4 Cool Songs From 1980 That Just Barely Squeezed Into the Top 40

The year 1980 was a wild year for songs, especially when it came to what was working on the pop charts. Many different genres were trying to assert themselves. And others were just holding on to prominence at the start of the decade.

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Down in the less rarefied air of the charts, some fascinating songs were lurking. Check out these wonderful songs from 1980 that barely cracked the US Top 40.

“Love Stinks” by The J. Geils Band

At the start of the decade, The J. Geils Band was beginning their transformation from the R&B styles that earned them their first notoriety to tighter, pop-friendly material. That transformation would truly hit the heights with the Freeze Frame album in 1981, a record that included the No. 1 single “Centerfold”. The title track of the Love Stinks album from 1980 likely would have done a lot better on the charts if it had come after that breakthrough. Instead, the acerbic but ever-catchy track, featuring Peter Wolf moaning about the indignities of romance, topped out at No. 38. Adam Sandler later made famous use of the song in The Wedding Singer.

“Touch And Go” by The Cars

The Cars decided to dirty up their pristine sound a bit on Panorama, their third album, which was released in 1980. Influenced by avant-garde bands like Suicide, Ric Ocasek steered the band into much murkier territory. Unsurprisingly, the album caught both fans and critics a bit off-guard. And that meant that “Touch And Go”, which ranks up there with the very best songs they ever delivered, landed somewhat on the outside of the mainstream. It peaked at No. 37 on the charts. If you don’t know it, you should really give it a whirl. Featuring Greg Hawkes’ icy synths and a breathless guitar solo from Elliot Easton, the song takes a look at the ups and downs of a passion-based romance.

“Ashes By Now” by Rodney Crowell

We now know him as one of the most reliable songwriters and performers in the Americana genre. But as an up-and-comer in the late 70s and early 80s, Rodney Crowell was briefly positioned as a crossover artist between country and pop. His biggest pop success came via a No. 2 cover version by Bob Seger in 1982 of his song “Shame On The Moon”. But Crowell also sneaked into the Top 40 once with his own record. “Ashes By Now”, found on his 1980 album But What Will The Neighbors Think, managed a No. 37 chart position. This excellent song also found a second life as a cover when LeAnn Womack made a big country hit out of it in 2000.

“Sometimes A Fantasy” by Billy Joel

Billy Joel effortlessly slipped into a New Wave skin on his 1980 album Glass Houses, even though the No. 1 hit “It’s Still Rock And Roll To Me” demonstrated that he was loath to admit it. “Sometimes A Fantasy” came out after a pair of big hits had already swept through the charts from the album. That’s why it’s understandable that it only made it to No. 36. Still, this song represents Joel at his most fiery and provocative. The chippy rhythm patterns itself after some of The Cars’ early hits, a la “Just Like What I Needed”. Meanwhile, the narrator’s desperation to connect with his lover, even if only over a telephone line, crackles through the speakers.

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