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It's Thanksgiving Throwback Thursday 80s time, and this week I'm going back to 1985, the year the first version of Microsoft's Windows (Windows 1.0) is released. Maurice White - " Stand By Me " from the album Maurice White (1985) Billboard Hot 100 peak: 50 Songwriters: Ben E.King, Jerry Lieber, Mike Stoller Maurice White. Stand By Me.1985 by capitainfunkk The leader of Earth Wind & Fire covers the soul classic a year before the Stephen King movie brought the original back into the top-10. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's Throwback Thursday 80s time, and this week I'm back to 1984, the year Bob Geldof and Midge Ure organize, write, and record the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", which went on to be one of the biggest-selling singles of all time. The Jacksons - " Body " from the album Victory (1984) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #47 Songwriter: Michael Jackson Possibly the worst song the brothers ever released. Marlon sang lead, and Michael and Jermaine couldn't even be bothered to show for the video. Fun to watch for the 80s aerobics cheesiness though. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Throwback Thursday 80's style goes back to the year 1983 this week, with eight more forgotten nuggets from the year President Reagan signed the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday into law. Don Henley - "I Can't Stand Still" from the album I Can't Stand Still (1982) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #48 Songwriters: Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar Another track from the former/future Eagle's moderately successful debut solo album featured a song written by today's Song of the Day artist, Bob Seger. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's Throwback Thursday 80s time, and this week I'm back to 1982, the year British TV Channel 4 starts broadcasting... AC/DC - " Let's Get It Up " from the album For Those About To Rock We Salute You (1981) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #44 Songwriters: Brian Johnson, Angus Young, Malcolm Young  One of my faves of the band, this dirty little number doesn't make any pretenses about its inclinations. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's throwback Thursday time again, and this week's 80s helping is eight more nuggets from 1981, the year the Police released their Ghost In The Machine album (one of the first albums I ever bought myself)... Kim Carnes - " Bette Davis Eyes " from the album Mistaken Identity (1981) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriters: Jackie DeShannon, Donna Weiss Kylie Minogue recorded a pretty respectable version of this 80s classic this year: if only she would've used it on her tour. In the States. For real. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's throwback Thursday 80's style and this week I'm going back to 1980, the year the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals in the World Series 4 games to 2... The Spinners - " Working My Way Back To You/Forgive Me Girl " from the album Dancin' And Lovin' (1979) Billboard Hot 100 peak: 2 Songwriters: Sandy Linzer, Danny Randell, Michael Zager The Detroit vocal group came back with a vengeance with a remake of the Four Seasons classic mashed up with a disco number from producer Zager. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's throwback Thursday's 80s post time, and this week I'm back to 1989, the year that civil unions become legal in Denmark (the world's first step toward marriage equality)... Saraya - " Love Has Taken Its Toll " from the album Saraya (1989) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #64 Songwriters: Tony Rey, Sandy Saraya The New Jersey rock band led by singer and namesake Sandi had their second hit with this overlooked gem. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Throwback Thursday is here, and I've got eight more nuggets from 1988, the year Senator Lloyd Bentsen declared to Senator Dan Quayle at the vice-presidential debate, "Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. You're no Jack Kennedy." (Of course that potatoe-head dingbat won anyway) John Cougar Mellencamp - " Rooty Toot Toot " from the album The Lonesome Jubilee (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #61 Songwriter: John Mellencamp One of six top-ten rock radio hits from his 1987 set, this simple groove was a nice road-trip song, as proven in the video... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's throwback Thursday 80s style time, and this week I'm back to 1987, the year German teen pilot Mathias Rust was tried for flying into Moscow with his Cessna plane, eventually causing the dismissal of much of Russia's old-guard military leaders and leading to the end of the Cold War. Kool & The Gang - "Holiday" from the album Forever (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #66 Songwriters: Robert Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown, Claydes Smith, J.T. Taylor, Curtis Williams This final (well, so-far) top-10 R&B hit for the New Jersey pop/funk act also was a hit in Germany, reaching the top-40 on their pop chart. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

