Music charts have been around as long as recorded music and radio programs from Your Hit Parade to American Top 40 have capitalized on the idea of counting down the day's top hits. Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 documents those songs that dominated the Midwestern airwaves during that decade- considered by many to be top 40's "golden age." Many of the songs listed did not appear at all on the national charts. Others, including local acts, fared much better in Chicago than in the rest of the country. Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 contains an alphabetical listing by title and by artist of every tune listed on the WLS Silver Dollar Surveys during those years. It also lists the top 40 songs of each year and for the entire decade, as well as a supplemental listing of songs on the station's Rhythm-and-Blues chart of 1964. For those who grew up listening to radio in the Windy City as well as for record collectors from anywhere, Chicago Top 40 Charts 1960-1969 will be a valued addition to any music reference library.

Chicago Top 40 Charts 1970-1979 examines the Windy City's top hits as documented by the weekly record store surveys issued by radio station WLS. As rock 'n' roll music entered its third decade, it was finding itself increasingly fragmented, which challenged the ratings dominance top 40 radio had exhibited throughout the 1960s. But while FM listening overtook AM in the rest of the country by the decade's end, Chicago was the exception. WLS managed to stave off its competition with their commitment to playing Chicago's favorite music- regardless of genre. That music is documented in this book. Chicago Top 40 Charts 1970-1979 lists every song to reach the WLS survey alphabetically by title and artist, with debut and peak dates, highest position reached and number of weeks on the charts. The top songs of each year and for the entire decade are ranked as well. As an added bonus, it features the "Big 89 Artists of the 1970s". For those who grew up listening to Chicago radio as well as for record collectors from anywhere, Chicago Top 40 Charts 1970-1979 will be a valued addition to their music reference libraries.

For many, the Beatles offered a delightful alternative to the dull and the staid, while for others, the mop-top haircuts, the unsettling music, and the hysterical girls that greeted the British imports wherever they went were a symbol of unwelcome social and cultural change. This opposition to the group—more widespread and deeper rooted in Chicago than in any other major American city—increased as the decade wore on, especially when the Beatles adopted more extreme countercultural values. At the center of this book is a cast of characters engulfed by the whirlwind of Beatlemania, including the unyielding figure of Mayor Richard J. Daley who deemed the Beatles a threat to the well-being of his city; the Chicago Tribune editor who first warned the nation about the Beatle menace; George Harrison’s sister, Louise, who became a regular presence on Chicago radio; the socialist revolutionary who staged all of the Beatles’ concerts in the city and used much of the profits from the shows to fund left-wing causes; the African-American girl who braved an intimidating environment to see the Beatles in concert; a fan club founder who disbelievingly found herself occupying a room opposite her heroes when they stayed at her father’s hotel; the University of Chicago medical student who spent his summer vacation playing in a group that opened for the Beatles’ on their last tour; and the suburban record store owner who opened a teen club modeled on the Cavern in Liverpool that hosted some of the biggest bands in the world. Drawing on historical and contemporary accounts, Joy and Fear brings to life the frenzied excitement of Beatlemania in 1960s Chicago, while also illustrating the deep-seated hostility from the establishment toward the Beatles.

The Essential Reference Guide to America’s Most Popular Songs and Artists Spanning More than Fifty Years of Music Beginning with Bill Haley & His Comets’ seminal “Rock Around the Clock” all the way up to Lady Gaga and her glammed-out “Poker face,” this updated and unparalleled resource contains the most complete chart information on every artist and song to hit Billboard’s Top 40 pop singles chart all the way back to 1955. Inside, you’ll find all of the biggest-selling, most-played hits for the past six decades. Each alphabetized artist entry includes biographical info, the date their single reached the Top 40, the song’s highest position, and the number of weeks on the charts, as well as the original record label and catalog number. Other sections—such as “Record Holders,” “Top Artists by Decade,” and “#1 Singles 1955-2009”—make The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits the handiest and most indispensable music reference for record collectors, trivia enthusiasts, industry professionals and pop music fans alike. Did you know? • Beyoncé’s 2003 hit “Crazy in Love” spent 24 weeks in the Top 40 and eight of them in the #1 spot. • Billy Idol has had a total of nine Top 40 hits over his career, the last being “Cradle of Love” in 1990. • Of Madonna’s twelve #1 hits, her 1994 single “Take a Bow” held the spot the longest, for seven weeks—one week longer than her 1984 smash “Like a Virgin.” • Marvin Gaye’s song “Sexual Healing” spent 15 weeks at #3 in 1982, while the same song was #1 on the R&B chart for 10 weeks. • Male vocal group Boyz II Men had three of the biggest chart hits of all time during the 1990s. • The Grateful Dead finally enjoyed a Top 10 single in 1987 after 20 years of touring. • Janet Jackson has scored an impressive 39 Top 40 hits—one more than her megastar brother Michael!

Innovative sounds in pop, rock and soul in the 1960s and 1970s meant that music appealed to more people than ever before. While some songs appealed to a broad audience, some targeted a much narrower demographic, meaning songs on the pop charts might not do as well on the adult contemporary or soul charts, or vice versa. This book examines forty songs featured on song charts of the 1960s and 1970s. Charts considered are Billboard Pop, Billboard Soul, Adult Contemporary, Cashbox and British Charts. Each listing includes discussion of the factors that contributed to the songs' popularity. Author interviews with songwriters, musicians and artists such as KC (of KC and the Sunshine Band), Mark Farner (of Grand Funk), Jerry Butler, Ron Dante (of the Archies and the Cuff Links), Freda Payne, Lou Christie, Tommy Roe, The Spinners and others tell the stories behind some of the era's most popular songs.

The greater Chicagoland area of the Midwest--Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa--well represented the profuse pop rock playlist of the mid-1960s. This prolific area produced a significant soundtrack from late 1965 into 1972 that reverberated across the country. The vibrant suburban scene produced nearly 40 singles that reached the record charts locally and regionally, with several of the 45s placing on the national listings. Some of the Chicagoland hits include "Kind of a Drag," "Vehicle," "Bend Me, Shape Me," and "Gloria," recorded by the Buckinghams, Ides of March, American Breed, and Shadows of Knight. This book, a geomusicultural chronicle, documents a multitude of Chicagoland bands and their music. They sounded across neighborhoods, thriving teen clubs, television dance and variety shows, renowned recording studios, local independent and major record labels--and through the pervasive AM airwaves of two 50,000-watt downtown radio stations, WLS and WCFL, featuring lineups of dynamic disc jockeys. This period piece portrays a momentous mark within "that toddlin' town's" rich music heritage.

Since its release in 1971, Don McLean's song "American Pie" has become an indelible part of U.S. culture. It has sparked countless debates about the references within the lyrics; been celebrated as a chronicle of American life from the late 1950s through the early 1970s; and has become iconic itself as it has been remade, parodied, and referenced within numerous texts and forums. This volume offers a set of new essays that focus on the cultural and historical significance of the song. Representing a variety of perspectives and fields of study, the essays address such topics as historical and literary interpretations of the song's lyrics, its musical qualities, the commentary the song offers on rock and roll history, the continuing significance of the song, and the ways in which the song has been used by various writers and artists. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.