Book: Songs That Made a Mark

Songs That Made a Mark: 100 of Mark Whitaker’s Favorites

For Christmas 2022, I told my brother I’d make a book – just for him – of 100 of his favorite songs. We worked together to come up with the list offered here. Songs are not ranked; they are listed alphabetically by the recording acts. While the book is not available for purchase, all the songs are listed here with links to dedicated Dave’s Music Database pages, each with information about the song’s chart, sales, and airplay statistics as well as links to awards won by the songs, videos, and lyrics. Click here to see other lists from critics and individuals and here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations. Spotify Playlist: You can listen to all these songs via the Spotify playlist Songs That Made a Mark. 1. Ace “How Long” (1974) 2. Adele “Skyfall” (2012) 3. Aerosmith “Janie’s Got a Gun” (1989) 4. Alabama “Mountain Music” (1982) 5. Animal Logic “I’m Sorry Baby (I Want You in My Life)” (1989) 6. Asia “Heat of the Moment” (1982) 7. Asia “Only Time Will Tell” (1982) 8. Asia “Don’t Cry” (1983) 9. The Beatles “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (1968) 10. Pat Benatar “Shadows of the Night” (1982) 11. Clint Black “Killin’ Time” (1989) 12. David Bowie “Changes” (1971) 13. Boyz II Men “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” (1991) 14. Garth Brooks “> Unanswered Prayers” (1990) 15. Kate Bush “This Woman’s Work” (1988) 16. Johnny Cash “Hurt” (2002) 17. Harry Chapin “Cat’s in the Cradle” (1974) 18. Chic “Le Freak” (1978) 19. Chicago “If You Leave Me Now” (1976) 20. Eric Clapton “Wonderful Tonight” (1977) 21. Eric Clapton “Tears in Heaven” (1992) 22. Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight” (1981) 23. Commodores “Three Times a Lady” (1978) 24. Robert Cray “Smoking Gun” (1986) 25. Bing Crosby with David Bowie “Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy” (1977) 26. Crowded House “Don’t Dream It’s Over” (1986) 27. Crowded House “Better Be Home Soon” (1988) 28. Charlie Daniels Band “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” (1979) 29. Def Leppard “Photograph” (1983) 30. Depeche Mode “Somebody” (1984) 31. Dennis DeYoung “Desert Moon” (1984) 32. Eagles “Take It Easy” (1972) 33. Eagles “Desperado” (1973) 34. Foreigner “Waiting for a Girl Like You” (1981) 35. Peter Gabriel “Biko” (1980) 36. Genesis “Mama” (1983) 37. Hootie & the Blowfish “Only Wanna Be with You” (1995) 38. Billy Joel “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” (1977) 39. Billy Joel “The Stranger” (1977) 40. Billy Joel with Ray Charles “Baby Grand” (1986) 41. Elton John “Candle in the Wind” (1973) / “Candle in the Wind 1997 (Goodbye England’s Rose)” (1997) 42. Journey “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” (1983) 43. Journey “Faithfully” (1983) 44. Journey “Ask the Lonely” (1983) 45. Kansas “Carry on Wayward Son” (1976) 46. Kansas “Dust in the Wind” (1977) 47. Jonny Lang “Lie to Me” (1997) 48. Led Zeppelin “The Battle of Evermore” (1971) 49. John Lennon “Imagine” (1971) 50. Huey Lewis & the News “Naturally” (1986) 51. Linkin Park “In the End” (2000) 52. Little River Band “Lonesome Loser” (1979) 53. Nick Lowe “Cruel to Be Kind” (1979) 54. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band “Blinded by the Light” (1976) 55. Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder “Ebony and Ivory” (1982) 56. John Cougar Mellencamp “Rain on the Scarecrow” (1985) 57. Metallica “One” (1989) 58. Metallica “Nothing Else Matters” (1992) 59. Mike + the Mechanics “Silent Running” (1985) 60. Mike + the Mechanics “The Living Years” (1988) 61. Mr. Mister “Broken Wings” (1985) 62. Night Ranger “Four in the Morning” (1985) 63. OutKast “Hey Ya!” (2003) 64. The Alan Parsons Project “Old and Wise” (1982) 65. The Alan Parsons Project “Let’s Talk About Me” (1985) 66. Dolly Parton “Jolene” (1973) 67. Pearl Jam “Jeremy” (1991) 68. Steve Perry “Oh Sherrie” (1984) 69. The Police “Roxanne” (1978) 70. The Police “Message in a Bottle” (1979) 71. Elvis Presley “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (1961) 72. Prince & the Revolution “Purple Rain” (1984) 73. Queen “We Will Rock You” / “We Are the Champions” (1977) 74. Queensrÿche “Empire” (1990) 75. Queensrÿche “Silent Lucidity” (1991) 76. The Rainmakers “Downstream” (1986) 77. Bonnie Raitt “Nick of Time” (1989) 78. R.E.M. “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” (1987) 79. REO Speedwagon “Can’t Fight This Feeling” (1984) 80. Lionel Richie “Hello” (1984) 81. Lionel Richie “Say You Say Me” (1985) 82. Kenny Rogers “Coward of the County” (1979) 83. Rush “Free Will” (1980) 84. Kenny Wayne Shepherd “Blue on Black” (1998) 85. Rick Springfield “Affair of the Heart” (1983) 86. Bruce Springsteen “Dancing in the Dark” (1984) 87. Squeeze “Tempted” (1981) 88. Styx “Come Sail Away” (1977) 89. Styx “Renegade” (1978) 90. Tears for Fears “Mad World” (1982) / Michael Andrews & Gary Jules “Mad World” (2002) 91. Toto “Africa” (1982) 92. Toto “Stranger in Town” (1984) 93. Tina Turner “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” (1985) 94. Bonnie Tyler “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (1983) 95. U2 “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (1983) 96. U2 “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (1987) 97. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble “The Sky Is Crying” (1985) 98. Madisen Ward & the Mama Bear “Silent Movies” (2015) 99. Stevie Wonder “Superstition” (1972) 100. Stevie Wonder “Isn’t She Lovely” (1977) Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: lists from critics and individuals Dave’s Music Database: lists from publications and/or organizations First posted 12/26/2022; last updated 1/19/2023.

