Tag: Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1985

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date November 27, 2020

Every Friday I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 25, 30, or 35 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 35 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday December 01ST 1985:

“We Built This City” – Starship
“Separate Lives” – Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin
“Part Time Lover” – Stevie Wonder
“Say You, Say Me” – Lionel Richie
“Never” – Heart

It all started right here with this chart. What was a hobby for almost a decade prior became official, as I sat down with paper, pen, and pencil, and I wrote down my Top 20 favourite songs of the week. (And since I was living in the south of England at the time I had to learn to adapt to their proper spelling and pronunciation of certain words, so it was “favourite” – not “favorite”.)

During the peak of this hobby in the United Kingdom I was producing on paper a Top 50 hit music chart twice per week ! YES – I really got into it. I eventually scaled back to a standard Top 40 chart once per week, and that continued for almost 7 years until I took a 3-year hiatus from 1992 to 1995.

Starship’s “We Built This City” was my favorite song at the time. It was actually spending its 3RD week at # 1 when my very first chart was written down. It was also my favorite song as I drove 700 miles from Chanute AFB Illinois to McLean Virginia at the end of October 1985. It was the perfect driving song for what was my longest road-trip (with me driving) of my life at the time. After I flew to my new home in England it reminded me of America as I discovered a brand new country for the first time in my life.

During those early days in England I listened to the hottest hits in my military dormitory room on GWR (97.2 FM out of Swindon Wiltshire) and BBC Radio 1 (1053 & 1089 AM).

Every 4TH Friday of the month for the next 2 years I’ll share my life and music with you, as I look back at those fun times across the sea as a late-teenager.

Next Friday on RETRO I’ll go back 15 years ago to December 2005.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going RETRO with me !

Tags 1985, England, Music, Radio

Blogging Christian Church God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 5 Artists

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date November 23, 2020

Every Monday I post my all-new Top 10 Christian hit music chart based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay. It’s the continuation of a weekly hobby that goes back 40+ years. But not on this Monday. My regularly-scheduled chart returns next Monday.

Today it’s a special. It’s my Top 5 artists over the past 197 weeks:

3 male solo artists and 2 bands – 1 traditional and 1 worship – make-up my Top 5 artists during this current era of my weekly hit music chart. They combined for 25 hits (out of 186).

Matthew West is not only my # 1 artist since February of 2017, but he is genuinely my favorite music artist of this era. His songs are catchy. They have powerful lyrics. He’s truly an entertaining guy who can also be very funny at times. I finally get to see him LIVE in concert for the first time this upcoming March (COVID-permitting) in a concert with Casting Crowns. (It was originally scheduled twice in 2020 but then postponed.)

I love MercyMe. They are my favorite band. Their 4 hits – “Even If” (# 1), “Grace Got You” (# 1), “Best News Ever” (# 2), and “Almost Home” (# 1) have spent a combined 79 weeks on my chart including 16 weeks at # 1. Their 3 # 1 hits are among my Top 20 hits of this era, and that gives me an opportunity to promote my next special coming up on Tuesday December 15TH – “My Top 20 Hits – 200 Weeks”.

I think we probably sing more Chris Tomlin songs during Praise & Worship at my church than any other artist. On April 21ST 2018 I was part of an amazing experience called “Worship Night In America” where I was part of a church family of about 15,000 strong. There’s an incredible review of that night’s experience right here.

The last time I saw Casting Crowns LIVE in concert at the BB&T Center (same venue as “Worship Night In America” above) they were the headliner, and Hillsong Worship and Elevation Worship were the supporting bands. It was a great 3½-hour experience with an abundance of singing and dancing for Christ.

Micah Tyler’s got 2 hits coming up on my special chart in 3 weeks – “Different” and “Even Then”. They spent 26 and 27 weeks respectively on my chart, and they both hit # 1.

This concludes another weekend of blog posts. I’ll do it again this upcoming weekend – with 4 new entries on Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday. I don’t blog on Saturdays. That’s my day of rest.

