American Top 40 CASEY KASEM August 4 1979 4 LPs Donna Summer KISS Cheap Trick

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Some wear to box - a small tear (less than 1") at the right side, and writing in the same area (see photos). Records are in VG+ condition; they play great with only trace surface noise. Facsimile of original cue sheets is included. Program #793-5, for the week ending August 4, 1979.
Program details adapted from the great blog 1976-1985: My Favorite Decade.
As was the custom back then, Casey starts the show by playing the top three songs from the preceding week: "Good Times" by Chic, "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward, and "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer. Then it's on with the countdown, with Casey stating there are five debut records this week:

#40: "Born to Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez. The first of the five debut records, this fun, hard driving dance tune had already topped the Disco charts back on July 14. An international hit, this topped the charts in no fewer than 14 countries. It would spend a total of 11 weeks on AT40, eventually peaking at #16 on September 29.

#39: "Hot Summer Nights" by Night. This is a cover of a 1978 Walter Egan single (he got to #55 on the Hot 100 with it). Debuting this week, it would get as high as #18 in its 8 weeks in the Top 40.

Before taking a commercial break, Casey teases an upcoming tune with the following: "In the history of the rock era, Japanese singing star Kyo Sakamoto has been the only Oriental recording artist ever to hit the American charts. But no more. Coming up is the second: Japan's number one recording act."

Over the intro to the next song, Casey recognizes the following AT40 stations:

• WDXY - Sumter, South Carolina
• WEEO - Waynesboro, Pennsylvania
• WFTQ - Worcester, Massachusetts

#38: "Highway Song" by Blackfoot. Debuting on AT40 this week,this single would spend 6 weeks on AT40, peaking at #26.

#37: "Kiss in the Dark" by Pink Lady. The hottest Japanese act at the time. This song, the duo's only Top 40 hit, peaked here at #37 in 3 weeks in the Top 40.

"Coming up, a Long Distance Dedication from Betsy in Anchorage, Alaska to her little sister, the only person who stood by her in her fight with drugs."

#36: "Heaven Must Have Sent You" by Bonnie Pointer. A cover of a Holland-Dozier-Holland soul song that was a 1966 hit for The Elgins. Spending a remarkable 15 weeks on the chart, this single would make it to #11 in mid-October.

Long Distance Dedication: "Lean on Me" by Bill Withers (#1, 1972).
Dear Casey, a year and a half ago I got a divorce and came back to live in Alaska with my family. I found life here to be different - there were hardly any people between the ages of 21 and 28 in the small town where I lived. So, I became friends with some 18 year olds. The drug scene is still in full swing here. I had never even seen drugs before, but I quickly became involved. They really messed me up. I became depressed and I didn't care what I did. I started seeing a doctor for my depression and my family treated me as if I was crazy. The only person to stand by me and give me support was my little sister. She got me involved in some hobbies and helped me realize that this is my life; that I should live it for myself in my own way and not for my friends. Since then, I've moved to Anchorage and I'm attending beauty college. I truly believe if my little sister hadn't stood by me and let me know I was loved, I would still be messing up my life. She was always there for me to lean on. So I would like to dedicate "Lean On Me" to my sister, Beverly, to let her know I will always be here if she needs someone as she was for me. #35: "Let's Go" by The Cars. On this date, it was ascending the charts and would eventual make it as high as #14 in 9 weeks on AT40.

#34: "Morning Dance" by Spyro Gyra. Casey gives a brief overview of the band name origin over the intro (group leader Jay Beckenstein like the word Spirogira, a genus of green algae, when he heard it in biology class). This song would top the Adult Contemporary chart and would peak at #24 on the pop chart on August 25.

Casey then gives the Universal City, California address where listeners can write to request their free copy of the AT40 Worldwide Listening Directory, a listing of stations that carry AT40.

AT40 Archives: "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin. At the time, Casey was counting down the #1 songs of the 1970's, so we're treated to three former #1's during this countdown; this is the first. From December 1974, this was the 121st number one single of the decade.

--end of hour one--
#33: "Lonesome Loser" by Little River Band. The fourth of the five debut singles. This would go on top peak at #6 in 14 weeks in the Top 40.

#32: "Goodbye Stranger" by Supertramp. The highest debuting song of the week (it would eventually peak at #15).

"We're counting down to a foreign group who are the most profitable business enterprise in their entire country. They make a bigger net profit than Volvo, Saab, or Ingmar Bergman. Details and their current hit are coming up."

#31: "Shadows in the Moonlight" by Anne Murray. In addition to topping the AC chart, this song was also #1 on the country chart. Over here on AT40, however, it had already peaked at #24 the week prior to this show and was on a rather speedy descent, dropping all the way from #31 here to #94 the next week.
Casey introduces the next song by stating that ABBA's net income makes them the most profitable business enterprise in Sweden, clearing $12 million.