Alan Parsons: Top 100 Songs

Alan Parsons (right) & Eric Woolfson (left) Top 100 Songs

Alan Parsons was born December 20, 1948, in London, England. Early in his career, he worked as an engineer on classic albums such as the Beatles’ Abbey Road and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. He also worked with Ambrosia, the Hollies, Pilot, and Al Stewart. He has received 13 Grammy nominations. In 1976, he launched the Alan Parsons Project with Eric Woolfson (born 3/18/1945 in Scotland). While the group had an ever-changing lineup, Parsons and Woolfson remained constants until 1987. The pair then worked together on Woolfson’s Freudiana project before going their separate ways. Woolfson then focused on musical theater, bringing some of the Alan Parsons Project’s work to the stage. Parsons recorded as a solo artist. Woolfson died on December 2, 2009. This list also includes the short-lived group Keats which featured neither Parsons nor Woolfson, but was comprised of members who’d worked with the Alan Parsons Project. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists.

Awards (Alan Parsons/Alan Parsons Project):

Top 100 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. DMDB Top 5%: 1. Eye in the Sky (1982) DMDB Top 10%: 2. Old and Wise (1982) 3. Don’t Answer Me (1984) 4. Games People Play (1980) 5. Time (1980) 6. Damned if I Do (1979) 7. I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You (1977) DMDB Top 20%: 8. Let’s Talk About Me (1985) 9. The System of Dr. Tarr & Professor Fether (1976) 10. Prime Time (1984) 11. Stereotomy (1986) 12. Standing on Higher Ground (1987) 13. Don’t Let It Show (1977) 14. You Don’t Believe (1983) 15. Days Are Numbers (The Traveller) (1985) 16. What Goes Up… (1978) 17. The Turn of a Friendly Card Part II (1980) 18. Breakdown (1977) 19. Psychobabble (1982) 20. Snake Eyes (1980) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 21. The Raven (1976) 22. Pyramania (1978) 23. The Never Ending Show (2021) 24. I Robot (1977) 25. Some Other Time (1977) 26. Oh Life (There Must Be More) (1993) 27. Limelight (1986) 28. You’re Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned (1982) 29. Turn It Up (1993) 30. As Lights Fall (2019) 31. La Sagrada Familia (1987) 32. In the Real World (1986) 33. Ammonia Avenue (1984) 34. Can’t Take It with You (1978) 35. Silence and I (1982) 36. I’m Talkin’ to You (1993) 37. Nothing Left to Lose (1980) 38. Freudiana (Eric Wooflson, 1990) 39. Vulture Culture (1985) 40. Siren Song (1993) 41. Light of the World (1986) 42. Sirius (1982) 43. There But for the Grace of God (Eric Wooflson, 1990) 44. May Be a Price to Pay (1980) 45. So Far Away (Alan Parsons with Christoper Cross, 1996) 46. Little Hans (Eric Woofson, 1990) 47. The Same Old Sun (1985) 48. I Don’t Wanna Go Home (1980) 49. Lucifer (1979) 50. Out of the Blue (1999) 51. Heaven Knows (Keats, 1984) 52. You’re on Your Own (Eric Woolfson with Kiki Dee, 1990) 53. The Call of the Wild (1999) 54. Back Against the Wall (1993) 55. Miracle (Alan Parsons with Jason Mraz, 2019) 56. Sooner or Later (1985) 57. Since the Last Goodbye (1984) 58. Day After Day (The Show Must Go On) (1977) 59. Let Me Go Home (1984) 60. Call Up (1999) 61. Dancing on a High Wire (1984) 62. The Three of Me (1993) 63. Brother Up in Heaven (1996) 64. Blue Blue Sky (1996) 65. Money Talks (1987) 66. Uroboros (with Tommy Shaw, 2022) 67. To One in Paradise (1976) 68. Wine from the Water (1993) 69. Hyper Gamma Spaces (1978) 70. You Won’t Be There (1979) 71. You Lie Down with Dogs (1979) 72. I Am a Mirror (Eric Woofson with Leo Sayer, 1990) 73. More Lost Without You (2004) 74. Too Close to the Sun (1996) 75. Beaujolais (1986) 76. Funny You Should Say That (1990) 77. No One Can Love You Better Than Me (Eric Woolfson with Kiki Dee et al, 1990) 78. Separate Lives (1985) 79. Mammagamma (1982) 80. Tragedy (Keats, 1984) 81. Sometimes (Alan Parsons with Lou Gramm, 2019) 82. The Cask of Amontillado (1976) 83. You’re the Voice (1995) 84. Pipeline (1984) 85. The Time Machine (1999) 86. Press Rewind (1999) 87. Children of the Moon (1982) 88. All Our Yesterdays (2010) 89. Fragile (2013) 90. Do You Live at All? (2015) 91. One Good Reason (1984) 92. Somebody Out There (1985) 93. The Tell-Tale Heart (1976) 94. Inside Looking Out (1987) 95. I Can’t Get There from Here (Alan Parsons with Jared Mahone, 2019) 96. Where’s the Walrus? (1986) 97. I’d Rather Be a Man (1979) 98. Closer to Heaven (1987) 99. Fall Free (1996) 100. Too Late (1987) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Alan Parsons DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Eric Woolfson Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 12/20/2019; updated 7/19/2022.

