (1995) M: 4, A: 4
110. Metallica “Until It Sleeps” (1996) M: 8

111. Green Day “Bang Bang” (2016) M: 7, A: 1
112. Disturbed “Another Way to Die” (2010) M: 8
113. Stone Sour “Say You’ll Haunt Me” (2010) M: 8
114. Alice in Chains “Your Decision” (2009) M: 8
115. Highly Suspect “My Name Is Human” (2016) M: 8
116. Disturbed “Are You Ready” (2018) M: 8

7 weeks:

117. Lorde “Royals” (2013) A: 7
118. Chumbawamba “Tubthumping” (1997) A: 7
119. Gorillaz with De La Soul “Feel Good Inc.” (2005) A: 7
120. Soundgarden “Black Hole Sun” (1994) M: 7

121. Twenty One Pilots “Ride” (2015) A: 7
122. Nickelback “Photograph” (2005) M: 7
123. Green Day “When I Come Around” (1994) A: 7
124. Fastball “The Way” (1998) A: 7
125. Disturbed “The Sounds of Silence” (2015) M: 7
126. Three Days Grace “Never Too Late” (2006) M: 7
127. Stone Sour “Through Glass” (2006) M: 7
128. Linkin Park “Breaking the Habit” (2003) M: 3, A: 4
129. Bush “Swallowed” (1996) A: 7
130. Beck “Up All Night” (2017) A: 7

131. Papa Roach “Last Resort” (2000) A: 7
132. Nine Inch Nails “Only” (2005) A: 7
133. Morrissey “The More You Ignore Me, the Closer You Get” (1994) A: 7
134. Foo Fighters “Long Road to Ruin” (2007) A: 7
135. Peter Murphy “Cuts You Up” (1990) A: 7
136. The Cure “Fascination Street” (1989) A: 7
137. Metallica “I Disappear” (2000) M: 7
138. Metallica “No Leaf Clover” (1999) M: 7
139. Twenty One Pilots “The Hype” (2018) A: 7
140. Shinedown “Cut the Cord” (2015) M: 7

141. Soundgarden “Been Away Too Long” (2012) M: 7
142. Cold War Kids “First” (2014) A: 7
143. Avenged Sevenfold “Shepherd of Fire” (2013) M: 7
144. Alter Bridge “Isolation” (2010) M: 7
145. Staind “Not Again” (2011) M: 7
146. Ghost “Rats” (2018) M: 7

6 weeks:

147. Bruce Springsteen “Dancing in the Dark” (1984) M: 6
148. Green Day “American Idiot” (2004) A: 6
149. Silverchair “Tomorrow” (1994) M: 3, A: 3
150. Sugar Ray “Every Morning” (1998) A: 6

151. The Cranberries “Zombie” (1994) A: 6
152. Def Leppard “Photograph” (1983) M: 6
153. Primitive Radio Gods “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand” (1996) A: 6
154. U2 “Angel of Harlem” (1988) M: 6
155. Green Day “Holiday” (2004) M: 3, A: 3
156. Aerosmith “Cryin’” (1993) M: 6
157. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers “The Waiting” (1981) M: 6
158. Asia “Heat of the Moment” (1982) M: 6
159. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers “Learning to Fly” (1991) M: 6
160. Linkin Park “Somewhere I Belong” (2003) M: 1, A: 5

161. Toad the Wet Sprocket “Fall Down” (1994) A: 6
162. New Order “Regret” (1993) A: 6
163. Robert Plant “Hurting Kind” (1990) M: 6
164. Eric Clapton “Pretending” (1989) M: 6
165. Pearl Jam “Given to Fly” (1997) M: 6
166. Cage the Elephant “Ready to Let Go” (2019) A: 6
167. Linkin Park “Faint” (2003) A: 6
168. Incubus “Megalomaniac” (2003) A: 6
169. Robert Plant “Heaven Knows’ (1988) M: 6
170. Billy Squier “Everybody Wants You” (1982) M: 6

171. Pink Floyd “Keep Talking” (1994) M: 6
172. Bad Company “How About That” (1992) M: 6
173. Kenny Wayne Shepherd “Blue on Black” (1998) M: 6
174. Papa Roach “Lifeline” (2009) M: 6
175. ZZ Top “My Head’s in Mississippi” (1990) M: 6
176. Green Day “Still Breathing” (2016) M: 1, A: 5
177. Foo Fighters “DOA” (2005) A: 6
178. Yes “Lift Me Up” (1991) M: 6
179. Steve Miller Band “I Want to Make the World Turn Around” (1986) M: 6
180. Puddle of Mudd “Drift and Die” (2002) M: 6

