One big difference between my wife and I is she never watched music videos, while I was an MTV child. I used to have what had to be three 6-hour VCR tapes of recorded music videos, like it or not, MTV made a huge impact on my life. So, it’s no surprise why this song managed to get into this countdown. It was the first video played on MTV, and it’s also a really cool tune by some great musicians who also played in some other groups I came to love over the years. Coming in at #15 is Video …..more →

Like in my other countdown, #16 was also my last change for the 1979 countdown. I originally had Supertramp’s Logical Song in here, but thinking back, it wasn’t the first one that really hooked me in to the band. The whole song is solid – from the harmonica to the awesome outro. Logical Song is great, but my final choice for #16 in this countdown is Take The Long Way Home by Supertramp.

One thing I can say is that this list has gone through several iterations, but at some point it had to stop. #16 was my last change, and I decided to give Aerosmith’s only spot in this countdown this slot. I could not escape how rockin’ this tune was and how much I heard it when I was a teenager. Another song released at the same time, Janie’s Got a Gun, was close to hitting this countdown, but instead, coming in at #16 is Love in an Elevator by Aerosmith.

This #17 song only came back to my consciousness recently, but hit me just as hard. I forgot how much I used to love this song years ago, and when I heard it again for this list, it was back in my head again. Because he gets lobbed in the 80s period, people sometimes forget how great of a song writer Howard Jones is, and one example comes in at #17, Everlasting Love by Howard Jones.

I remember at different times in my life when this #17 song kept creeping up in my playlist of radio stations and song lists. It’s still a great tune, written in a quasi-blues fashion, and it’s by an incredible band, ELO. I love the harmonies too. Coming in at #17 is Don’t Bring Me Down by Electric Light Orchestra.

My wife along with other people will probably think of this as “meh”, but nevertheless, it’s an iconic song that is still being played today in tons of parties and clubs. Add the fact that the bass-line is the crux of one of the most legendary hip-hop songs and that classic Nile Rodgers guitar line, and…trust me, you play this song, you won’t get those riffs out of your head for the rest of the day. Coming in at #18 is Good Times by Chic.