Farewell, Eric Woolfson

It was the last week of March in 1984 that I became an Alan Parsons Project fan. “Don’t Answer Me” was climbing the charts, eventually becoming a top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. I knew of the Project before that – “Damned if I Do” and “Games People Play” were album rock staples and “Eye in the Sky” had been a huge pop hit (the biggest of the Project’s career) a couple years before. However, I hadn’t plunked down change for an APP album – until that week when I took the leap and grabbed up not just Ammonia Avenue, which featured “Don’t Answer Me,” but also The Best Of collection which had been released just a few months earlier.

A year later I would joyously plump for 1985’s Vulture Culture and a year after that for Stereotomy. As I was prone to do when discovering music in the ‘80s, I started dipping into the back catalog. Beyond the hits, I stumbled across gems like “Old and Wise” and “Turn of a Friendly Card.” Most amusingly though was, in May 1986 when I was anticipating a new album by Styx frontman Dennis DeYoung. I fell in love with this song on the radio that I thought was surely by him. I was wrong – it turned out to be “Breakdown,” from the nearly-decade old APP album I, Robot.

I learned the requisite back story necessary to claim a band as a new favorite. It turns out the Project’s namesake did engineering work on classic albums such as The Beatles’ Abbey Road and Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. However, Alan Parsons wasn’t alone in the creation of those prog-lite concept albums forged from 1976 to 1987 that sold over 40 million albums worldwide. The group owed as much to Eric Woolfson – a songwriter, keyboardist, singer, and manager who lent his chops to some of the group’s best-known songs such as the aforementioned “Eye in the Sky” and “Don’t Answer Me.”

Following 1987’s Gaudi, the Project disappeared for three years, returning in 1990 with Freudiana. The thing confusingly was not credited to anyone, suggesting that it was a new group called Freudiana. However, this Eric Woolfson-helmed project was clearly the Project with Parsons producing and credits including longtime APP players Ian Bairnson on guitar, Stuart Elliott on drums, and orchestral arrangements from Andrew Powell. John Miles and Chris Rainbow, who’d warbled on past-Project tunes, also put in appearances.

There was something different, though. Peppered with far more guests and stretched to twice the length of the average APP album, this felt more like a musical cast album. Sure enough, there in the liner notes was the statement that “the first stage production of Freudiana has its world premiere in December 1990 in Vienna.” Hmm. This was definitely a new direction for the band.

It proved to be a new direction, but for Woolfson, not Parsons. While Woolfson was eager to explore musical theater, it was the jumping off point for Parsons. The Project was no more. Woolfson went on to craft the musicals Gaudi (1995), Gambler (1996), and Poe (recorded 2003, premiered 2009). He also wrote the music and lyrics for 2007’s Dancing Shadows, which won for Best Musical at the Korean Tony Awards.