181. Cage the Elephant “Shake Me Down” (2010) A: 6
182. Bush “The Sound of Winter” (2011) A: 6
183. Theory of a Deadman “RX (Medicate)” (2017) M: 6
184. Brother Cane “And Fools Shine On” (1995) M: 6
185. Nickelback “Animals” (2005) M: 6
186. Creed “What’s This Life For” (1997) M: 6
187. Soundgarden “Live to Rise” (2012) M: 6
188. Three Days Grace “Just Like You” M: 3, A: 3
189. Godsmack “Speak” (2006) M: 6
190. The Black Crowes “Hotel Illness” (1992) M: 6

191. Jesus Jones “The Devil You Know” (1993) A: 6
192. Van Halen “Me Wise Magic” (1996) M: 6
193. David Coverdale & Jimmy Page “Pride and Joy” (1993) M: 6
194. Morrissey “Tomorrow” (1992) A: 6
195. Royal Blood “I Only Lie When I Love You” (2017) M: 6
196. Shinedown “State of My Head” (2015) M: 6
197. Three Days Grace “I Am Machine” (2014) M: 6
198. Papa Roach “Help” (2017) M: 6
199. Van Halen “Without You” (1998) M: 6
200. Ozzy Osbourne “Under the Graveyard” (2019) M: 6

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Saturday, October 31, 1981

Bob Marley’s posthumous Chances Are charted

Chances Are

Bob Marley

Charted: October 31, 1981

Recorded: 1968-1972

Peak: 117 US

Sales (in millions): --

Genre: reggae

Tracks:

Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts.

  1. Reggae on Broadway (5/72, 66 RB)
  2. Gonna Get You
  3. Chances Are (11/81, --)
  4. Soul Rebel (12/70, --)
  5. Dance Do the Reggae
  6. Mellow Mood
  7. Stay with Me
  8. Hurting Inside

Total Running Time: 32:03

Rating:

2.883 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings)

About the Album:

“Record-industry grave robbers could scarcely wait until nightfall to cash in on the late Bob Marley’s scattered legacy. In this case, the culprits are the people at Cayman Music and Cissi Music…and the controllers of an obscure portion of Marley’s material, recorded between 1968 and 1972. During this period, Marley and various members of the then-regrouping Wailers made several trips to Europe in an attempt to broaden their base, find a post-rock steady direction and land a decent record deal outside Jamaica.” RS

“Chances Are documents a number of demo sessions in which Marley and his musicians exhibited their new reggae sound…A chunk of Marley's publishing rights was quickly corralled in the process. By the time the Wailers signed with Island in 1972, their leader knew plenty about exploitation in Babylon.” RS

“This brittle, callous repackaging of outtakes and arcane singles comes complete with a truckload of perfunctory ‘special thanks’ to anyone connected with Marley (the names of close friends and even his own mother are misspelled). Furthermore, these tracks aren't ‘previously unreleased,’ as the liner notes insist. Reggae on Broadway was issued in England in the early Seventies on CBS International, while slightly different versions of Soul Rebel and Mellow Mood have been kicking around for years in the sleazy repackagings that Jamaican producer Lee Perry sold to England's Trojan label. And so forth. Granted, albums like this will always hold a certain value to archivists, biographers and music historians interested in tracing the evolution of Jamaican rock. But, in the future, one would hope for a scrupulously selected series of bargain-priced LPs, with scholarly notes and a percentage of the proceeds going to the Bob Marley Foundation.” RS

“There are two intriguing songs here: ‘Reggae on Broadway,’ a skanking bit of histrionic soul-funk that shows Marley's great fascination with black American rockers (he was captivated by Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone), and Gonna Get You, a bouncy, playful reggae love pledge of the sort that would reemerge, fully realized, on 1978's i>Kaya. The latter number also boasts the best – albeit still miserable – mix. The rest of the tunes sound like they were recorded at the bottom of Kingston harbor.” RS

Resources and Related Links:

First posted 3/26/2008; updated 5/6/2021.

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Saturday, August 1, 1981

On This Day in Music: The Launch of MTV

August 1, 1981

The Launch of MTV

MTV, or Music Television, launched on cable television on August 1, 1981 just after midnight. The first broadcast was only available to parts of New Jersey, but the network would revolutionize how people consumed music. Music videos became an essential part of how an act would promote its songs in the 1980s.

