Editorial: I’ve Got the Billboard Blues

But it wasn’t always this way. I used to listen every Saturday morning as Casey Kasem counted down the “hits from coast to coast.” I would shoot hoops for hours and listen to the top songs in the nation counted down one at a time, often knowing what the top 10 would look like well in advance. FM Radio was my friend and MTV was still playing videos instead of airing 24 hours of reality television.

Twenty years ago, I was probably drinking Yoo-Hoo and eating Ring Dings for breakfast when the Billboard Top 5 for 1988 looked like this:

1. George Michael – Faith
2. INXS – Need You Tonight
3. George Harrison – Got My Mind Set On You
4. Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up
5. Guns N Roses – Sweet Child O’Mine

George Michael certainly has had his share of issues over the years. From being caught in strange positions with strange men in London bathrooms to numerous run-ins with the law and fans, Michael has been in and out of the music spotlight since he burst on the scene with Wham! and started waking us up before he go-gos. But he’s still plugging along and in June, he will launch a US Tour playing major venues in big cities including New York’s Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles’ Forum and Chicago’s United Center. With songs like Faith, I Want Your Sex, and Father Figure, Michael has never been afraid to meld the music world with issues of the world. Love him or hate him, Michael has found his niche.

INXS was dealt a terrible tragedy on the morning of November 22, 1997, when 37-year old Michael Hutchence, the band’s leader and vocalist, was found dead in his room at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Sydney, Australia. A belt found at the scene suggested that he had died by hanging and rumors of auto-erotic asphyxiation began swirling. Once the rumors settled, the band fell off the planet for a while. But thanks to the magic of reality television, a comeback was born. From July to September 2005, a television show called Rock Star: INXS was shown on CBS and featured the remaining members of INXS searching for a new singer to succeed Hutchence. The contest was won by Canadian singer J.D. Fortune. The band continues to perform, playing new material and hits from the Hutchence era.

Former Beatle George Harrison’s legend continued to grow until his death on November 29, 2001. From his involvement in the Patty Boyd-Eric Clapton love triangle to his charitable work around the world, Harrison built a legacy that will last as long as the wonderful music he created will. Got My Mind Set on You was originally written by Rudy Clark and originally recorded by James Ray in 1962. But Harrison took it to no. 1 on the Billboard charts representing the last no. 1 song recorded by any member of the Beatles. Harrison also received the ultimate musical compliment, a Weird Al Yankovic parody called (This Song’s Just) Six Words Long, for this song.

Rick Astley recently turned up at Shea Stadium in New York. Or at least his music did. The New York Mets, holding an online contest amongst fans to determine the best sing-along song for the 8th inning, found their voting box stuffed with votes for Astley’s catchy yet cheesy Never Gonna Give You Up. Although meant as a joke, the contest generated enough media attention to be covered in all the major NYC papers and national sports websites. Astley continues to perform (and shock people with the deepest voice ever for a white man) to this day.

Ahhhh Guns N’ Roses…or Gn’F’n’R as I used to call them. Sweet Child O’Mine, written by Axl Rose about first wife-for-a-minute Erin Everly, is one of the great rock and roll songs of all time. That signature Slash riff cuts right to it and opens a beautiful song, written by a bunch of guys who were more interested in cocaine, whiskey and groupies than anything involving sweetness or children.

To this day, Rose continues to play mind games with fans, enemies, the media and anyone else that still gives a shit. We’ve been hearing about Chinese Democracy, which would be Gn’R’s first album of new material since 1991’s Use your Illusion I and II, for over 10 years now yet Rose still manages to keep his name in the spotlight. Whether he’s punching out fashion icons like Tommy Hilfiger or canceling shows (his favorite old trick), Rose will always be a lightning rod for critics and supporters alike.

No matter what you say about the Billboard Top 5 from 1988, you have to give the group of five some credit for staying power. Does anyone think Leona Lewis or Jordin Sparks will be around in 20 years?