This year, I was overjoyed to stumble across The Alan Parsons Project That Never Was, an album from Woolfson that combined some unreleased material from the Project days alongside songs crafted for his musicals. Sadly, it would be Woolfson’s finale. As I scanned the various comments on Facebook this morning about who was headed off to work and who needed coffee and who wasn’t enjoying the weather, I stopped sharply upon a fan notice: Eric Woolfson had died of cancer at the age of 64 on December 2, 2009 – a date that will now, sadly, overshadow that wonderful week in March 1984 when I became a fan. Farewell, Eric. You will be missed.


“Somewhere in the midst of time/ When they ask you if you knew me
Remember that you were a friend of mine
As the final curtain lifts before my eyes/ When I’m old and wise.”

- “Old and Wise” – Alan Parsons Project

Click here to hear an early version of the song that featured Eric Woolfson’s guide vocal.


Also check out my page on the detailed history of the Alan Parsons Project as well as the solo work of Parsons and Woolfson at DavesMusicDatabase.com.

Dave’s Faves: #1 Songs in the 1980s

First posted 4/4/2020; updated 4/28/2020.

Dave’s Faves: #1’s: 1980-1989

September 18, 1982. I can peg my fascination with music charts to that date. After listening to a local radio station’s countdown of the hits of the summer, I decided to make my own list of favorites (see original list here). I ended up revising it every few days, eventually developing my own charts which I maintained into the ‘90s. I’ve also projected before and after those lists to create speculative lists of #1 songs for eras not covered by those original charts. You can check out those links here, but this page is focused on the #1 songs that might have been for me in the 1980s. 1980: Jan. 19: Pink Floyd “Comfortably Numb” (2 wks) Feb. 2: Pink Floyd “Mother” (1 wk) Feb. 9: Rush “Free Will” (2 wks) Feb. 23: Air Supply “Lost in Love” (3 wks) Mar. 15: Eagles “I Can’t Tell You Why” (2 wks) Mar. 29: Blondie “Call Me” (3 wks) Apr. 19: Charlie Dore “Pilot of the Airwaves” (2 wks) May 3: Lipps Inc. “Funkytown” (2 wks) May 17: Mac Davis “It’s Hard to Be Humble” (2 wks) May 31: Billy Joel “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” (3 wks) June 21: Olivia Newton-John “Magic” (4 wks) July 19: Split Enz “I Hope I Never” (2 wks) Aug. 2: Peter Gabriel “Family Snapshot” (2 wks) Aug. 16: Queen “Another One Bites the Dust” (3 wks) Sept. 6: Peter Gabriel “Biko” (4 wks) Oct. 4: Kenny Rogers “Lady” (2 wks) Oct. 25: The Police “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” (2 wks) Nov. 8: Kool & the Gang “Celebration” (1 wk) Nov. 15: Air Supply “American Hearts” (2 wks) Nov. 29: REO Speedwagon “Keep on Loving You” (2 wks) Dec. 13: The Alan Parsons Project “Games People Play” (2 wks) Dec. 27: Eagles “Seven Bridges Road (live)” (3 wks) 1981: Jan. 17: Styx “The Best of Times” (6 wks) Feb. 28: Climax Blues Band “I Love You” (3 wks) Mar. 21: Styx “Too Much Time on My Hands” (2 wks) Apr. 4: Rush “Tom Sawyer” (3 wks) Apr. 25: Kim Carnes “Bette Davis Eyes” (2 wks) May 9: Stars on 45 “Medley I” (1 wk) May 16: Neil Diamond “America” (4 wks) June 13: Bruce Springsteen “The River” (2 wks) June 27: Squeeze “Tempted” (4 wks) July 25: Lionel Richie & Diana Ross “Endless Love” (2 wks) Aug. 8: Journey “Who’s Crying Now” (2 wks) Aug. 22: Foreigner “Juke Box Hero” (2 wks) Sept. 5: Soft Cell “Tainted Love” (3 wks) Sept. 26: Journey “Don’t Stop Believin’” (2 wks) Oct. 10: Sting “Message in a Bottle (live)” (2 wks) Oct. 24: Olivia Newton-John “Physical” (4 wks) Nov. 21: Foreigner “Waiting for a Girl Like You” (4 wks) Dec. 19: Triumph “Magic Power” (1 wk) Dec. 26: The J. Geils Band “Centerfold” (2 wks) 1982: Jan. 2: Queen with David Bowie “Under Pressure” (2 wks) Jan. 23: Joan Jett & the Blackhearts “I Love Rock and Roll” (2 wks) Feb. 6: Journey “Open Arms” (6 wks) Mar. 20: Alabama “Mountain Music” (4 wks) Apr. 17: Elton John “Empty Garden” (2 wks) May 1: Squeeze “Black Coffee in Bed” (2 ws) May 15: Sting “Roxanne (live)” (2 wks) May 29: Queen “Body Language” (3 wks) June 19: Steve Miller Band “Abracadabra” (2 wks) July 10: John Mellencamp “Jack and Diane” (4 wks) Aug. 7: The Alan Parsons Project “Eye in the Sky” (3 wks) Aug. 28: Van Halen “Happy Trails” (2 wks) Sept. 11: Olivia Newton-John “Heart Attack” (5 wks) Oct. 16: Don Henley “Dirty Laundry” (2 wks) Oct. 30: Toto “Africa” (6 wks) Dec. 11: Charlene with Stevie Wonder “Used to Be” (3 wks) 1983: Jan. 1: The Police “I Burn for You” (2 wks) Jan. 15: The Alan Parsons Project “Old and Wise” (4 wks) Feb. 12: Styx “Mr. Roboto” (8 wks) Apr. 9: Marillion “Script for a Jester’s Tear” (2 wks) Apr. 23: Pat Benatar “Anxiety (Get Nervous)” (3 wks) May 14: U2 “Sunday Bloody Sunday” (3 wks) June 4: The Police “Every Breath You Take” (8 wks) July 30: The Police “King of Pain” (7 wks) Sept. 17: Pat Benatar “Love Is a Battlefield” (4 wks) Oct. 15: Berlin “Masquerade” (1 wk) Oct. 22: Olivia Newton-John “Twist of Fate” (5 wks) Nov. 26: Yes “Owner of a Lonely Heart” (2 wks) Dec. 10: Journey “Ask the Lonely” (3 wks) Dec. 31: Paul McCartney “Pipes of Peace” (2 wks) 1984: Jan. 14: The Police “Wrapped Around Your Finger” (2 wks) Jan. 28: Nena “99 Red Balloons” (3 wks) Feb. 18: Genesis “Illegal Alien” (1 wk) Feb. 25: Yes “Leave It” (2 wks) Mar. 10: Night Ranger “Sister Christian” (1 wk) Mar. 17: Marillion “Fugazi” (1 wk) Mar. 24: Marillion “She Chameleon” (2 wks) Apr. 7: Styx “Music Time” (5 wks) May 12: Prince “When Doves Cry” (3 wks) June 2: Bruce Springsteen “Dancing in the Dark” (4 wks) June 30: Ray Parker, Jr. “Ghostbusters” (4 wks) July 28: Bruce Springsteen “Born in the U.S.A.” (4 wks) Aug. 25: Prince “Let’s Go Crazy” (2 wks) Sept. 8: Dennis DeYoung “Desert Moon” (6 wks) Oct. 20: Pat Benatar “We Belong” (1 wk) Oct. 27: Toto “Stranger in Town” (4 wks) Nov. 24: Don Henley “The Boys of Summer” (2 wks) Dec. 8: Tears for Fears “Shout” (2 wks) Dec. 22: Foreigner “I Want to Know What Love Is” (4 wks) 1985: Jan. 19: Don Henley “Sunset Grill” (2 wks) Feb. 2: Foreigner “That Was Yesterday” (1 wk) Feb. 9: The Alan Parsons Project “Let’s Talk About Me” (3 wks) Mar. 2: Sting “Moon Over Bourbon Street” (2 wks) Mar. 16: Simple Minds “Don’t You Forget About Me” (2 wks) Mar. 30: The Dream Academy “Life in a Northern Town” (2 wks) Apr. 13: Marillion “Kayleigh” (3 wks) May 4: Bruce Springsteen “Trapped” (2 wks) May 18: Hooters “All You Zombies” (2 wks) June 1: Bruce Springsteen “Glory Days” (2 wks) June 15: Dire Straits “Money for Nothing” (2 wks) June 29: Marillion “Childhood’s End?” (1 wk) July 6: Tears for Fears “Head Over Heels” (5 wks) Aug. 10: John Parr “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” (2 wks) Aug. 24: U2 “Bad (live)” (3 wks) Sept. 14: Squeeze “I Won’t Ever Go Drinking Again (?)” (2 wks) Sept. 28: Prince “Purple Rain” (4 wks) Oct. 26: Olivia Newton-John “Soul Kiss” (2 wks) Nov. 9: Squeeze “Heartbreaking World” (4 wks) Dec. 7: Bruce Springsteen “My Hometown” (2 wks) Dec. 21: Sting “Russians” (3 wks) 1986: Jan. 11: Tears for Fears “When in Love with a Blind Man” (2 wks) Jan. 