The Greatest 200 singles of the 1980s (150 to 141)

Duran Duran were the culprits for getting the Youtube bit of this blog blocked in the UK.  Like they don't have enough money and like they would object to someone using a tiny snippet of their 'Reflex' video to call it one of the best songs of the 80s.  Yet, the U2 snippet didn't flag any issues, not even a 'you can use it but you can't monetise the video' thingy.  Anyway, I've had to put up the cover of the single without audio so you can get the video part of the blog by clicking below, and if you really really want to watch the video for 'The Reflex' then the link is in the description.

The Way it Is - Bruce Hornsby and the Range

As a single, its greatest power is the piano riff on that crispy upright, obviously. But if you listen to what's actually being sung, it actually transcends that beautiful bright intro.  Bruce is from the Mark Knopfler singing school, and the song is given the right level of gravitas because of it.  TV shows like The Voice and X-Factor miss the point of pop music spectacularly.  Most of the songs in my countdown aren't vehicles for wonderful voices (well, maybe the Whitney Houston and Luther Vandross ones are) but in the main, they're well crafted pieces of music, modern symphonies that replace the Cor Anglais and Bassoon with the Moog and the Stratocaster.  The voice of the artist complementing that - and usually because their voice was unique, with expression and soul.  I love Gene Pitney for that, and Neil Sedaka... voices that blend with the track, without overpowering it or being the only thing you're listening to.  Remember when Marc Almond destroyed 'Something's gotten hold of my heart'?

Diggin' Your Scene - Blow Monkeys

Who can resist Dr. Robert's massive suit jackets, slicked hair, clown make-up and smooth soul vocals that really shouldn't be coming out of someone who looks like he did.  He made about 40 solo albums after they split up and then reformed, making 3 albums in 5 years.  He's got a lot of music in him, I'll give him that - none as good as this lounge-jazz number.

Up next on QVC...

Running up that Hill - Kate Bush

I've always been fascinated by Kate Bush; a lot of her stuff is just too odd for me though.  The album 'Hounds of Love' is an absolute masterpiece however.  There are still some very odd moments on it but they're sensibly odd.  'Running up that hill' has a life about it, one no other song has ever had.  I love the desperation in the lyrics and the determination to prove something.  It also has one of the greatest lyrics of all time in the second verse.  'You don't want to hurt me, but see how deep the bullet lies'.

Lay your hands on me - Thompson Twins

One of the best choruses of the 80s this.  The song is let down quite a bit by the introduction which doesn't give you any indication of the behemoth to follow.  It's nice to see Tom Bailey out and about again after the 'twins' said they'd never ever ever re-unite for one of those 'rewind' festivals or 'then and now' tours.  Fair play that they never did but Tom looked and sounded like the 80s and deserves a place at the top table of the decade's leading influences.

Alannah, standing in front of a Candy Floss machine

Pride - U2

For me, this was the song that broke U2 into the collective conscience.  They had some great songs before this but 'The Unforgettable Fire' was an album which set them apart from say, Simple Minds, who were making songs about love, lost love and other such generic song contents.  U2 were singing about politics and war.  Pride is of course driven by the ideology of Martin Luther King (as is some of the album) and it was a stepping stone to world stardom through the Joshua Tree.  This song, as a single, relies a lot on the Guitar riff at the start and the anthemic chorus which we've all tried to sing out loud in a club or at a party and failed miserably.  This record defined U2's chart sound - a lot of their future releases had a hint of the production on this record about them - and why not?

There's no stopping us - Ollie and Jerry

If you grew up in the 80s then there's a good chance you tried doing a spot of electric boogaloo in your bedroom and succeeded in knocking several things off shelves in the process.  Breakdancing was MASSIVE and there were various films about it, loads of breakdancing songs in the charts and people in city centres with squares of carpet and boomboxes (tape recorders with big speakers) flipping out to electric breakbeats.  I loved it even though I could only do half a spin on my back unaided.  This song epitomises that whole genre and snapshot of the 80s - makes me feel 8 years old again. Not even Spangles can do that!

