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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