Don’s Top 10 for April 7, 1986

(#13 last week) Who said the boys wouldn't survive without David Lee Roth? Sammy Hagar did just fine, starting with this catchy rocker. Eddie Van Halen did not play guitar on this recording--he played the keyboards.

(#14 last week) After years of trying & failing, Janet Jackson finally exploded into stardom with this kickin' dance number. Sticks in your brain, doesn't it? Nominated for two Grammys. #341 on Blender's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs Since you Were Born".

(#8 last week) Third single from the smash LP "Scarecrow". Mellencamp was initially reluctant to include this song on the album because he felt it didn't mesh with some other, more downbeat tunes on the LP.

(#9 last week) Nu Shooz were a husband & wife duo from Portland, Oregon, Valerie Smith & John Day. The song was recorded in 1984, but didn't catch on until it was remixed overseas independently. That's the version you hear now. Another song with the same title, by Stevie Nicks, was lower on the chart this week, a rare instance of two different songs with the same title being out at the same time.

(#7 last week) How much did I (and still do) love the Bangles? Let me count the ways! Incredibly catchy songs, jangly guitars, easy on the eyes. What's not to love? My favorite 80s artist!

(#3 last week) The best tribute to Ms. Houston: four of her songs became hits again, including this one. Third single from the self-titled album, which has been in the top 10 every week since last June!

(#5 last week) Just a few months before this was a hit, I had the pleasure of meeting Ann & Nancy Wilson backstage after a concert at the Hershey Park Arena. Got my photo taken, with me right in-between them. Lost the photo! Arrgghhh!!!!

(#4 last week) Pretty good wee4k for the purple one: he wrote "Manic Monday". Flash forward to 2012: you can't find any Prince songs on youtube, because Prince has blocked all of them. This is the best I could do. So self-defeating by misguided artists, who don't understand it HELPS their sales.

(#2 last week) Former local #1 hit. Song about a couple having an affair who justify it by convincing themselves that maybe their spouses have their own "secret lovers". Oooo-k.

(#1 last week; 2nd week at #1) I've posted the rarely heard American radio remix of this worldwide hit. Falco's real name was Johan Holzel , the only Austrian artist to have an American #1. He also did the original version of "Der Kommissar" in 1983. Sadly, he died in a car-bus crash in the Dominican Republic in 1998, at the age of 40.