25: The Alan Parsons Project “Stereotomy” (4 wks) Feb. 22: Tony Banks with Fish “Shortcut to Somewhere” (4 wks) Mar. 22: Dennis DeYoung “Call Me” (5 wks) Apr. 26: The Moody Blues “Your Wildest Dreams” (4 wks) May 24: Roger Waters “Folded Flags” (2 wks) June 7: Double “The Captain of Her Heart” (2 wks) June 21: Furniture “Brilliant Mind” (4 wks) July 19: Berlin “Take My Breath Away” (2 wks) Aug. 2: Tom Cochrane with Red Rider “The Boy Inside the Man” (2 wks) Aug. 16: Billy Joel with Ray Charles “Baby Grand” (2 wks) Aug. 30: David + David “Welcome to the Boomtown” (6 wks) Oct. 11: The Police “Don’t Stand So Close to Me ‘86” (6 wks) Nov. 22: Bruce Springsteen “War (live)” (3 wks) Dec. 13: Huey Lewis & the News “Naturally” (2 wks) Dec. 27: The Bangles “Following” (4 wks) 1987: Jan. 24: The Alan Parsons Project “Standing on Higher Ground” (4 wks) Feb. 21: Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush “Don’t Give Up” (4 wks) Mar. 14: U2 “With or Without You” (3 wks) Apr. 4: XTC “Dear God” (6 wks) May 16: Marillion “Incommunicado” (2 wks) May 30: Marillion: “Going Under” (2 wks) June 13: Indigo Girls “Hey Jesus” (1 wk) June 20: Suzanne Vega “Luka” (4 wks) July 18: Terence Trent D’Arby “Wonderful World” (1 wk) July 25: Marillion “Sugar Mice” (2 wks) Aug. 8: Marillion “Tux On” (2 wks) Aug. 22: Marillion “Warm Wet Circles” (3 wks) Sept. 12: Pink Floyd “Learning to Fly” (2 wks) Sept. 26: R.E.M. “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” (2 wks) Oct. 10: Pink Floyd “One Slip” (2 wks) Oct. 24: Sting “Englishman in New York” (2 wks) Nov. 7: Sting “They Dance Alone” (4 wks) Dec. 5: Bruce Springsteen “Spare Parts” (2 wks) Dec. 19: The Rainmakers “The Wages of Sin” (3 wks) 1988: Jan. 9: Eurythmics “Brand New Day” (3 wks) Jan. 30: Lyle Lovett “She’s No Lady” (3 wks) Feb. 20: Lyle Lovett “Pontiac” (3 wks) Mar. 12: Kate Bush “This Woman’s Work” (4 wks) Apr. 9: Sting “Someone to Watch Over Me” (3 wks) Apr. 30: Everything But the Girl “Apron Strings” (2 wks) May 14: Tracy Chapman “Fast Car” (4 wks) June 11: Melissa Etheridge “Bring Me Some Water” (2 wks) June 25: Melissa Etheridge “Occasionally” (2 wks) July 9: Crowded House “Better Be Home Soon” (6 wks) Aug. 20: Rod Stewart “Forever Young” (3 wks) Sept. 10: Everything But the Girl “Oxford Street” (2 wks) Sept. 24: Everything But the Girl “The Night I Heard Caruso Sing” (1 wk) Oct. 1: Olivia Newton-John “It’s Not Heaven” (2 wks) Oct. 15: Shona Laing “Glad I’m Not a Kennedy” (3 wks) Nov. 5: U2 “God Part II” (4 wks) Dec. 3: Sting with Bruce Springsteen “Every Breath You Take (live)” (2 wk) Dec. 17: Bruce Springsteen with Sting “The River (live)” (1 wk) Dec. 24: The Bangles “Something to Believe In” (2 wks) 1989: Jan. 7: Guns N’ Roses “Patience” (3 wks) Jan. 28: Mike + the Mechanics “The Living Years” (2 wks) Feb. 11: Night Ranger “Reason to Be’ (2 wks) Feb. 25: Metallica “One” (5 wks) Apr. 1: Shona Laing “South” (2 wks) Apr. 15: Lyle Lovett “Nobody Knows Me” (2 wks) Apr. 29: Elvis Costello “Veronica’ (3 wks) May 20: Simple Minds “Biko” (3 wks) June 10: Simple Minds “Mandela Day” (2 wks) June 24: U2 “All I Want Is You” (2 wks) July 8: The Call “Let the Day Begin” (2 wks) July 22: Indigo Girls “Closer to Fine” (6 wks) Sept. 2: Tears for Fears “Sowing the Seeds of Love” (3 wks) Sept. 23: Melissa Etheridge “You Can Sleep While I Drive” (2 wks) Oct. 7: Squeeze “Slaughtered, Gutted, and Heartbroken” (2 wks) Oct. 21: Tracy Chapman “All That You Have Is Your Soul” (2 wks) Nov. 4: Madonna “Oh Father” (6 wks) Dec. 16: Tears for Fears “Woman in Chains” (3 wks)

