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.
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