The initial format consisted of crude promotional videos and concert footage. Because of the need for around-the-clock content, the early years made for an opportunity for multiple artists to make names for themselves. Photogenic new wave bands from England such as Duran Duran were among the earliest to benefit.

The network was initially reluctant to veer from its album-rock-oriented format, but Michael Jackson broke into the largely white-dominated programming and became a superstar with his pop and R&B fare. Madonna also gained worldwide appeal thanks to her savvy command of the visual medium with her dance-pop.

In its first 24 hours on the air, MTV aired 116 unique videos. You can see a full list of those videos here. These were the first ten videos:

  1. The Buggles “Video Killed the Radio Star”
  2. Pat Benatar “You Better Run”
  3. Rod Stewart “She Won’t Dance with Me”
  4. The Who “You Better You Bet”
  5. Ph.D. “Little Suzi’s on the Up”
  6. Cliff Richard “We Don’t Talk Anymore”
  7. The Pretenders “Brass in Pocket”
  8. Todd Rundgren “Time Heals”
  9. REO Speedwagon “Take It on the Run”
  10. Styx “Rockin’ the Paradise”

Spotify Podcast:

Check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast episode The Birth of MTV which celebrated the 40th anniversary of the cable network by showcasing some of the videos that were instrumental in establishing the format. It debuted August 3, 2021.

For more important days in music history, check out the Dave’s Music Database history page.

Resources and Related Links:

First posted 8/1/2012; updated 8/24/2023.

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Saturday, April 4, 1981

Styx hit #1 with Paradise Theater

Paradise Theater

Styx

Released: January 19, 1981

Peak: 13 US, 8 UK, 12 CN, 112 Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, -- UK, 4.0 world (includes US and UK)

Genre: classic arena rock

Tracks:

Click on a song titled for more details.
  1. A.D. 1928 [1:07]
  2. Rockin’ the Paradise [3:35]
  3. Too Much Time on My Hands [4:31]
  4. Nothing Ever Goes as Planned [4:46]
  5. The Best of Times [4:17]
  6. Lonely People [5:22]
  7. She Cares [4:18]
  8. Snowblind [4:48]
  9. Half-Penny, Two-Penny [4:34]
  10. A.D. 1958 [2:31]
  11. State Street Sadie [:27]

Total Running Time: 41:02

The Players:

  • Dennis DeYoung (vocals, keyboards)
  • Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitar)
  • James “JY” Young (vocals, guitar)
  • Chuck Panozzo (bass)
  • John Panozzo (drums/percussion)

Rating:

4.071 out of 5.00 (average of 28 ratings)

Quotable:

”Styx’s greatest commercial triumph…and…one of the best examples of the convergence between progressive rock and AOR” – Ed Rivadavia, AllMusic.com

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Album

“There are certain genres that it's tres stylish to bash unceasingly…One…is the late-seventies/early-eighties genre of arena rock, where musical alchemy mixed progressive rock with monster arena concerts. Journey, REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick, Kansas -- lotta bands paid the rent with this stuff, and yes, some of it's drivel. But you know what? Some of it’s pretty tasty. Paradise Theater falls in the latter category.” DE

“After successfully establishing themselves as one of America's best commercial progressive rock bands of the late '70s with albums like The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight,” AM Styx turned out the “uneven Cornerstone album,” AM which, despite its “mediocrity…propel[ed] the band to their highest point, so far, of commercial success, so there were a lot of eyes looking at the follow-up.” OU

With Cornerstone, ”Styx had taken a dubious step towards pop overkill with singer Dennis DeYoung’s ultra-schmaltzy ballad ‘Babe.’…The number one single would sew the seeds of disaster for the group by pitching DeYoung’s increasingly mainstream ambitions against” AM “the more hard-hitting approach of” CD “Tommy Shaw and James ‘JY’ Young.” AM

However, “Paradise Theater seemed to represent the best of both worlds” AM “as the rift…hadn’t yet wreaked havoc.” CD Paradise Theater “seemed to satisfy both of the band's camps with its return to complex hard rock” AM favored by “purists Shaw and JY,” AM “while sparing no amount of [the] pomp and grandeur” AM favored by DeYoung. The album also “contains some of the best songs Styx would ever write.” DE

The album’s “loose concept about the roaring ‘20s heyday” AM “focused on something concrete” PH – “the condemnation and destruction of the Paradise Theater, a famous showplace in the band’s hometown of Chicago” AZ “is used as an allegory for America’s decline in the late seventies.” DE

“Paradise Theater would become Styx's greatest commercial triumph; and [is] one of the best examples of the convergence between progressive rock and AOR which typified the sound of the era's top groups (Journey, Kansas, etc.)…Paradise Theater was truly the best of times.” AM “Styx was never this good before; Styx would never be this good again…Paradise Theater was Styx's high-water mark, and one of the greatest albums in rock history.” DE

The Songs

Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs.

