American Top 40 1987 January 31st

American Top 40 with Casey Kasem aired on radio from July 4, 1970 until August 6, 1988. This recording is a rebroadcast from internet radio.

In this countdown:

A listener wants to know if a Top 10 song has ever been written by a convict while he was in prison. Casey not only says yes, but that song holds the all-time record for most consecutive weeks at #1 (13 in 1950).

Casey tells how the most successful British group of the 80's went through ten different lead singers before they settled on one that couldn't hit the notes.

Casey ranks the Top 10 concert attractions of 1986. They include (in reverse alphabetical order) ZZ Top, Van Halen, Kenny Rogers, Lionel Richie, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, The Monkees, Journey, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Bill Cosby, and Alabama. The most successful act grossed $24,000,000 in 132 shows.

In a page from the At40 Almanac, Casey tells us about a man named Davy Jones. who changed his name to avoid being confused with a member of The Monkees, and ended up creating some of the most memorable music of the 70's and 80's.

There is a band in the countdown that got their start playing for a deaf audience. As far as I'm concerned, that's the luckiest audience they ever played for.

Is Bon Jovi a brand of jeans, cologne, or spaghetti sauce? Casey explains as best he can right before playing "Livin' On A Prayer" (at number 9).

This week's new #1 sets a Rock Era record for longest span of time between a song's recording and it's hitting #1. It has taken 5 and a-half years. The previous record was 3 years. Casey gives the particulars.

LW#2: C'est La Vie - Robbie Neville
LW#1: At This Moment - Billy Vera & The Beaters
40: Mandolin Rain - Bruce Hornsby & The Range
39: Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Wang Chung
38: All I Wanted - Kansas
37: Brand New Lover - Dead Or Alive
36: Can't Help Falling In Love - Corey Hart
35: I Wanna Go Back - Eddie Money
34: Falling In Love - Miami Sound Machine
33: Respect Yourself - Bruce Willis
32: (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party) - Beastie Boys
31: I'll Be Allright Without You - Journey
30: Jimmy Lee - Aretha Franklin
29/LDD: Somewhere Out There - Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram
28: Coming Around Again - Carly Simon
27: Stay The Night - Benjamin Orr
26: Big Time - Peter Gabriel
25: Talk To Me - Chico DeBarge
24: Notorious - Duran Duran
23: Jacob's Ladder - Huey Lewis & The News
22: Nobody's Fool - Cinderella
21: Stop To Love - Luther Vandross
EXTRA: Legs - ZZ Top
20: You Got It All - The Jets
19: Walk Like An Egyptian - The Bangles
18/LDD: This Is The Time - Billy Joel
17: Love You Down - Ready For The World
16: Is This Love - Survivor
15: Victory - Kool & The Gang
14: Ballerina Girl - Lionel Richie
EXTRA: Let's Dance - David Bowie
13: Will You Still Love Me - Chicago
12: We're Ready - Boston
11: Keep Your Hands To Yourself - Georgia Satellites
10: Touch Me (I Want Your Body) - Samantha Fox
9: Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi
8: Shake You Down - Gregory Abbott
7: Someday - Glass Tiger
6: Control - Janet Jackson
LDD: Life In A Northern Town - Dream Academy
5: Change Of Heart - Cyndi Lauper
4: Land Of Confusion - Genesis
3: C'est La Vie - Robbie Neville
2: Open Your Heart - Madonna
1: At This Moment - Billy Vera & The Beaters