Jimmy Buffett isn’t the only music to which I’ve been listening; my march through the American pop charts continues and I just finished 1983. Although the number one song was by the Police (Boooooooo!), close on its heels were “Billie Jean,” “Flashdance,” “Down Under,” “Beat It,” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Not bad! Other ’80s staples are sprinkled throughout the top 100: “Come On Eileen,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Electric Avenue,” “Africa,” “Mr. Roboto,” “Sexual Healing,” “Safety Dance,” “Rock the Casbah,” and many others.
Perhaps most noteworthy, though, is song number 93: Far From Over by . . . FRANK STALLONE!!! Fear not, Roger Clinton; if Sly’s brother can make it, so can you! In the words of Norm Macdonald on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, “”The most popular toy of 1996: ‘Tickle Me Elmo’. And the least popular toy of 1996, you guessed it: ‘Tickle Me Frank Stallone’.”