A.D. 1928

Styx

Writer(s): Dennis DeYoung

Released: Paradise Theater (1981)

Peak: 17 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 2.21 streaming

About the Song:

Starting out with the same melody as ‘The Best of Times,’” PH opening cut A.D. 1928 is “subdued yet oddly humorous.” PH “The lyrics of this track begin with ‘Tonight’s the night we’ll make history / As sure as dogs can fly.’ In other words, it’s not likely.” PH The song “which features a lonely DeYoung on piano and vocals introducing the album’s recurring musical theme.” PH

Rockin’ the Paradise

Styx

Writer(s): Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James Young

Released: November 1981 as a single, Paradise Theater (1981)

Charted: 3/21/1981 as an album cut

Peak: 20 CL, 8 AR, 3 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 5.60 streaming

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Song:

This launches into Rockin’ the Paradise, “which blasts this disc into full force.” OU It is “one of the group’s most effective rockers and most substantial group efforts.” CD as it offers “the listener…what Styx has always been known for – driving rock and roll.” PH It is also “one of the few songs written by all three of the band’s composers.” CD

Too Much Time on My Hands

Styx

Writer(s): Tommy Shaw (see lyrics here)

Released: 3/21/1981 as a single, Paradise Theater (1981)

Peak: 9 BB, 8 CB, 6 GR, 7 HR, 4 CL, 2 AR, 4 CN, 68 AU, 1 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 16.90 video, 57.13 streaming

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Song:

From 1974 to 1990, Styx landed in the top-10 eight times. Seven of those were written and sung by Dennis DeYoung. However, this was a band with multiple songwriters and singers. Guitarist Tommy Shaw leaned toward more rock-edged fare, reaching the top-40 with “Fooling Yourself,” “Blue Collar Man,” and “Renegade.” He “brings his pop sensibilities to the fore on the ridiculously catchy (and hugely successful) Too Much Time on My Hands, whose synth bass hook became part of the pop pantheon” CD and “figures among Shaw’s finest singles ever” AM and his sole top-10 hit with Styx.

The song was “a straight-ahead chug-a-lugger with a heightened chorus and crisp keyboards.” AMG It was the second single from Paradise Theater, the band’s only #1 album. Overall, the album “followed the theme of a concert hall rising to prominence and then crumbling, based on a real venue: the Paradise Theatre in Chicago.” SF This song, however, does not fit the theme.

Shaw was inspired by Mark’s Tavern in Niles, Michigan, where he was living at the time. As he said, “It was the local watering hole. The drinks were good, and the drinks were cheap. You could go in there with 20 bucks and be a hero, you know - buying rounds of drinks. And you'd always run into somebody you knew in there. That was the basis of the song.” SF

The video combined scenes from a bar with the band engaged in “goofy antics” SF mixed with footage of the band performing the song. The video got a lot of airplay when MTV went on the air in August 1981 as it was one of the few videos by an American band. SF In 2016, Jimmy Fallon did a shot-by-shot renactment of the video with guest Paul Rudd and others.

Nothing Ever Goes As Planned

Styx

Writer(s): Dennis DeYoung

Released: 7/11/1981 as a single, Paradise Theater (1981)

Peak: 54 BB, 54 CB, 62 HR, 31 CL, 33 CN, 8 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.87 streaming

About the Song:

DeYoung, stuck close to the overall storyline” AM with numbers like ‘The Best of Times’ and Nothing Ever Goes as Planned The latter, along with Lonely People, feature “great horn part[s] provided by the Hangalator Horn Section.” DE

The Best of Times

Styx

Writer(s): Dennis DeYoung (see lyrics here)

Released: 1/24/1981 as a single, Paradise Theater (1981)

Peak: 3 BB, 5 CB, 13 GR, 6 HR, 13 RR, 26 AC, 1 CL, 16 AR, 42 UK, 11 CN, 23 AU, 1 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 1.40 video, 34.98 streaming

Awards:

(Click on award to learn more).