The coolest people on the planet for 34 seconds in 1984

The Reflex - Duran Duran

The album version of this nonsense song was good but then Nile Rogers got his sweaty little paws on it and gave it an edge that transformed it into a funky number that jumped straight to number 1 from absolutely nowhere.  The lyrics mean absolutely nothing but that doesn't matter - when I saw the video, if I'd been visited by a Genie at that precise moment and granted one wish, I'd be Simon le Bon right now.  The concert footage of the band in that video is what all concerts should look like.  Proper pop stars on stage looking cool, John Taylor pouting and looking mysterious, Andy Taylor looking like he's just won the pools, Roger Taylor hammering away at his electric tom-toms like they're a game of 'whack-a-mole' and Nick Rhodes, shaking his shoulders in a jumper his Nanna bought him from Hagley Road Market.  Every little thing the reflex does leaves me thinking this is an absolutely joyous pop single.  The Reflex - Video

Whistle Down the Wind - Nick Heyward

I had the absolute priveledge to see Nick perform live when he did a show with 5*Star and Curiosity Killed the Cat.  This song silenced the 'refreshed' crowd.  Such a sad song and it never gets old.  Nick's solo album sounded exactly like what Haircut 100's second album would have sounded like.  Then he started doing Beatles covers and slowly slid out of the musical landscape.  He left this gem behind though so he will forever be a star in the sky of the 80s.



I'll be right up, I'm just doing a photoshoot for Smash Hits

Our House - Madness

This one smashes you right in the face from the first guitar 'zoom' to the bass slide and the brass section which brings in Suggs' deadpan vocal perfectly.  It was so different to the previous Madness offerings that I'll bet their fans were a bit 'what's going on here?' but probably gained them a lot more fans who didn't realise they were actually a hugely talented bunch of musicians who had quite a bit to say.  It's a shame that their popularity seemed to wane when their song writing improved.  'Yesterday's Men' and 'Ghost Train' are great songs but they just didn't connect with the public.  They had a B-side called 'Maybe in another life' which I still listen to now.

3 of Madness try to sneak up on another 3 of Madness

Sweet Little Mystery - Wet Wet Wet

I love that guitar pick at the start.  Perfectly produced.  Marti Pellow's vocal is jazzy and unique too; it's a shame he went down the road he did. He had real star quality - that's not to knock songs like 'Goodnight Girl' and 'Love is all around' because they performed extremely well in the charts, it's just that the group lost that cheeky fun element that I liked so much.  I went off them when they went all serious and weird.  Still, this is a near perfect pop single and will always get them up dancing in the over 40s bars in Ibiza (other holiday resorts are available)

Marti, singing into a liquorice allsort

Well, that's me for another ten songs in the countdown.  Please let me know if you agree, disagree, have any comments or want to give me your own top 10's (100's or 200's).  The next instalments should be up soon.

The greatest 200 singles of the 1980s - 160 to 151

You used to have to make an effort to listen to music didn't you?  If not tuning your radio in to a station that was playing the music you liked or going to the unit in the corner which held all your LPs and Singles, taking one out of it's sleeve making sure not to touch the surface, plop it on a turn-table, drop the needle everso slowly onto the record and make sure the volume was appropriate for the time of day (or employ a set of headphones that would have made the pilot of a Lancaster Bomber jealous) and then sit back for a moment listening before having to get up again and choose your next record.

I think that's got a lot to do with why music from the 80s is special - you had to work for it.  It wasn't just there whenever you typed something into youtube or spotify (for which I'm eternally grateful by the way - there were loads of 80s songs I never thought I'd ever hear again unless I'd got one of those 'record collectors' magazines and sent off £14 for a copy of 'Labour of Love' by Hue and Cry in the post.  Anyway... I digress (again). Here's my countdown of songs 160 to 151 in my personal chart of the best 200 singles of the 80s.

160 - Safety Dance - Men Without Hats

There was only one man in the video from the band and he definitely didn't have a hat.  This is a song which has proliferated the human conscience and is now part of our very beings.  However, thanks to The Simpsons, I can't hear this song now and not sing 'We can dance, We can dance, Everybody look at your pants'.

They don't write 'em like this any more!


159 - Africa - Toto

I'm suspicious of this song a little bit as it has the same hook as Abba's Dancing Queen, in fact, I'm pretty sure it's exactly the same.  You know the twinkly bit when they sing 'Friday night and the lights are low...' and it goes 'dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby doodloo'?  Well, Africa goes 'Doo do do d-do do dooo' and then 'dooby dooby dooby etc.'  You know what I mean?  Anyway, the chorus of 'Africa' is a masterclass in how to shift your brooding yet intriguing verse into a Dream Academy type burst of energy that wakes everyone up.  There's a bit of a dodgy lyric going on in this song too though - 'see as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus'.  What they're saying is see as that mountain rises like this other mountain?  Hmmm.  Otherwise, it's great!


158 - Heartache - Pepsi and Shirley

Not everyone's cup of tea is Europop.  This was before Europop became a thing but it fits that genre perfectly.  I'm a sucker for a three minute energetic pop song, especially one about which Margaret Thatcher said you could 'definitely do a movement to it'.  The horror of that assessment is at about 30 seconds into this youtube clip :

157 - Hey Little Girl - Icehouse

Such a strange song this.  It's almost David Sylvian but better. It was from a time when people were experimenting with sampling and building chains of synthesizers and singing with theatrical expressionism.  I loved it and always give it a cheeky play now and again these days.


