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.
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