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.