156 - Wishing Well - Terence Trent D'Arby

I might have said this before in a previous post but this guy had the best voice of the 80s.  He just knew how to use it.  The beauty of this song is it's minimalist qualities - it may as well have been acapella from beginning to end and it would still have been a beautiful masterpiece.  Oh to be able to sing like Terence. Pity he lost his way in the 90s.


155 - Touch Me - Samantha Fox

Couldn't get this out of my head when I was 11 years old.  When I bought the single, after reading 'touch me' on the front cover, I half expected the back to have the words 'now wash your hands'.  She wasn't a singer was she?  She did manage to belt this number out with some conviction though so full marks for that.  My favourite lyric in this song is 'Like a tramp in the night I was begging for you'.  Still have no idea what the hell that means.


154 - Love Resurrection - Alison Moyet

A perfectly crafted pop song and a million miles away from the stuff she did with Yazoo.  I always thought she was brave.  She was a punk with a soulful blues voice singing straight up pop.  Whether she ever wanted to produce this kind of record wasn't clear but it was very successful alongside songs like 'Invisible' and 'All Cried Out'.  She worked with Jolley and Swain on this single who'd written massive hit singles for Bananarama. It was always going to be a winner wasn't it?


153 - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - The Smiths

I don't need to tell you anything of the genius of Morrissey but I very often find myself singing the second line of this song in my head from day to day.  I was looking for a job and then I found a job, and Heaven knows I'm miserable now.

Classic.


152 - Don't tell me - Blancmange

Thinking about it, this should maybe have been in my top 100.  It's a genius tune and so timeless.  I was a little bit scared of the lead singer to be honest.  He looked a little bit unhinged, like he'd just walked out of Alfred Hitchcock's imagination.  I remember when libraries started loaning CDs out (one of the first places I was able to finally listen to all the albums I'd been denied in the past because of the price of things on 50p pocket money a week) I got the Blancmange album out and gave it a spin.  They started sing about God being in the lampshade so I turned it off.  I think I'll stick to just listening to this track instead.


151 - I'm Still Standing - Elton John

The doyen of piano pop.  Elton taught me most of what I know today about using pianos in pop music.  I bought a sheet music book of his greatest hits and it was actually transcribed exactly from the records (normally, they just print an approximation and simplify it) and I learned a lot about how to make chords 'bigger' sounding, splitting cadences and inverting chords that seemed impossible to invert.  My admiration for this man has no bounds.  Still, he could still learn a thing or two about discords from Gary Numan.  There's a double act I'd pay to see.

'I'm still standing' is to this day, a faultless piece of pop perfection. If you don't enjoy this song then there's a piece of your soul missing.


Watch out for 150 to 149 of the countdown soon!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8C2p97n8SmX5qmS8asB7YWWuu2GCDq_o

Watch 160 to 151 right here :

170 to 161

170. Can't Stay Away from You - Gloria Estefan

After 'Dr. Beat' and 'Bad Boy', it looked to me like Miami Sound Machine were going to disappear into the same Chasm as El DeBarge.   Gloria showed us all that there was another string to her bow when she came back (with Miami Sound Machine still in the title but taking a back seat) with 'Anything for you'.  A wonderful ballad followed up with another calypso hit in 1-2-3 and the awful 'Rhythm is gonna get you'.  However, she had her biggest hit since Dr. Beat, hitting number 7 with this superb song.  She kept on having hits until 1999 but none as good as this.

169. She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult

That guitar riff!! It doesn't matter that you can't understand a word being shouted throughout the song, it's just the raw energy that drags you along.  I had no idea what was going on and I still don't but I still stick it on when I'm in the mood for some moshing*

 

*Sitting on a chair listening to my Hi-fi stereo with a nice cup of coacoa

168. Dancing with Tears in my Eyes - Ultravox

Could've sworn this was a Midge Ure solo single - but the internet has proven me completely incorrect.  I love how there's like a four second introduction and it's straight into the Chorus - no messing about.  If ever a single was written to appeal to the masses, it's this.  No slow build, no teasing the emotions, just hit straight in the face with a cast iron chorus.  It's also one of those you reckon you can belt out on the Karaoke until you have to sing that first syllable.  Then you put the mike back in the holder and wander off to the bar.

