Poco "Shoot for the Moon"

Long before R.E.M.'s "Man on the Moon", Poco reached the Top 10 with "Shoot for the Moon" in 1982 -- a song guaranteed to put a grin on the face of any Yacht Rocker.

Lionel Richie "Running with the Night"

Richard Marx owes Lionel Richie a beer or two for helping launch his career. Marx provided backup vocals for a handful of Lionel's tunes including "Running with the Night" in 1983. After Marx became a household name (and a staple of Adult Contemporary radio), Lionel appeared as a background vocalist on "The Way She Loves Me".

Eddie Rabbitt "Drivin' My Life Away"

People who tend to say they "like all music except for country" -- well, those folks should give Eddie Rabbitt's "Drivin' My Life Away" a listen. The catchy 1980 tune helped Rabbitt crossover from Country to Mainstream music. This move set him up for follow-up soft rock hits "I Love A Rainy Night" and the duet "You & I".

Mike + The Mechanics "Taken In"

You're hearing the voice of Paul Young singing lead vocals on the soft rock ballad "Taken In" by Mike & The Mechanics. Genesis co-founder Mike Rutherford created the band as a side project in 1985 and the group went on to score a handful of hits.

Luther Vandross "Any Love"

Remember the rapper Foxy Brown? She sampled Luther Vandross' "Any Love" in her song "If I...".

Michael Bolton "Once in a Lifetime"

The 1994 chick flick rom-com Only You featured the ballad "Once in a Lifetime" from Michael Bolton. The song found room on Adult Contemporary radio stations with the names like "The Lite", "Warm" and "Sunny".

Janet Jackson "Again"

If you conducted a study of the words that children first learn to say, the order would look something like this: momma, dada, no, more, night night, again. The word again is one of those that kids always say after you do something that makes them belly laugh.    

Kenny G "Loving You"

Kenny G's first big break was when Artista Records executive Clive Davis heard Kenny G perform a sax solo of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" in 1982. He went on to be the biggest-selling instrumental artist of all-time and now sells his own brand of saxophones.

Dave Matthews Band - "What Would You Say"

The year 1995 was a pivotal one for the Adult Contemporary format.  While format stalwarts like Gloria Estefan, Elton John, and Bryan Adams still provided plenty of radio-friendly ballads, bands such as Hootie & The Blowfish, Blues Traveler and Dave Matthews Band also entered the musical landscape.  Suddenly, the format faced music decisions that would mean bringing a new sound to the office-friendly Adult Contemporary format.  AC Program Directors rarely added an unfamilar song to their rotation as they tended to play proven and "safe" songs.  A year later, stations grappled over whether or not to add music from Alanis Morissette's edgy Jagged Little Pill album.  Soon stations would branch off into "Bright AC' and "Soft AC" sub-formats causing Bright AC stations to adopt the "no light, sleepy music" positioning statement.  In the case of Dave Matthews Band's "What Would You Say" only managed to chart at #30 on the Adult Contemporary Chart, but the tune helped usher in a more upbeat sound that would soon become commonplace.

Crystal Gayle & Eddie Rabbitt - "You And I"

I'm not a gambling man, but I'd be willing to bet that many early-1980s wedding receptions featured newly-married couples dancing to Crystal Gayle & Eddie Rabbitt's "You And I".  I would also wager that Kool & the Gang's "Celebration" was also played since it would soon become the anthem of all wedding receptions (followed by "We Are Family", of course).