Alan Parsons Project charted with “Old and Wise”

Old and Wise Alan Parsons Project

This post has been moved here.

Alan Parsons Project Eye in the Sky charted in the U.S.

Eye in the Sky Alan Parsons Project

Charted: June 19, 1982 Peak: 7 US, 28 UK, 3 CN, 4 AU Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.06 UK, 2.38 world (includes US and UK) Genre: progressive rock lite

Tracks: Click on a song title for more details. Sirius [1:48] Eye in the Sky [4:33] Children of the Moon [4:49] Gemini [2:09] Silence and I [7:17] You’re Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned [4:19] Psychobabble [4:50] Mammagamma [3:34] Step by Step [3:52] Old and Wise [4:52] Total Running Time: 42:03 The Players: Alan Parsons (production, engineering, assorted instruments) Eric Woolfson (vocals, keyboards, piano) Ian Bairson (guitar) David Paton (bass) Stuart Elliott (drums, percussion) Colin Blunstone, Chris Rainbow, Elmer Gantry, Lenny Zakatek (vocals) Mel Collins (saxophone) The Philharmonia Orchestra, arranged and conducted by Andrew Powell

Rating: 4.078 out of 5.00 (average of 20 ratings) Quotable: “On no other album by this group is there such a tight amalgamation of music, lyrics, and ideas, all combining to create songs that are accessible to a vast audience” – Mike DeGagne, AllMusic.com Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: ”The fusion of Parsons’ thematic intentions and exquisitely textured music comes to fruition on 1982's Eye in the Sky,” AM an album which ”returned in some ways to [Parsons’] more progressive, art-rock past,” AZ but also serves as “the transition between the seventies’ Project art rock sound and the more clinical, Fairlight-laden eighties sound.” DV “Parsons’ approach was a synthesis of studio wizardry with a symphonic, spacey interplay between keyboards, synthesizers and basic rock instrumentation.” AZ ”With a powdery feel and pristine sound, Eye in the Sky is worthy of both amiable songs and conceptual substance, something not found on all of the Alan Parsons Project’s albums.” AM “On no other album by this group is there such a tight amalgamation of music, lyrics, and ideas, all combining to create songs that are accessible to a vast audience.” AM ”The album deals with the futuristic outlook of how our lives will be constantly monitored by ‘Big Brother’ and the manner in which man's right for freedom and choice may someday be thwarted by the government, or the powers that be. Aside from Parsons' intriguing concept, the individual songs serve a dual purpose by carrying out the album's message while at the same being perfect examples of well-crafted rock.” AM ”What you have here is a seriously tasty piece of symphonic pop/rock, music for grownups.” DV ”Eye in the Sky is, quite simply, the Project’s finest hour.” DV Reissue The 2007 reissue added alternate versions of “Sirius,” “Old and Wise,” and “Silence and I.” There was also an additional song (“Any Other Day”), the instrumental medley “The Naked Eye” and “Eye Pieces.” The Songs Here’s a breakdown of each of the individual songs.

Sirius Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: NA (instrumental) Released: Eye in the Sky (1982) Peak: 3 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 13.0 video, 116.15 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: ”The up-and-down flow of the instrumental Sirius is astonishing and is used wisely as the opening track.” AM It gained distinction as the soundtrack for the Chicago Bulls in their Michael Jordan championship era. “P.Diddy (Puff Daddy) also chose [it] as the backbone for the title track of his most platinum-selling CD, The Saga Continues. In 2000, ‘Sirius’ was featured in an IMAX documentary movie about Michael Jordan.” AP

Eye in the Sky Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson (see lyrics here) Vocals: Eric Woolfson Released: single (7/3/1982), Eye in the Sky (1982) Peak: 3 BB, 3 CB, 3 GR, 3 AC, 11 AR, 11 CN, 22 AU, 1 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 0.50 US, -- UK, 0.55 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 143.90 video, 357.01 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: The Alan Parsons Project built a loyal platinum base with their first five semi-conceptual albums. Their progressive-rock-lite sound was embraced by album rock stations with future radio staples such as “Damned if I Do” and “Games People Play,” songs which also found audiences at top-40 radio. However, it wasn’t until their sixth album, Eye in the Sky and its title cut, that the group found its biggest audience. The album was the group’s second top-10 album after 1977’s I, Robot. Meanwhile the title cut reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the Alan Parsons Project their only top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The term “eye in the sky” might suggest the “Big Brother is always watching you” idea from George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984 but there are no lyrical references to the book in the song and the official website doesn’t mention any connection. Parsons has said, however, that the album did play with the idea that “there’s always a camera watching you, there’s always a helicopter in the sky overseeing you, and you can read a line of small newspaper print from space.” SF It can also be viewed as a reference to the ceiling cameras in casinos. SF “Eye in the Sky” ”is a prime example of a fabulous rock song, highlighted by the harmonic beauty of Eric Woolfson.” AM When the song gained a foothold at radio, it was often paired on album-rock-oriented formats with “Sirius,” the instrumental lead-in on the album.