167. Gold - Spandau Ballet

I actually thought, for a long while, that this was the greatest song ever written.  It usurped Heaven 17's Temptation at least.  It didn't take long before I started scratching my head at the lyrics and getting into Tears for Fears instead.  You're indestructible!  Tony Hadley was a wonderful front man; those suits and that stare down the camera lens - made you want to learn the words to every Spandau hit and go out and form a tribute band.  I always sounded more like Gary Numan drinking vinegar so that wasn't an option unfortunately.    If you're wondering where 'True' is on this list, it's not; I've never liked that song.

166. Where the Streets Have no Name - U2

There's not a huge amount to say about this that hasn't already been said a million times apart from, I didn't really get it at the time.  Bono and the boys on top of a building in New York, rock and roll stops traffic and all that.  I got it later of course and this song is just a non-stop juggernaut of guitar pop that I think every single bedroom guitarist tried to emulate but without 10000 effects on the guitar it just wasn't going to sound like Edge.  Never mind.

165. How Soon is Now? - The Smiths

'I am the Son and the Heir of nothing in particular.'  Whatever you think of Morrissey or The Smiths in general, you can't fail to be sucked into the atmosphere of this song for the entire four minutes.  I have to admit that I didn't actually hear this song until the late 90's when it was on the sound track for the film 'The Wedding Singer'.  I've since bought several Smiths albums and have become a convert. 

164. Sweet Dreams - The Eurythmics

This is the perfect example of a single you buy, take home and put on loop all afternoon.  The story behind how the bass line for this was written is interesting but you'll have to buy my book '1980's pop song facts' when it's published (follow me on twitter, Facebook or go to my website to find out when) later in the year (or google it).  Annie Lennox won Best Female at the Brits about 60 times in a row, and it's easy to see why.  Nobody was performing this kind of vocal acrobatics in the charts back then.  Her vocal performance on 'There must be an Angel' is second to none too.

163. Cloudbusting - Kate Bush

Who doesn't like Kate Bush?  This song is by no means a conventional pop single but it definitely made a lot of people stop what they were doing and pay attention when they showed it on Top of the Pops.  The story behind it is fascinating as well, which makes it all the more listenable when you hear it for the fiftieth time in a row.  Then Utah Saints come along and destroy the entire thing.  Who agreed to that? Hope the money was worth it.

162. Sunset Now - Heaven 17

Bright in more ways than one this. The lyric "Sun crazed in our room. It was an endless afternoon", always made me feel happy - still does.  This ditty bounces along and cheers you up no end. I liked Glenn Gregory as a front man, he looked a bit unhinged and his teeth were massive. 

161. What is Love? - Howard Jones

What a follow-up single!  New Song was jolly enough but to follow it up with this gem is something every one hit wonder would be jealous of.  It'll be in your head for the next few hours now!

180 to 171

180. Human Racing - Nik Kershaw

Despite listening religiously to the radio on a night and especially to the chart run-down on a Sunday Afternoon, I don't remember ever hearing this song on the radio.  Which was a shame.  I first heard it only because it was the last track on one of the 'Now that's what I call music' albums my Sister bought.  It's haunting quality hooked me at the time, being so different to anything else on that album - and being such a departure from the single I'd heard of Nik through 'I won't let the sun go down on me'.  Mainly though, I'd been learning classical piano for about a year and instead of practicing Bach and Beethoven, I was working out chords to the pop songs of the day by ear.  This one had me completely baffled for years.  It wasn't until I found a book in my local sheet music store which had the chords written down that I managed to learn and play it.

I've since recorded a version of it myself (here) but I'm still not convinced the chords are quite right...

179. Farewell my Summer love - Michael Jackson

Talk about cashing in.  Jacko had become the hottest property in world music after Thriller so his old record company decided to cash in and ride on the coat-tails by releasing this song from his early solo days.  This was a lovely little ditty and I liked it more than Billie Jean or Beat it.  In fact, I've only got one more Michael Jackson single in the top 200.  This song takes me back to a non-specific summer and although the lyrics are bitter-sweet, they keep you engaged the whole time.  It always cheers me up when I hear it somewhere random.

178. Red Red Wine - UB40

It might feel like I've got an aversion to the late 80s as only 6 songs in the countdown so far have come from 88 or 89.  I've just done a quick check and it's the early 80s that provide the least amount of great singles.  In the entire 200, I've only chosen 5 songs from 1980, 10 from 1981 and 12 from 1982.  1987 is where it's at (34 singles) followed by 1983 (30 singles).  It's 1983 that provides this little gem.  There aren't many bands or singers who can take someone else's song and make you forget that the original ever existed in the first place.  Sinead O'Connor is probably the only person to make a Prince song better with 'Nothing compares 2U', Whitney turning 'I will always love you' into an actual song and of course, Johnny Cash's version of NIN's 'Hurt'.  How UB40 even had the idea of re-working 'Red Red Wine' into a pop single, is genius in itself.  The original is slow, dull and instantly forgettable.  The reggae remake is so beautifully produced and Ali Campbell's vocal sufficiently quirky, it drags you into the story and breaks your heart.  Wonderful single!