#Throwback Thursday 80's style is back, with eight more nuggets from 1986, the year the Oprah Winfrey talk show premiered in syndicated broadcast... Sheena Easton - "Jimmy Mack" from the album Do You (1985) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #65 Songwriters: Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland This cover of the Martha & The Vandellas classic was produced by Nile Rodgers, though it sounds a lot more sterile than his Chic work (or Madonna's "Like A Virgin" even). (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's #throwback Thursday time, and this week I've got eight more nuggets from the 80s. This time out I'm back to 1985, the year a French and American team locate the submerged wreckage of the Titanic . Rick James - " Can't Stop " from the album Glow (1985) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #50 Songwriter: Rick James This one started sooooo eighties-like, almost like a new-wave cheerleading song, but hey, Rick James at this point was way over his head on drugs. This still made the top-10 on the R&B and dance charts.. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Let's move ahead a decade in this week's throwback Thursday as I serve up eight more nuggets from 1984, the year that the center-right-wing Progressive Conservative Party wins big in Canada, while on the same day the left-wing Sandanistas are victorious in elections in Nicaragua. A Flock Of Seagulls - " The More You Live, The More You Love " from the album The Story Of A Young Heart (1984) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #56 Songwriters: Frank Maudsley, Paul Reynolds, Ali Stone, Mike Stone The final hurrah on American radio for the hair-ific new wave band from England. Guitar ace Paul Reynolds would leave shortly after. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

It's throwback Thursday 80s time, and this week I'm back to 1983, the year the Philadelphia Arena on Market Street was burnt and destroyed by arson. Walter Egan - " Fool Moon Fire " from the album Wild Exhibitions (1983) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #46 Songwriter: Walter Egan The rock singer-songwriter also spent the 80's appearing on various game shows ... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We move ahead a decade in this week's throwback to 1982, the year the first compact discs come out in Germany. Junior - " Mama Used To Say " from the album Ji (1982) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #30 Songwriters: Bob Carter, Junior Giscombe The British soul singer was one of the first solo acts from the UK to make it in the American R&B radio world in the 80s. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We move a decade ahead in this week's throwback Thursday to 1981, the year of the Wonderland murders of a cocaine gang involving the biggest name in porn, John Holmes... Styx - " The Best Of Times " from the album Paradise Theater (1981) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3 Songwriter: Dennis DeYoung The song that closed the first side of the arena-rock band's classic album was a crescendo of sound not far from the bombast of Broadway. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We move ahead a decade in this week's throwback to 1980, with eight more nuggets from the year Pope John Paul II visited Brazil, causing a stampede that killed seven people. (I've included links to buy anything you see, support the talent!)... Diana Ross - " Upside Down " from the album diana (1980) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 Songwriters: Bernard Edwards, Nile Rodgers The quintessential diva caught the tail-end of the disco craze with the guys from Chic in this summertime classic. Also, too, "respectfully, I say to thee..". (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We move ahead a decade in this Thursday's throwback to 1989, the year South African president Botha meets Nelson Mandela, who is still in prison, for the first time. Cinderella - " Gypsy Road " from the album Long Cold Winter (1988) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #51 Songwriter: Tom Kiefer The first single from the Philly metalheads' second album, went south of the border to film the video... (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We move ahead a decade on Throwback Thursday to 1988, the year that Wembley Stadium in London held a concert to celebrate the 70th birthday of then-imprisoned South African leader Nelson Mandela.. The Communards - " Never Can Say Goodbye " from the album Red (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #51 Songwriter: Clifton Davis I played this album from Jimmy Sommerville's post-Bronski Beat act incessantly, and this cover of the disco classic from Thelma Houston would always send me into a fevered dancing spree. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

We move ahead in today's throwback to the 80s to the year 1987, the year President Ronald Reagan gave a speech in Berlin where he told Russian Premier Gorbachev to "tear down this wall"... Tom Kimmel - "That's Freedom" from the album 5 To 1 (1987) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #64 Songwriters: Jean Chapman, Tom Kimmel The Reagan-tinged mid-80s brought us a truckload of "patriotic" dude-rock like this walking advertisement. (Click below to see the rest of the post)

Moving ahead to this week's 80's throwback Thursday, I've got eight more nuggets from 1986, the year college basketball player Len Bias dies from an overdose of cocaine right after being drafted by the Celtics. The Commodores - " Goin' To The Bank " from the album United (1986) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #65 Songwriters: Franne Golde, Andy Goldmark, Dennis Lambert The act's last top-10 R&B hit almost made it to the top of that chart, stopping at #2. (Click below to see the rest of the post)