By Josh Schonfeld

While others spent the pandemic watching Tiger King and baking bread, I delved into the depths of pop music and listened to as many old Billboard charts as I could.  Spanning 1958 to today, these old charts have shown me just how many absolute bangers we are missing out on, simply because we don’t know any better – until now.  I have compiled a list of some of the best forgotten jams of yesteryear  I’ve unearthed from artists that are generally only known for one major hit.

Wilson Phillips – “The Dream Is Still Alive”

Chart Peak – #12

Serving as the fifth and final single off the group’s self-titled debut album and following three #1s and another top 5, “The Dream Is Still Alive” failed to reach the heights of its predecessors.  The song itself, however, has everything you could want from a Wilson Phillips hit.  The melody is light and breezy as the women harmonize their hearts out while the production is built around a powerful 808 drum machine and guitar line to keep it “hip” and “cool.”  While the chorus may not be as anthemic as their biggest hit “Hold On,” it’s still an earworm that will get stuck in your head for days to come.

Kim Carnes – “Crazy in the Night (Barking At Airplanes)”

Chart Peak – #15

Yes, the title is ridiculous but this song delivers in every possible way.  This was Kim Carnes’s final top 40 entry of her career, and what a statement to end on.  (Stefon voice) This song has everything – spoken word opening complete with sound effects, spooky storytelling that’s weirdly happy, a chorus of what I’m assuming to be handsome muscular hunks re-iterating what Kim just said, all to a beat that’ll get your blood pumping and a “doo doo doo” that is perfect for drunken shouting.  I’m almost nervous about setting this back into the wild for fear of what will happen once it eventually reaches college campuses.  Frat parties will never be the same once they get a hold of this insane banger.

Warren G feat. Adina Howard – “What’s Love Got to Do With It”

Chart Peak – #32

Tina Turner’s original version is iconic.  Let me just put that out in the open before I get into what makes this version so special.  Warren G & Adina Howard’s version of “What’s Love Got to Do With it” was originally on the Supercop soundtrack and smashed in Europe while it barely scraped the top 40 here in the US.  This song is one of the best examples of a rapper paired with a female vocalist with an updated chorus of a beloved hit.  Warren G’s flow is both hard-hitting and melodic as he raps about the trials and tribulations of being in the music industry while Adina Howard replaces Tina Turner’s raspy grit with a velvet-smooth take on the chorus.

The Pointer Sisters – “Dare Me”

Chart Peak – #11

While The Pointer Sisters may be known for more than just one song, this is certainly not one of them.  “Dare Me” was the first single off Contact, the group’s second-most successful album which followed Breakout, their most successful.  Although it just missed the top ten, the song has an infectious chorus that builds, level by level, until it feels as though you could achieve any goal put in front of you so long as it’s playing.  The constant ping of the synths in the background is actually every gay’s bop alarm going off at once as the sisters belt the chorus out as if their lives depended on it.

DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince – “A Nightmare on My Street”

Chart Peak – #15

“A Nightmare on My Street” was the follow-up to their first big hit, “Parents Just Don’t Understand”, but was doomed to be remembered thanks to a copyright infringement lawsuit from New Line Cinema over the use of A Nightmare on Elm Street.  It’s a shame because this could have been a spooky season staple along with “Thriller” as well as keep Freddy Krueger in the public consciousness even more than he already is, but alas.  While the rap verses tell a simple story, it’s the impeccable use of the film’s score that makes this such a creepy tune.

Sister Sledge – “Thinking of You”

Chart Peak – Failed to chart in the US / #11 UK

While I spent most of my time focusing on the US charts, I also got into the UK charts occasionally and they did not disappoint.  While Sister Sledge was essentially over in the US with none of their songs reaching the highs of “We Are Family”, the UK decided to give a chance on an album track from their 1979 album We Are Family in 1984 that eventually revived the group completely.   “Thinking of You” is a funky after-dinner mint of a song that will make you smile from ear to ear.  They simply don’t make pop like this anymore as they give us everything from funk bass to strings to bongo drums to what sounds like a children’s choir at one point.  “And what do you think brought the sun out today?  It’s my baby, oh help me sing” is the type of love I hope to find someday.