Chart Flashback: June 15, 1985

Once again, to go along with our summer reading theme Read to the Rhythm, we're taking a look at popular summer songs. Let's rewind back to the summer of 1985. Several artists included in the top 20 singles chart are still going strong today, while others have disappeared and I had trouble tracking down any kind of album availability for them (Mary Jane Girls? Limahl?).

Click on the album title to place a hold or click on the song links to download the songs from Freegal (you may download 3 songs per week with your FRVPLD library card):

1. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" -- Tears for Fears
Songs from the Big Chair

2. "Heaven" -- Bryan Adams
Reckless

3. "Axel F." (from Beverly Hills Cop) -- Harold Faltermeyer
80's Gold

4. "Suddenly" -- Billy Ocean
Greatest Hits

5. "Things Can Only Get Better" -- Howard Jones
The Best of Howard Jones, 1983-93

6. "Sussudio" -- Phil Collins
No Jacket Required

7. "In My House" -- The Mary Jane Girls

8. "Everything She Wants" -- Wham!
Make It Big

9. "Angel" -- Madonna
Like a Virgin

10. "Walking on Sunshine" -- Katrina and the Waves
Katrina and the Waves

11. "Raspberry Beret" -- Prince
The Hits 2

12. "A View to a Kill" -- Duran Duran
The Best of Bond -- James Bond

13. "The Search is Over" -- Survivor
Vital Signs

14. "Smuggler's Blues" -- Glenn Fry

15. "Fresh" -- Kool and the Gang
Celebration: The Best of Kool and the Gang

16. "Would I Lie to You?" -- Eurythmics
Be Yourself Tonight

17. "Never Ending Story" -- Limahl
Living in Oblivion: The '80s Greatest Hits Vol. 2

18. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" -- Simple Minds
The Best of Simple Minds

19. "Voices Carry" -- 'Til Tuesday
Coming Up Close: A Retrospective

20. "You Give Good Love" -- Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston

Source: Billboard Magazine Archive

Chart Flashback: June 6, 1998

Since our summer reading theme is Read to the Rhythm, I thought it would be cool to do a bunch of posts in the next couple months looking back at popular songs of summers past. Let's rewind back to the summer of 1998. Brandy and Monica's duet, "The Boy is Mine," topped Billboard's Hot 100 Singles during the week of June 6, and was probably stuck in your head for the rest of that summer. For the most part, R&B artists dominated the rest of the top 20... including the original line-up of Destiny's Child! Plus, Will Smith continued to juggle his acting and rapping careers, and showed off his dance moves in the video for "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" (triple threat!).

Several songs in the lineup were definitely inescapable during 1998, from "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain to "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden to "All My Life" by K-Ci and JoJo, which was recently used in one of the final episodes of Parks and Recreation. The inclusion of both "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" from the Backstreet Boys and "I Want You Back" from 'N Sync on the charts was just the start of the battle for best boy band, which would play out on MTV's TRL throughout the late '90s and early '00s; you liked one or the other, not both ('N Sync for me).

Click on the album title to place a hold or click on the song links to download the songs from Freegal (you may download 3 songs per week with your FRVPLD library card):

1. "The Boy is Mine" - Brandy & Monica
Never S-A-Y Never by Brandy & The Boy is Mine by Monica

2. "Too Close" - Next
Rated Next

3. "You're Still the One" - Shania Twain
Greatest Hits

4. "My All" - Mariah Carey
The Essential Mariah Carey

5. "I Get Lonely" - Janet Jackson featuring Blackstreet
The Velvet Rope

6. "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" - Backstreet Boys
The Hits: Chapter One

7. "The Arms of the One Who Loves You" - Xscape
Traces of My Lipstick

8. "All My Life" - K-Ci & JoJo
All My Life: Their Greatest Hits

9. "Truly Madly Deeply" - Savage Garden
Savage Garden

10. "It's All About Me" - Mya & Sisqo
Mya

11. "Sex and Candy" - Marcy Playground
Marcy Playground

12. "Body Bumpin' Yippie-Yi-Yo" - Public Announcement
All Work, No Play

13. "Let's Ride" - Montell Jordan featuring Master P & Silkk the Shocker
Let's Ride

14. "Adia" - Sarah McLachlan
Mirrorball

15. "I Want You Back" - 'N Sync
'N Sync

16. "Frozen" - Madonna
Ray of Light

17. "Turn it Up (Remix)/Fire it Up" - Busta Rhymes
Total Devastation: The Best of Busta Rhymes

18. "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" - Will Smith
Big Willie Style

19. "No, No, No" - Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child

20. "I Got the Hook Up!" - Master P featuring Sons of Funk
I Got the Hook Up Soundtrack


Source: Billboard Magazine Archive

Summer Reading: Read to the Rhythm!

Today is the first day of our district-wide and all ages summer reading program, Read to the Rhythm. The goal is for everyone to read every day. Books, magazines, newspapers, online blogs and articles, eBooks, reading aloud to someone else, and audiobooks all count! You will earn prizes for each week you complete, plus a book at the very end for finishing the program. All finishers will also be entered into prize drawings for gift cards from local businesses. Plus, fill out Recommended Read entries to be entered into weekly drawings for $10 gift cards.

Guess the song in a jar! Each Monday at the Information Desk we will put out a new song with its lyrics cut into pieces and taped inside a jar. Write down your guess and the following Monday we will pull a winner from the correct entries.