Your likes, follows, and comments are always appreciated. Thank You for being part of my online ministry to share God’s Good News and win souls for Christ through His music. I’m also on Twitter and Flickr.

Be blessed my friends ! May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Tags Blog, Christian, KLOVE, Music, Radio

1990s Blogging Career Military Music Radio Travel

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1990

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date November 20, 2020

It’s the 3RD Friday of the month, so I go back 30 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday November 18TH 1990:

“Praying For Time” – George Michael
“So Hard” – Pet Shop Boys
“Something Happened On The Way To Heaven” – Phil Collins
“Something To Believe In” – Poison
“Impulsive” – Wilson Phillips

It was a very British Top 3 on my chart 30 years ago this weekend. That Pet Shop Boys track was brilliant – and very underrated. I loved its breezy orchestral “underground” feel. It was a British and European pop smash, but here in the U.S. (and Canada) it was mostly a hit in the dance clubs. It was a bit too extreme for its time for Top 40 radio which was skewing more towards the safer Hot Adult Contemporary format at the time.

And speaking of Hot A.C. Phil Collins had the perfect track for the format. It’s one of my favorite songs from him. Deborah Cox scored with a HI-NRG dance cover of the track 13 years later in 2003 that peaked at # 4 and spent 32 weeks on my chart !

RAF Fairford

This past week marks 33 years since I’ve been back home stateside following a 2-year military stint working and living in the south of England (RAF Fairford). I vowed to return to the U.K. for a visit back then. It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s not over yet. Next Friday on RETRO I’ll go back to the very beginning of this weekly hit music chart hobby – 35 years ago to November 1985.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going RETRO with me !

Tags 1990, Music, Radio

Blogging Christian God Ministry Music Radio

My Top 10 Hits – Week 196

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date November 16, 2020

Every Monday I post my all-new Top 10 Christian hit music chart based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay. It’s the continuation of a weekly hobby that goes back 40+ years. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday November 15TH 2020:

TW	LW	WKS	SONG TITLE	ARTIST / SITE
1	1	11	No Hold On Me	Matty Mullins
2	2	7	Jericho	Andrew Ripp
3	3	12	Rise Up (Lazarus)	Cain
4	4	11	This Is What We Live For	Big Daddy Weave
5	5	14	God So Loved	We The Kingdom
6	10	2	Graves Into Gardens	Elevation Worship
7	9	2	Famous For (I Believe)	Tauren Wells Ft. Jenn Johnson
8	6	6	Truth Be Told	Matthew West
9	–	1	Out Of My Hands	Jeremy Camp
10	–	1	Image Of God	We Are Messengers

# 1 This Week In:
2019 – “Fear No More” – Building 429
2018 – “Only Jesus” – Casting Crowns
2017 – “Different” – Micah Tyler

My Top 5 holds steady this week with a # 1 smash from Matty Mullins, a likely future # 1 smash from Andrew Ripp, and a former # 1 smash from Cain. It’s the first hit on my chart for all 3 artists. And then there’s Big Daddy Weave with an energetic track that should’ve been a # 1 smash, and it’s not too late to make that move. Finally – We The Kingdom are still at # 5 with their former # 1 smash that spent 5 weeks atop my chart.

Jeremy Camp is back with his 5TH hit on my chart since 2017 (6TH overall). 3 out of his last 4 hits have gone to # 1. In this one Jeremy proclaims that he will let the weight of his fear fall like sand – out of his hands and into Yours Lord.

Ireland’s We Are Messengers return with their 6TH hit on my chart, and I really liked this one as soon as I heard it for the first time. I hope that it continues to generate increased airplay on the radio. I’m looking forward to singing it out loud at the TobyMac show coming-up in 3 months.

It’s an exciting time to listen to Christian pop radio with so many strong songs with powerful lyrics praising and worshiping our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. Sing along to the music. Pay attention to the lyrics. God’s Good News is revealed in His music.

Be blessed my friends ! May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.