My 100 Favorite Charted Pop Songs: On and On

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Deep in the recesses of long-forgotten hits you will find a treasure trove of great music. That’s where you’ll have to go for this song. For me, it’s been a favorite since I first heard it, and that’s why it’s on the 100 favorites list. Here’s today’s song. On and On - Stephen Bishop MISTER Cameo!!! He did a cameo in the Michael Jackson “Thriller” video. That’s him playing the guitar on the staircase in Animal House. (Aside: his frightened reaction to John Belushi grabbing and smashing the guitar was very real, because Belushi improvised that.) He was one of the policemen in the mall chase in The Blues Brothers. But the best one is in Kentucky Fried Movie, where he shows a woman he’s nuts. Oh, and he had a music career, too. As a songwriter, he wrote the Oscar-nominated “Separate Lives,” a hit for Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin. He made a few movie songs himself, such as “It Might Be You” from Tootsie (aside: it was his post on Facebook yesterday that alerted me to the fact that Terri Garr had passed away ). Generally a “soft-rock” person, he has a small but devoted legion of fans (such as Eric Clapton and the aforementioned Phil Collins). His string of hits in the late 70s and early 80s were his prime. He’s retired from touring now (he’s 72, so he deserves that). Blessed with a great sense of humor, he has this heartbreak-with-a-twist tune (“he takes a ladder, steals the stars from the sky, puts on Sinatra and starts to cry”) as his second single and first big hit (“Save It For a Rainy Day” did make the top 30). It’s dreamy and soothing, the perfect song for a good heartbreak. On and On Written by Stephen Bishop Recorded by Stephen Bishop From Careless, 1977 Peak chart position: #11 Today’s country song: “Paper Mansions” Toss up my heart: