8 of the 80s: 9/19/13 (1981)...

Hey gang, it's 80s throwback time, and now I'm serving up eight more nuggets from 1981, the year Picasso's classic Guernica painting was allowed to be moved to Spain following the establishment of a constitutional monarchy there. (small things)..

Daryl Hall & John Oates - "Private Eyes"
from the album Private Eyes (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 
Songwriters: Janna Allen, Sara Allen, Daryl Hall, Warren Pash

The NSA's anthem. Seriously, this track from the duo's best album is tailor-made for AM radio.

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Air Supply - "Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)"
from the album The One That You Love (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5
Songwriter: Norman Salitt

The Siegfried and Roy of soft-rock had to subtitle this epic ballad to not confuse people with they're last hit, "The One That You Love", which the lyric "here I am" precedes.

Heart - "Tell It Like It Is"
from the album Greatest Hits/Live (1980)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8
Songwriters: George Davis, Lee Diamond

This heartfelt cover of the Aaron Neville classic (no pun intended) was tacked on to their greatest hits set aged much better than most over the other late 70s cover singles out there. Attribute that to Ann's amazing vocal acrobatics here.

 Phil Collins - "I Missed Again"
from the album Face Value (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #19
Songwriter: Phil Collins

I love this video because this was so me in my bedroom to this whole damn album. Yes, I admit it. #lipdub

Leo Sayer - "Living In A Fantasy"
from the album Living In A Fantasy (1980)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #23
Songwriters: Leo Sayer, Alan Tarney

This breezy single from the British singer has a bit more grit than most of the adult-contemporary fare of the early 80s.

Jesse Winchester - "Say What"
from the album Talk Memphis (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #32
Songwriter: Jesse Winchester

This ex-pat nabbed his only top-40 hit on his eighth album with this cute little coffee-house-style gem.

Get Wet - "Just So Lonely"
from the album Get Wet (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #39
Songwriter: Jose Zecca

One of the more obscure top-40 hits of the 80s, by a New York group's only album that I prize at home (on vinyl, even)...

Dolly Parton - "But You Know I Love You"
from the album 9 To 5 (And Odd Jobs) (1980)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #41
Songwriter: Mike Settle

Dolly's amazing ability to transform other writers' material to match the quality of her own makes her the most important person in country music, ever. Sorry, George and Johnny.

That's it for tonight...I'll be back tomorrow with another Song of the Day and my top-100 songs of the week. Good night!