177. The Slightest Touch - 5 Star

I'd say 5 Star were very underrated but no, they were massive at the time.  It's looking back that I think they've lost a bit of their gravitas. Their greatest hits album is like a 'How to' for 80s pop songs.  I've got three 5 Star songs in my run-down just because there's so much to enjoy in a 5 Star song.  Unfortunately, they don't travel well - I think even in 1989 their songs had lost their edge and they're so identifiable with the mid-80s these days, they're considered a bit archaic.  However, sticking one of these on at any time will transport you right back.  Fabulous.

176. Raspberry Beret - Prince

I know it's going to look weird but there are only 2 Prince tunes in my top 200.  The man was a genius but I never felt like he was the person to sing a lot of his songs.  I wrote about my feelings for the artist here when he passed away so unexpectedly in 2016 so I'll not repeat myself here.  Suffice to say, there's a canyon full of goodness in Prince's back catalogue and this is such a joyous song, it should maybe have been higher up the list.  Again, like 'Farewell my Summer Love', it takes you into a world you can picture and you're always looking forward to the next line, like turning pages in a novel.  The video is great too.

175. Love in Itself - Depeche Mode

I'm going to have a small rant here but I remember buying a Deacon Blue album - their Greatest Hits - and then on getting it home discovering it had an anti-piracy lock on the CD to prevent you copying it.  What it failed to acknowledge was that at the time, I didn't have a Hi-Fi and burned all my CDs to my PC and listened to everything from the library.  Anyway, it meant I never really listened to it and it meant I didn't get past the few singles I was aware of and was never tempted to delve into their back catalogue.  Idiots.  Then, for the video for this blog, I tried to get the video for 'Love in itself' but it's not even available to watch on any website in this country because of copyright.  Spotify have it right - you can listen to anything you want (as long as the artist likes you listening to their music - and if they don't, they're a bit weird) whenever you want (as long as you don't mind listening to the odd advert every fifteen minutes).  Why some artists won't let people access their reason for existence for nothing baffles me.  Anyway, I like this song but I'm now annoyed at Depeche Mode for some reason.

174. The Fairy tale of New York - The Pogues (Ft. Kirsty McColl)

I do love Christmas songs - not too much you understand and not out of season, but this is the only one that worked as a chart single for me.  I understand why they're played in December year in year out and that a 'good' Christmas song is like the writer pulling a winning lottery ticket but as a single, you can't fault this one.

173. Everything she wants - Wham!

Following on from a Christmas Single, this one from Wham! was the double A side to 'Last Christmas'.  Whilst that was a jolly ditty, it wasn't a patch on this, which in my opinion deserved a lot more airplay than it got.  Although the lyrics might not have been written from experience, George Michael sings like he means every single word.  I love the arrangement too. You just don't get this level of genius in the charts any more.

172. I guess that's why the call it the blues - Elton John

I think Elton was at the height of his powers in the 80s.  I tried for many years to play this on the piano and although I mastered a lot of Bach's back catalogue, I couldn't get close to Elton's.  His trick was to invert a major or minor 7th chord and use the leading tone as the bass note (that is in a C Chord, to play C-E-G-B but flip the final B into the bass hand).  It gave his playing that 'odd' nuance which non-musicians would hear and be intrigued by.  I have to admit to stealing this method several times myself without becoming a world renowned singer songwriter and football club owner with silly glasses.  Actually, I do have silly glasses.

171. Thunder in the Mountains - Toyah

I was six years old when I first heard this song and I would go to bed each night for months singing it in my head to help me get to sleep.  I was too young to be buying singles (my pocket money was 20p a week I think) and I was at least two years away from getting a radio with a tape recorder on it so it was quite a while until I managed to own a copy of this song - about 20 years in fact when I saw it at a car boot sale for 10p.  I liked Toyah as a young lad because she looked like a lot of fun - like someone who would present a kids' TV program and not at all Punk and scary like I think she was hoping. 

Remember to subscribe or come back in about a week when I'll have 170 - 161 revealed!

Watch the countdown on YouTube here

190 to 181

If you're new to this blog, you can find what I think what ranks as 200 to 191 in the list of the top 200 singles of the 1980s here.  You can read why I'm writing this blog here. Alternatively, you can read about my choices for 181 to 190 below...