About the Song:

“The Best of Times” is a fitting description of Styx’s success in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. They were one of, if not the most, popular bands in America. In 1979, they reached their greatest peaks yet with the #2 album Cornerstone and its #1 single, “Babe.” Following that would be no easy task, but Styx responded with Paradise Theatre, their only number #1 album and their fourth in a row to go top ten and achieve multi-platinum status.

“DeYoung proves his mettle as a balladeer once again” CD on lead single The Best of Times. It gave Styx their fourth top-ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It also gave them their second chart-topper in Canada. Overall, Styx had eight top-ten hits in their career, seven of which were written by Dennis DeYoung, keyboardist and one of the band’s founders.

The song served as the centerpiece for Paradise Theatre, a concept album which used a fictional account of the opening and closing of Chicago’s Paradise Theatre as a metaphor for changing times in America. Dennis DeYoung envisioned the idea and embraces it most with “The Best of Times,” whose basic melody and theme is also used in the album’s opening and closing numbers, “A.D. 1928” and “A.D. 1958.”

The song “is more about the theatre than a relationship, as one would think on first listen.” PH However, some would say that “it suffers from trying to be two things and not really succeeding at either.” PH It “relies on cliches like ‘I feel so helpless like a boat against the tide’ until the sappy meter goes off the chart with ‘I know if the world turned upside down / You’d always be around.’” PH Still, “with its deliberate, marching rhythm, …somehow it just works.” AM

DeYoung said he paraphrased Charles Dickens’ famous line “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” He said his intent in the song was “when the world goes mad, how do you cope? And in this instance, it’s the love between two people, that they make their own paradise with their companionship, their love for each other, and their own home.” SU

Lonely People

Styx

Writer(s): Dennis DeYoung

Released: Paradise Theater (1981)

Peak: 9 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.90 streaming

About the Song:

“Nothing Ever Goes As Planned” and “Lonely People” feature “great horn part[s] provided by the Hangalator Horn Section.” DE

She Cares

Styx

Writer(s): Tommy Shaw

Released: Paradise Theater (1981)

Peak: 10 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.86 streaming

About the Song:

Shaw tried “to resist thematic restrictions” AM on songs like ‘Hands’ and She Cares, but the results “are still delightful.” DE

Snowblind

Styx

Writer(s): Dennis DeYoung, James Young

Released: November 1981 as the B-side of “Rockin’ the Paradise,” Paradise Theater (1981)

First Charted: 3/21/1981 as an album cut

Peak: 17 CL, 22 AR, 4 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 3.82 streaming

About the Song:

“JY, the band’s third songwriter (and resident peacekeeper) is only slightly more cooperative with the Paradise Theater concept. His edgier compositions include the desolate tale of drug addiction” AM on “the Young/Shaw-sung Snowblind [which] finds the boys getting downright bluesy” CD JY’s efforts “snarl and tear at your emotions,” DE finding the band “dipping into a Led Zeppelin-ish haze…powered by a guitar solo that sets up the ripping conclusion.” PH

Half-Penny, Two-Penny

Styx

Writer(s): James Young/Brandle

Released: Paradise Theater (1981)

Peak: 12 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 1.34 streaming

About the Song:

JY also contributes “the rollicking opus Half-Penny, Two-Penny,” AM his “best since ‘Miss America’” OU from 1977’s The Grand Illusion. The song “infuses a graphic depiction of inner city decadence with a final, small glimmer of hope and redemption.” AM

A.D. 1958

Styx

Writer(s): Dennis DeYoung

Released: Paradise Theater (1981)

Peak: 22 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 0.75 streaming

About the Song:

“Half-Penny, Two-Penny” “leads straight into the album’s beautiful saxophone-led epilogue, A.D. 1958,” AM which “leaves the Paradise Theatre condemned.” PH The song “once again reveals MC DeYoung alone at his piano,” AM reprising the tune that opens the album and is the core of “The Best of Times.”

State Street Sadie

Styx

Writer(s): Dennis DeYoung

Released: Paradise Theater (1981)

Peak: 26 DF Click for codes to charts.

Sales (in millions): --

Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, -- streaming

Resources/References:

Related DMDB Pages:

First posted 3/24/2008; last updated 8/11/2025.

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Friday, March 20, 1981

Styx charted with “Too Much Time on My Hands”

Too Much Time on My Hands

Styx

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