#30:  "Does Your Mother Know" by ABBA. This song would spend 10 weeks in the top 40, peaking at #19.

#29:  "I'll Never Love This Way Again" by Dionne Warwick.  The 25th (of an eventual 31) Top 40 record for Warwick. Produced by Barry Manilow and written by his songwriting team of Richard Kerr and Will Jennings. This single was on its very slow ascent on this chart; it would peak at #5 on October 20th, more than two months later.

#28:  "She Believes in Me" by Kenny Rogers. This tune had all sorts of crossover appeal: #1 Country, #1 Adult Contemporary, and would peak at #5 on the pop chart.

Before a commercial break, Casey teases a story about Arthur Fiedler by playing a snippet of his only pop chart appearance, an arrangement of "I Want to Hold Your Hand," which peaked at #55 in 1964. "Special tribute" coming up.

#27:  "Suspicions" by Eddie Rabbitt. Like the earlier Kenny Rogers tune, this did well on multiple charts: #1 country, #9 Adult Contemporary, and #13 pop.

Casey offers up a very brief tribute to Arthur Fiedler, who had passed away on July 10, 1979.
#26:  "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by Charlie Daniels Band. Three country tunes in a row, such was Top 40 music in 1979. #1 country, #30 Adult Contemporary, and would peak on the Hot 100 in the #3 spot on September 15.

Listener question: "A listener in Idaho wants to know if any number one song has ever fallen right off the chart from the number one position. Well, that did happen - once - to a singing cowboy who owns the pennant-chasing California Angels baseball team. Details coming up."

#25:  "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" by Joe Jackson. "One of eight British acts in the countdown." This song only spent 8 weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #21.

Answer to listener question: "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Gene Autry in December, 1949.

#24:  "One Way or Another" by Blondie. This single would peak here at #24.

Casey returns from the break by telling us that American Top 40 is heard in the 50 states and around the world every week on great radio stations like:

• WENK - Union City, Tennessee
• WFJA - Sanford, North Carolina
• DYXI - Iloilo, Philippines

#23:  "People of the Southwind" by Kansas. It spent 8 weeks on AT40, peaking here at #23.

AT40 Archives: "Angie Baby" by Helen Reddy.  Casey's counting down the #1 songs of the 1970's, this is the second of three in this show. This tune was #1 for one week, December 28, 1974.

--end of hour two--

#22: "After the Love Has Gone" by Earth, Wind & Fire. This smooth tune written by David Foster, Jay Graydon, and Bill Champlin won two Grammy awards: Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group & Best R&B Song. This single spent 13 weeks on the chart, spending two weeks in the #2 spot behind "My Sharona."
Casey mentions that seven different countries are represented in this week's countdown: England, Sweden, Canada, Australia, Japan, France, and the U.S. He goes on to say that's the most since July, 1978.

#21: "I Can't Stand It No More" by Peter Frampton. His final Top 40 single, it had peaked at #14 in late July.

"There's a drummer in our survey who says he never wanted to be anything but a musician, but his father didn't approve. So in order to play his first professional gigs, he had to sneak out of his bedroom window four nights a week for two years. That story, and his band's latest single, are coming up."
#20:  "Getting Closer" by Wings. The follow-up single to "Goodnight Tonight." On AT40 since late June, it was peaking here at #20.

Casey tells the story of the drummer for Atlanta Rhythm Section, Robert Nix, who had to sneak out of the house at night to play gigs when he was 15 years old.

#19: "Do It or Die" by Atlanta Rhythm Section. #11 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Over on the pop charts, it peaked here in the #19 spot.

"Coming up: a Long Distance Dedication from a Louisiana girl to a Florida boy who taught her that the best cure for being hurt in love is to fall in love again." Awwwww.....

#18: "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions. A big crossover hit, this peaked on the Top 40 at #6, hit #2 on the R&B chart, and #14 on the disco chart.
Long Distance Dedication: "You Made Me Believe in Magic" by Bay City Rollers (#10, 1977).
Dear Casey, a few months ago I was going steady with a guy. I really thought I was in love. Then, I found out he was just using me to get a date with my best friend. I was really hurt. I vowed never to go out with another guy again. This went on for about three months, then I met Aaron. He kept asking me out and I kept turning him down. Finally, he asked me why. I told him the whole story. I found I could really talk to him and he understood me. We went out often and I found I was falling in love again. I was scared, but he helped me through. Then, one day, Aaron told me he had to move. We write each other often, and in my letters I try to tell him how much I love him and thank him for getting me out of my depression. But it's hard to write it in words, so I'd like to dedicate the song "You Made Me Believe in Magic" to Aaron to tell him how I feel. #17: "Lead Me On" by Maxine Nightingale. #1 on the AC chart for 7 weeks, this slow burner would peak at #5 on September 15. Both this song and its predecessor on the chart, "Boogie Wonderland," share a songwriter: Hall-of-Famer Allee Willis.