190. Let's go all the way - Sly Fox

This song was out when 80s music had reached a kind of ceiling.  It seemed (at the time, because radio was only really playing the best stuff) that I liked everything in the charts in 1986 - especially in the summer, but looking back at the charts back then... Star Trekkin'???? Number 1????  Anyway, this song by Sly Fox would have been a bit bland if not for the production.  It had taken synthesizers into a realm of the band.  They were finally being accepted for what they were, a piano with a different sound - not a computer that you just press buttons on.  This song showcases perfectly what could be done with some simple sounds and a lot of energy,

189. New England - Kirsty McColl

This was a cover version of a Billy Bragg song and while Bragg helped to re-write the lyrics so they came from the female perspective, it actually felt like it should have been written that way originally.  There's a lot of humour and self awareness in this song, and one whose lyrics read like a diary entry.  It's one of those clever combinations of a jolly tune which hooks you in and then intrigues you to grab a copy of the lyrics (from Smash Hits) and understand where the song is coming from.  Splendid stuff!

188. Young at Heart - The Bluebells

This song transports me back to sunny summer days with its jangly positivity.  Early 80's reverie borrowing heavily from Dexy's 'Come on Eileen' with it's violin hook. It was years after I'd first heard the song that I bothered listening to the words and found it to be quite sad.  A bit like Red Red Wine and a few other songs I've mentioned so far - mixing lovely melodies and catchy counterpoints with melancholy and reflection.  The song first turned up on Bananarama's debut album in a version completely unrecognisable from the Bluebell's version.  It was co-written by Siobhan Fahey and her then-boyfriend Bobby Bluebell.  She of course went on to Shakespear's Sister and wrote some amazing songs so this was a little preview of that I suppose.

 

 

 

187. The Lion's Mouth - Kajagoogoo

 

My second Googoo entry so far and a stunning one.  I love the horns after the chorus and Nick Beggs showing the departed Limahl how to be a frontman.  It was a close battle between him and Mark King for who was the best singer/bass player frontman of a group.  I won't include Sting in that battle because of the song 'If you love somebody, set them free'.  That song almost wiped out all the good work he'd done at the start of the decade.  Anyway, 'Lion's Mouth' is a great pop single.

 

186. Come Back and Stay - Paul Young

 

This was such an unusual song.  It was extended by about five minutes on the album so the only way you could get the single version was to buy the single.  Bass legend Pino Palladino who had 'made' Gary Numan's 'I Assassin' and went on to play bass for Nick Heyward, Elton John, Go West, Tears for Fears, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Oleta Adams, Seal and The Who, played some iconic Bass on Paul Young's solo album (and subsequent ones).  It's what the whole sound of this song was based around and transformed it from a good song into a great one.

 

185. Only You - Yazoo

I've been obsessed with everything Vince Clarke has ever done since discovering 'The Innocents', the Erasure album that catapulted them to stardom.  Depeche Mode's 'Just can't get enough' was ok, I didn't really like it at the time and it's never really grown on me since.  There's another Yazoo song in this countdown but neither were enough to hook me in as a fan as much as that Erasure album.  'Only You' was a brilliant single though - really simple, with very well crafted yet simple synthesizer accompaniment.  I quite liked that acapella version The Flying Pickets did too.

184. Ghost Town - The Specials

I can't claim to have understood the political commentary underpinning this song at the age of 6.  I'm not sure I really understand it fully these days to be honest.  I just loved the haunting tune at the beginning and the use of brass instruments which made it all sound so spooky.  I was obsessed with Ghost Trains at the time so I think that might have been why I married the two up - that and the terrific single cover.  I was surprised with a Terry Hall solo album I bought in the mid-90s.  Whenever I've seen him performing, he's always looked uninterested and bored but a lot of the songs he writes betray the humour he clearly possesses. Check that album out, it'll make you cry and laugh out loud - it's amazing. Terry is knocking about in this top 200 a bit higher up too.

183. Real Gone Kid - Deacon Blue

Pop songs 101 here; catchy chorus, great verse and some repeated mantra-type bits so you can sing along with the radio on your first ever listen and some unbelievable energy from all involved.  The amount of enthusiasm you can hear from the entire band and the two vocalists is terrifying.  If this song doesn't cheer you up, you're dead inside.

182. Be With You - The Bangles

 

This song got a bit lost in the furore around 'Eternal Flame' which I didn't really like but performed very well in the chart.  This was the follow-up and in my opinion, a far superior song.  I started off thinking it was a bad choice of lead vocalist (despite the fact she wrote the song) because although she had a decent enough voice, there were better singers in the group.  But as time has gone on, it was probably the best choice; it sounds authentic.  Something that's missing from a lot of music these days.