Children of the Moon Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: David Paton Released: Eye in the Sky (1982) Peak: 29 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 8.74 streaming About the Song: Children of the Moon and Gemini “have Parsons’s love of the esoteric.” AZ

Gemini Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: Chris Rainbow Released: Eye in the Sky (1982) Peak: 39 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 4.78 streaming About the Song: Children of the Moon and Gemini “have Parsons’s love of the esoteric.” AZ The latter “is an astonishing piece of vocal harmony.” DV

Silence and I Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: Eric Woolfson Released: Eye in the Sky (1982) Peak: 3 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 8.81 streaming About the Song: Next up is Silence and I, “a rich, multi-layered vocal and orchestral piece.” DV

You’re Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: Lenny Zakatek Released: Eye in the Sky (1982) Charted: 6/26/1982 Peak: 22 AR, 12 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 3.48 streaming About the Song: You’re Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned “ is a surprisingly straight-ahead rock number.” DV

Psychobabble Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: Elmer Gantry Released: single, Eye in the Sky (1982) First Charted: 7/10/1982 Peak: 57 BB, 38 GR, 54 AR, 3 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 5.89 streaming About the Song: ”Psychobabble is a cerebral rock song that best represents the album’s concept” AM and, “though never a hit…remains a favorite of fans.” AZ

Mammagamma Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: NA (instrumental) Released: Eye in the Sky (1982) Peak: -- Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 24.29 streaming About the Song: ”Mammagamma is another instrumental that brandishes the group’s trademarked mysteriousness, wrapped in an ominous science fiction-type glow.” AM It “allowed Parsons to fully indulge his fondness for orchestration with its instrumental structure.” AZ

Step by Step Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson Vocals: Lenny Zakatek Released: Eye in the Sky (1982) Peak: 37 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 3.74 streaming

Old and Wise Alan Parsons Project

Writer(s): Alan Parsons, Eric Wooflson (see lyrics here) Vocals: Colin Blunstone Released: single (1/15/1983), Eye in the Sky (1982) Peak: 21 AC, 74 UK, 1 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 9.80 video, 50.22 streaming

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Song: The title cut from Eye in the Sky gave the Alan Parsons Project their greatest hit. The album also featured “Old and Wise.” It was released as a single, but didn’t fare nearly as well. It did reach the lower rungs of the UK chart and was a minor hit on Billboard’s adult contemporary chart. On a personal note, however, it is my favorite Alan Parsons Project song and one of my top 100 songs of all time. Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson co-wrote the song “about a man approaching death, addressing those he knew with fond remembrance.” SF The song begs to be played at funerals with its simultaneously heart-wrenching and uplifting statement “To those I leave behind / I want you all to know/ You’ve always shared my darkest hours / I’ll miss you when I go.” They recorded a version with Woolfson singing lead – as he often did on songs by the Project – without the orchestration or saxophone solo which was featured on the final album version. His vocal is featured on the 2007 album reissue of Eye in the Sky, but the 1982 released featured Colin Blunstone. Parsons knew him from his days in the Zombies when Parsons was an engineer on the group’s 1968 Odessey and Oracle album. SF Blunstone had worked with the Project before, having sung “The Eagle Will Rise Again” on the group’s 1978 Pyramid album. Woolfson and Blunstone were both at Abbey Road studios and Woolfson told him, “I’d like to play you this song.” SF Eric sat down at a piano in the same studio where the Zombies had recorded “Time of the Season” and played “Old and Wise.” Blunstone thought it was wonderful and Woolfson asked if he’d take a stab at the vocals. SF Blunstone would record other songs with the Project, but this was the only single released by them which featured Blunstone on vocals. WK

Resources/References: AM AllMusic.com review by Mike DeGagne AZ Amazon.com review by Steve Gdula DV DailyVault.com review by Duke Egbert AP AlanParsonsMusic.com SF Songfacts page for “Eye in the Sky” SF Songfacts page for “Old and Wise” WK Wikipedia page for Eye in the Sky album WK Wikipedia page for “Eye in the Sky” song WK Wikipedia page for “Old and Wise” Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/24/2008; last updated 9/25/2025.