#16:  "Sad Eyes" by Robert John. This song entered the Top 40 on June 30 and would finally reach the #1 spot on October 6, spending a remarkable 19 weeks on AT40.

"Coming up is the latest hit by a singing-songwriting duo who would have been killed on that tragic Thursday of May 24, 1979, if it weren't for their love of doing interviews."

#15:  "Shine a Little Love" by Electric Light Orchestra. ELO had 17 singles crack the Top 40 between the years of 1976-85, this was their ninth of those 17 to do so, peaking at #8.

Casey tells the story of McFadden & Whitehead accepting an unscheduled interview and postponing a flight. They were originally ticketed for American Airlines Flight 191, which crashed at O'Hare airport moments after takeoff. Casey mistakenly states the date as May 24, when the accident occured on May 25. An odd, morbid contribution to the episode, no?

#14:  "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by McFadden & Whitehead. Classic Philadelphia International sound. The duo's only Top 40 hit, this one would peak at #13, but topped the R&B chart and reached #10 on the disco chart.

"Next up, the first heavy metal song to make the Top 40 of the disco chart."

#13: "I Was Made For Lovin' You" by Kiss. The song did indeed make the disco chart, peaking at #37 there. It would make it as high as #11 on the pop chart.

AT40 Archives: "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by Elton John.  Casey's counting down the #1 songs of the 1970's; this tune is the last of three in this show. This cover tune was #1 for the first two weeks of 1975.

--end of hour three--
Casey welcomes one new station to the American Top 40 family this week: WKKZ - Dublin, Georgia

#12:  "Mama Can't Buy You Love" by Elton John. This would top the Adult Contemporary chart and peak at #9 on AT40.

Casey lists the five members of Raydio in the intro to...

#11:  "You Can't Change That" by Raydio. Two weeks after this episode, this single would peak at #9.

#10: "I Want You to Want Me" by Cheap Trick. This was the first of 8 Top 40 singles for the band; it had peaked at # 7 a few weeks earlier.

Like he did in the first hour, Casey gives the address so listeners could receive a free copy of the AT40 Worldwide Listening Directory, a listing of stations that carry AT40..

#9:  "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer. This song was #1 back in June and was falling down the chart.

#8:  "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" by Dr. Hook. This song would spend 16 weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #6 in August.

#7:  "Makin' It" by David Naughton. A TV show theme, sung by the show's lead. Naughton's only song to reach the Top 40, it peaked at #5 in 16 weeks on the chart.
"There's a man in the countdown who used to be a member of a famous trio who once had all their cash stolen by a real kangaroo dressed in a sports coat. And they have photographs to prove it. That story is coming up."

#6:  "My Sharona" by The Knack. This would sit atop the Hot 100 for 6 consecutive weeks starting August 25.

Casey tells the story of the Kingston Trio touring in Australia, running over a kangaroo, dressing it in their clothes, and photographed themselves. The kangaroo was only stunned, revived, and took off still wearing their clothes (with the group's cash in the sports coat's pocket). Note - this probably isn't true, it's a urban legend-type story called "The Kangaroo Thief" that dates back to the early 1900's. But it's still a good story, Casey. Anyway, John Stewart was a member of the Kingston Trio from 1961-67, so this tall tale leads into...

#5:  "Gold" by John Stewart. It peaked here at #5 in 13 weeks in the Top 40.

#4:  "The Main Event/Fight" by Barbra Streisand. This song would move up to #3 the next week, peaking there.

#3:  "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward. It topped the Top 40 charts for 2 weeks, the R&B charts for 5 weeks, and the disco chart for a week. It was Ward's only Top 40 hit.

#2:  "Good Times" by Chic. The last of Chic's 5 Top 40 tunes, this one was huge: #1 pop, #1 R&B, #28 AC, #3 Disco.

Before we continue, Casey tells us what's atop the other charts:
Country: "You're the Only One" by Dolly Parton Disco: "I've Got the Next Dance" by Deniece Williams R&B: "Good Times" by Chic Album: Bad Girls by Donna Summer
#1:  "Bad Girls" by Donna Summer. This would spend a total of 15 weeks in the Top 40, five of those weeks in the #1 spot. This is the fourth of those five. It also hit #1 on the R&B chart and, of course, #1 on the disco chart.
"Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."