 

181. Down to Earth - Curiosity Killed the Cat

This list is starting to get serious now.  This song has so much depth to it's production and the vocal performance is faultless.  This group had it all but for some reason, just couldn't sustain the high levels they'd hit with this song and the other I've placed in the countdown higher up.  They had shades of Matt Bianco about them but with a lot more to say for themselves.  'Down to Earth' is another summer single that conjours up so many happy memories of seasides and holiday camps.  I saw them live at a summer festival about 10 years ago and Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot sounded exactly like he did on the record.

 

   

Watch the countdown on YouTube here

200 to 191

I thought the blog would be easier to consume in 10 song bursts so here's the first ten from 200 to 191.

200. Rush Hour - Jane Wiedlin

Jane is not the only former Go-Go to feature in this top 200 but she also had a hand in another song on this countdown by Fun Boy Three - but that's for another time.  Rush Hour is a timeless classic and sounded like an instant hit to anyone who heard it.  It's infectious and cheers you right up - a proper driving to work song, even if it IS rush hour.

199. Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benetar

This song hooked me in as a young'un because of it's brooding beat despite knowing nothing about love or why it would be likened to a battlefield.  It's not usual for a pop song to have 'sections' but the way it 'empties' before the chorus comes back in a punches you in both ear drums, just heightens the emotive journey it pulls you along with.  The older me totally gets the meaning of the song now too, which makes it even better!

198. Right Here Waiting - Richard Marx

A beautiful song which might have suffered over time from 'overplay' a bit like some Guns 'n Roses songs and definitely some Queen songs.  Songs which were undeniably great at the time but we've all gotten sick of.  I guess this song should be a bit higher in the list but despite it's qualities, doesn't really have the same impact it did way back when.  Richard has a great ballad voice, not quite a Michael Bolton but then, his songs weren't about power.

197. Forgotten Town - The Christians

I struggled not to pick about five Christians' songs for this list.  Not to everyone's taste I know, but their cover of 'Harvest for the world' was on the nose and both 'Ideal World' and 'What's in a word' have been regulars in any of the playlists I've compiled over the years to this day.  Forgotten Town really showcased the group's ability to belt out a pop song even though they were mostly a kind of ballady-soul group who kind of lost their way in the 90s but you should still check out 'Perfect Moment' if you're not aware of The Christians body of work.  It's a cracking song.

196. Big Apple - Kajagoogoo

Most people will be aware of 'Too Shy' when Limahl and his yellow trousers was lead singer.  Most people lost interest in the group when follow-up singles 'Ooh to be Ah' and 'Hang on now' were released.  They were odd songs but only because they were pushing boundaries and Bass player Nick Beggs was a musical genius.  'Hang on Now' was a pre-cursor to the excellent music they'd start producing after getting rid of Limahl and allowing Nick Beggs to step up to be lead vocalist. Just after his departure, Kajagoogoo released Big Apple which was very chart friendly and Nick's voice suited the new direction.  There's another GooGoo single in my top 200 but it's not the one you think - if you're an 80s fan you must check out a single that flopped but was probably one of their best in 'Turn your back on me'. You should also seek out 'The power to forgive' and 'Charm of a Gun'.

195. December - All About Eve

Wow.  That's all I can say about this.  If this passed you by in 1989, you'd be forgiven for giving it a minute before turning it off. That's why it probably wasn't a huge hit.  I'm sad that their three best singles barely scratched the top 40.  'Farewell Mr. Sorrow' is a great tune, as is 'What kind of fool' but 'December' literally took my breath away.  It's a song from the point of view of the singer missing an ex-boyfriend, looking though old photographs and watching the snow fall outside.  The line 'a fall of snow in the afterglow, should be taking our breath away, but the years stand in the way...' gets me every time.  There's a great guitar solo in there too but I guess folk-rock wasn't the zeitgeist at the time (or any time?!) so it was never going to trouble the top end of the chart but then, the chart is about pleasing lots of people at the same time - which sort of dilutes the edge that makes the songs that only reach the lower top 40 so good.  This is one of those anyway so give it a listen on a dark December evening and you'll get it.

194. Sign your name  - Terence Trent D'arby

Before he changed his name to Sananda Maitreya, Mr D'arby was, in my opinion, the greatest vocalist of the decade.  As a single, I'd have to say it wasn't one of those catchy listen-to-eighty-times-in-a-row ones but whenever I hear it again these days, it always hits the mark.  It hasn't aged at all and always brings a smile to my face if I hear it accidentally in a shop or on a retro-radio station. 

