Episode 61: American Top 40 in the 80s
PLAY LIST
Borderline by Madonna (1983)
Please Don’t Go by KC and the Sunshine Band (1980)
Call Me by Blondie (1980)
Russians by Sting (1985)
Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler (1983)
Roll With It by Steve Winwood (1988)
Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-Lot (1992)
SHOW NOTES
Casey Kasem was at the height of his powers as the 1980s began. The countdown show that he launched on July 4, 1970, “American Top 40,” was now an international phenomenon and could be heard on over 500 stations around the world. Casey had made rooting for your favorite single’s climb up the Billboard charts akin to a sport — would your favorite song be played after the drumroll this week? He even branched out to a Top 10 countdown television show. However, you could also make the case that his success led to his own demise as “American Top 40” attracted competitors, particularly in the form of radio disc jockey Rick Dees. This episode moves beyond the 70s and into 80s, following the changes in the music and the show itself, leading to the end of Casey Kasem’s reign as the king of pop music countdowns.
SOURCES
“America's Top 10 (May 10, 1980).” 2019. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_fy0-tEe3o.
Anft, Michael. 1988. “Winwood in Slow Gait on 'Roll with It.'” Baltimore Evening Sun, June 24, 1988.
Battistini, Pete. 2010. American Top 40 with Casey Kasem: The 1980s. N.p.: AuthorHouse.
Ceder Rapids Radio. 2015. “Q103 Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 1989.” YouTube.
Diamond Joe. 2021. “Rick Dees - Candid Phone "Aerobics Class."” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpOjmq1UZ_M.
Diamond Joe. 2023. “Casey Kasem's Final "American Top 40" - August 6, 1988.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpeZgSsu6ZQ.
Durkee, Rob. 1999. American Top 40: The Countdown of the Century. N.p.: Schirmer Books.
Fan of Casey. 2020. “Remembering Samantha Smith in a Long Distance Dedication.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUQQi_6YgnI.
History Channel. 2018. “Sting on the Song "Russians."” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3gjHaxf1fI.
Milner, Greg. 1998. “Silence of the Jams: Casey Kasem's Hip Hop Problem.” Spin, March, 1998.
New York Times. 1985. “8 Killed in Maine Plane Crash.” August 26, 1985.
Radio and Records. 1983. “People (Rick Dees).” September 23, 1983.
Rocca, Mo. 2023. “Samantha Smith, the fifth-grader from Maine who became "America's Littlest Diplomat."” CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mobituaries-samantha-smith-americas-littlest-diplomat/.
“Samantha Smith on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson - July 28, 1983.” 2016. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9DXsHvG-Wk.
Sanneh, Kelefa. 2022. Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres. N.p.: Penguin Publishing Group.
Saturday Night Live. 2013. “Dana Carvey as Casey Kasem - Saturday Night Live.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNMzAcsPp44.
Simmons, Sylvie. "The Steve Winwood Chronicles". Creem (1988). Steve Winwood. Rock's Backpages. Accessed February 1, 2025. http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-steve-winwood-chronicles.
Wolmuth, Roger. 1983. “'One-Hit Wonder' Bonnie Tyler Resumes Her Singing Career with a 'Total Eclipse' of the Charts.” People, November 21, 1983.