The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 80's*: #90-81

The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 70's* is one of our most popular music specials, so we decided to move into a new decade for more top R&B hits.  We started yesterday, so keep up with us as we present The Top 100 R&B Songs of the 80's*:

 

#90:

"Always"
Atlantic Starr

We go to upstate New York for Song #90*.  This is a much-bigger song overall than when looked at from an R&B perspective.  In other words, it would rank higher in a "Top 100 Songs of the 80's" than it does here. 

 

 

#89:

"Fantastic Voyage"

Lakeside

This next act is from Dayton, Ohio.  Lakeside faced some of the toughest competition of the decade in earning a two-week stay at #1, going against songs such as "Master Blaster", "Celebration", "Funkin' For Jamaica", "Don't Stop The Music" from Yarbrough & Peoples, and "Burn Rubber" from the Gap Band.

 

 

 

#88:

"When She Was My Girl"
Four Tops

This Four Tops winner from 1981 ended Diana Ross & Lionel Richie's seven-week reign at #1 with "Endless Love".






#87:

"Call Me"

Skyy

We have another group from Brooklyn at #87*.  They have another quality song called "When You Touch Me" that is worth checking out.  This song may have been on its way to enjoying a long reign at #1 in 1982 until Stevie Wonder's smash "That Girl" knocked it out.  So a two-week stay for Skyy has to be looked at in that context. 

#86:

"Turn Your Love Around"

George Benson

Here's another giant-killer.  This song is the one that finally knocked "Let's Groove" by Earth, Wind & Fire off its eight-week perch at #1 on the R&B chart. 

 

 

 

#85:

"Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna' Hurt Me)"

Gap Band

We've already heard the song that this one replaced at #1 (Lakeside's "Fantastic Voyage"). The Gap Band scored a big hit with "Burn Rubber", which also competed against "Celebration", "Don't Stop The Music", and "Being With You".

 

 

 

#84:

"Can You Stand The Rain"
New Edition

Here's the last of four career #1 R&B hits for New Edition.  It stood strong to wrest the #1 position away from Karyn White's "Superwoman".

 

 

 

#83:

"Take My Heart"
Kool and the Gang

Here we have one of The Top Artists of the 80's*, Kool and the Gang.  They scored some hits in the 70's, but it was the 80's where they excelled, with 14 Top 10 R&B hits.  This is one of their biggest from the decade, which may have notched a few more weeks at #1 than its solitary week if not for Earth, Wind & Fire's "Let's Groove".

  

 

#82:

"Ain't Nobody"
Rufus

Just as with Popular songs, you have to take a song's competition into account when sitting down to rank songs. This one definitely had it, going against Rick James' "Cold Blooded", as well as "All Night Long" and "Time Will Reveal".

 

#81:

"The Rain"
Oran "Juice" Jones

Here's the only big hit for Oran "Juice" Jones, who landed a #1 song for two weeks just prior to "Word Up" from Cameo.


So we have 20 songs under our belt as Inside The Rock Era plunges into another captivating music special.  Join us tomorrow for ten more songs!