193. Tomb of Memories - Paul Young

After the quality and success of his first album, which I still listen to now, the second album was going to be a challenge.   'I'm gonna tear your playhouse down' and 'Everything must change' were very different (I thought anyway) but were both top 10 hits.  'Every time you go away' got to number 4 and although it was a good tune, he'd started to lose me as a fan.  His success started to trickle away and he didn't hit the top ten again on his own.  It was the track he released after 'Every time...' however that grabbed me - 'Tomb of Memories'.  My favourite music growing up was Motown and this had all the hallmarks.  Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook featured on the Four Tops-esque backing vocals and I loved the twangy guitar.  A great single.

192. Johnny Come Home - Fine Young Cannibals

FYC were a quirky group.  I was fascinated by the guitarist who always looked like he was having a fit whilst playing and Roland Gift's unusual look was mesmerising.  I loved the production on their singles; they sounded so raw (possibly the source of the name of their first album) yet sounded great.  You could feel the musicianship bleeding through by how such an empty production could sound so much like a tight live band.  Gift's vocals were hooky too and this was the perfect debut.

191. Live it up - Mental as Anything

I don't know a lot about this group or the song really.  I've just watched the video and the lead singer looks a lot like Bradley Walsh going for his first job interview.  I only knew the song from the radio at the time and it always made me feel sad even though it's an upbeat song of hope.  It's a great single though and one that is instantly recognisable.

Until next time, check out the video which accompanies this blog at :

https://youtu.be/x1dy0LL9UWc

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Welcome to the 1980s

This is a blog about the best singles the 1980's had to offer, in case the title didn't give it away. 

Music is hugely subjective however; good music is everything I like and everything you like so my opinion of the top 200 singles of the decade is probably a lot different to yours but I hope that, in the coming weeks, I help you remember some songs you forgot you loved and some songs you never even knew existed but will add them to your library for future enjoyment.

So, what is a single?

A stacker

To me, a single was a catchy song committed to a small vinyl disc, placed into a paper sleeve and sold for 49p each at my local video rental shop.  It would have a catchy song on one side and a weird song on the other that didn't even sound like it was from the same band or singer.  You still felt like you were getting more for your money despite only listening to the reverse side a couple of times.

Singles for sale

The buying of a single was quite an experience for the young me.  It was often a case of looking at the sleeves to make my choice as I didn't have a favourite band or singer back in the early 80s.  Adam Ant was as close as I got to an 'idol' at the time because I didn't really latch onto a specific artist, such was the huge pool of music, singers and bands with great music.  It wasn't about looks and it definitely wasn't about the name.  Bands nobody had heard of were launching into the charts, beating well established names to the number 1 spot weekly. It was a very exciting time to be a music fan; that was until 1987 when things started to get a little bit manufactured and formulaic.  But that's a discussion for another time.

What went wrong...

When I finally got my own record player, it was one of those with a 'stacker', on which you could place several singles, each of which would plop into place when the one you'd just listened to had finished.  It was a primitive play-list but it meant you didn't have to keep getting up to change the record every 3 minutes.  It was redundant most of the time anyway because a good single would be played at least twenty times in a row whilst reading the sleeve notes, studying the artwork or watching the label spinning around, hypnotically. 

George Michael's Careless Whisper had an instrumental version of the song on the B-Side, before the word Karaoke had made it to the UK.  It blew my tiny mind at the time, as did everything Wham! released post 1983.

Anyway, enough rambling;  Over the next few weeks I'll be running down from 200 to 1, what I think were the best 200 singles of the decade.  The greatest 45s that money could buy; those black circles of plastic that transported me away from real life and into a world of stunning vocals, production and lyrics.  Part of the reason for this is that my current writing project is called 'The amazing book of 1980's pop facts' and this blog runs alongside that nicely.  My last book was called 'The worst pop lyrics in the world ever', which was, as you can guess, a book of terrible lyrics.  I considered doing a 'best lyrics' book but often the best lyrics can't be taken out of the context of the song, a great couplet needs to be part of a bigger picture to be appreciated and often, the music underneath just emphasises it.  One of my favourite lyrics is from Kate Bush's 'Running up that hill' which goes 'You don't want to hurt me, but see how deep the bullet lies'.  Not much on it's own, but stick it in amongst that wonderful atmospheric, haunting music and give it Kate's wondrous vocal and it comes alive.

That's the kind of criteria I'll be using to build my list.  There'll be some Youtube videos to accompany each entry and a bit of text about each song.  So, come with me now on a journey through a decade of fantastic music; I hope you enjoy it and please leave comments, good or bad, with your own opinions on my choices.