#1 at KZZP/Phoenix: “Keep On Loving You” by R.E.O. Speedwagon, their most enduring hit on oldies radio. It knocks out “Hey Nineteen,” Steely Dan’s lament on growing old, which name-checks Aretha Franklin, as well as the 1967 one-hit-wonder group the Soul Survivors.
John Lennon has two songs on the chart: “Woman” jumps from #11 to #6, and the former #1 “(Just Like) Starting Over” drops from #10 to #13. This was less than two months after his murder, but these songs undoubtedly would have been big hits anyway.
Pat Benetar also has this week: “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” (#8) and its follow-up, “Treat Me Right” (#22).
Several country acts crossed over to pop radio at this time:
- Eddie Rabbitt, who wrote that great Elvis Presley hit “Kentucky Rain,” continues on the theme with “I Love A Raining Night” (#3),
- Ronnie Milsap with another precipitation song, “Smokey Mountain Rain” (#4);
- Dolly Parton with the theme song of her movie “9 To 5” (#14).
Among the cover songs on this week’s chart:
- Don McLean’s version of Roy Orbison’s “Crying” jumps from #23 to #15;
- Heart drops to #27 with Aaron Neville’s 1967 hit “Tell It Like It Is”;
- The Eagles’ live rendition of the oft-recorded late ’60s chestnut “Seven Bridges Road,” which the group had been performing in concert throughout its career, holds at #19.
Ex-Eagle Randy Meisner is at #20 with “Hearts On Fire.” Alan Parsons, who engineered both Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon and the Beatles’ Abbey Road, moves up to #24 with “Games People Play” by his group the Alan Parsons Project featuring Lenny Zakatek on lead vocals. Bruce Springsteen climbs to #26 with “Fade Away,” the follow-up to his KZZP former #1 “Hungry Heart.”
And debuting at #30 is Steve Winwood, former lead singer of the Spencer Davis Group, leader of Traffic and member of supergroup Blind Faith, with his first solo hit, “While You See A Chance,” from the magnificent Arc Of A Diver album.