I have recommended to you before the Popdose website especially for those of you who are looking for more obscure pop culture topics and information. Recently, I came across an interesting Top 10 list there which was The Worst #1 Songs of the 80s by Jon Cummings. I have to say it was a fairly strong list. You can click on the link above to read it all yourself, but here is a quick recap of his songs:
10. "Dirty Diana" by Michael Jackson
9. "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder
8. "Stuck With You" by Huey Lewis & the News
7. "The Greatest Love of All" by Whitney Houston
6. "Kyrie" by Mr. Mister
5. "Hangin' Tough" by New Kids on the Block
4. (tie) "We Built This City" and "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" by Starship
3. "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder
2. "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler
1.5 "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys
1. "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John

Now most of you who have read Kickin' it Old School before know that I simply adore the decade of the 80s. I admit that a lot of the music was a little on the cheesy side, but I have come to appreciate and enjoy almost all of it. It is difficult for me to criticize any of the music too harshly. That being said, I will comment on the Popdose list and then give you a list of my own.

I am not going to comment much on the list by Jon Cummings because I do feel it is reasonable in most regards. First, I would not include inspirational songs like "The Greatest Love of All" or "Wind Beneath My Wings" because I would cut them a little slack. Second, if I was going to include a Michael Jackson song, it would have been "Bad" way before "Dirty Diana." I have always been a big fan of Huey Lewis, so even a cheesy song like "Stuck With You" does not bother me in the least. I am not such a fan of the band Mr. Mister, but I don't feel any of their songs deserve to be on this list.

In the intro to his list he also included about 30 songs that he felt deserved mention and just missed making his list. I take a little more issue with several of the songs he lists there, but since he ultimately did not include them I probably do not need to address any of them at this point. On the other hand, several of those songs will show up on the Old School list which I will publish below.

On that note, I will give you my list of the Worst #1 Songs of the 80s. Remember, this list can only include songs that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for at least one week between 1980 and 1989. ALL songs will include links to the video if you want to be reminded of these unfortunate hits. I will keep the comments to a minimum because most of these songs speak volumes on their own. Here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 WORST #1 SONGS OF THE 80s (+ Bonus 20):
30. "Walk Like an Egyptian" by The Bangles - #1 for 4 weeks (12/20/86-1/16/87) [link to video]

29. "(I Just) Died in Your Arms" by Cutting Crew - #1 for 2 weeks (5/2-5/15/87) [link to video]

28. "La Bamba" by Los Lobos - #1 for 3 weeks (8/29-9/17/87) - cover of Ritchie Valens 1958 hit included on the La Bamba soundtrack [link to video]

27. "Bad" by Michael Jackson - #1 for 2 weeks (10/24-11/6/87) [link to video] - If you watch the "Bad" video closely you will notice Wesley Snipes starring as the leader of the rival gang and you can also click on this link to see my Wesley Snipes Top 10 Movies list.

26. "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley - #1 for 2 weeks (3/12-3/25/88) [link to video]

25. "Mony Mony" by Billy Idol - #1 for 1 week (11/21-11/27/87) [link to video]

24. "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton - #1 for 2 weeks (10/29-11/11/83) [link to video]

23. "Got My Mind Set On You" by George Harrison - #1 for 1 week (1/16-1/22/88) [link to video]

22. "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder - #1 for 7 weeks (5/15-7/2/82) - Not as bad as some people say because it does have a positive message from two amazing artists, but not good enough to even make my Top Duets of the 80s list [link to video]

21. "Batdance" by Prince - #1 for 1 week (8/5-8/11/89) - From the soundtrack to Batman [link to video]

20. "Do That to Me One More Time" by Captain & Tennille - #1 for 1 week (2/16-2/22/80) [link to video]

19. "Ghostbusters" by Ray Parker Jr. - #1 for 3 weeks (8/11-8/31/84) - Parker was sued for copyright infringement by Huey Lewis because the guitar riff in this song was too similar to "I Want a New Drug" and they settled out of court [link to video]

18. "Mickey" by Toni Basil - #1 for 1 week (12/11-12/17/82) [link to video]

17. "Love Bites" by Def Leppard - #1 for 1 week (10/8-10/14/88) [link to video]

16. "Baby I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley" by Will to Power - #1 for 1 week (12/3-12/9/88) - Covers of two very popular songs that they combined in a medley though the combination does not make a lot of sense [link to video]

15. "We Built This City" by Starship - #1 for 2 weeks (11/16-11/29/85) [link to video]

14. "Foolish Beat" by Debbie Gibson - #1 for 1 week (6/25-7/1/88) [link to video]

13. "Venus" by Bananarama - #1 for 1 week (9/6-9/12/86) [link to video]

12. "Seasons Change" by Exposé - #1 for 1 week (2/20-2/26/88) [link to video]

11. "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tiffany - #1 for 2 weeks (11/7-11/20/87) - This is a cover of the 1967 hit by Tommy James & the Shondells [link to video]

10. "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" by Sheena Easton - #1 for 2 weeks (5/2-5/15/81) [link to video]

9. "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder - #1 for 3 weeks (10/13-11/2/84) - Wonder is one of my favorite artists of all time, but this catchy song is not one of his finer moments [link to video]

8. "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin - #1 for 2 weeks (9/24-10/7/88) [link to video]

7. "The Flame" by Cheap Trick - #1 for 2 weeks (7/9-7/22/88) [link to video]

6. "Hangin' Tough" by New Kids on the Block - #1 for 1 week (9/9-9/15/89) [link to video]

5. "Toy Soldiers" by Martika - #1 for 2 weeks (7/22-8/4/89) [link to video]

4. "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys - #1 for 1 week (11/5-11/11/88) - Featured in the film Cocktail [link to video]

3. "Good Thing" by Fine Young Cannibals - #1 for 1 week (7/8-7/14/89) - I could not stand this song or their other hit "She Drives Me Crazy" [link to video]

2. "Wild, Wild West" by The Escape Club - #1 for 1 week (11/12-11/18/88) [link to video]

1. "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John - #1 for 10 weeks (11/21/81-1/29/82) - No disputing this one, but can you believe it remained at the top of the chart for 2 ½ months? If you like this song, you probably believe it is really about working out and exercising. [link to video]

There is my list. I hope you enjoyed all of the links to the videos. As I said earlier, I love most all 80s music and even the songs on this list have some redeeming qualities. Still, I was inspired by the Popdose article to give you my point of view on the subject. Let me know what you think.

That will wrap up this issue of Kickin' it. Thanks for reading and please come back often. Click on the Archive buttons in the upper left hand column to be sure you have not missed any past issues of Kickin' it Old School. If you are looking for more 80s content or more Top 10 lists you can click on these links as well. Peace and much love.

Check this out: I have never done this here before, but a good friend of mine's wife has started a non-profit organization called "United Ovarian Cancer Support" in the effort to help promote awareness and fund research for a cure to this terrible disease. Please visit the website at www.unitedovariancancersuppor t.org and among other things you will find a special item for sale as a fund raiser. It is a cookbook which is a collection of recipes from Ovarian Cancer survivors from all over the world including all 50 United States. It seems like something pretty cool and would make a nice Mother's Day gift or treat for yourself. All proceeds from the cookbook go directly to eradicating Ovarian Cancer. The cookbook costs just $15.00 plus shipping & handling, so please go to the website and consider supporting this worthwhile organization.

Quote of the day: "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." -Franklin D. Roosevelt

Download this: Since I obviously cannot recommend any of the above songs, here is my recommendation for this issue... "Seen It All Before" by Amos Lee