XIII Oceans

If you ever want to embarrass yourself in front of others, showing them your record collection or expressing your love for Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ (video directed by Joseph Khan who is directing next year’s adaptation of William Gibson’s ‘Neuromancer’) is likely to do just that.  So it’s with some preparation of defending my music taste that I thought I’d embark on a trip through my favourite number one singles, year by year.  Listening to Paul Morley’s excellent ‘Genre’ series on Radio Two, which culminated in Morley’s personal, current top five pop songs of all-time, went some way to justifying those guilty pleasures that you know aren’t guilty pleasures but bona fide poptastic moments.  I’ve always found listening to Morley talk about music entertaining even if I’ve not always agreed with his choices.  Kylie Minogue’s ‘I Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ is his one of his undoubted favourites with Morley adoring the song’s self-referential demeanour.  In that final show Morley interviewed songwriter, Cathy Denis, about whether it was the deliciously intelligent pop song comment that he had perceived it as.  The reply was a laughing “No.”  For me I cannot stand the song or the video but I loved listening to Morley talking about his favourite songs and how they change on a daily basis, sharing his love for Feist’s brilliant “1 2 3 4” (a single shot video) and Dolly Parton’s immense proletarian classic “9 to 5”.  It’s great to have your tastes validated.

The problem with pop music is that there are far more great songs that don’t reach number one than reach it.  I mean I had a look through last year’s number one UK singles and there wasn’t a single one that stood out for me.  ‘Vienna’ is the choice of cliché when pointing at a great song that was kept off the top of the charts.  Me?  I always preferred Joe Dolce’s ‘Shaddap You Face’ and still do.

I figured that if I was going to look back over the years and pick out my favourite number ones in each year it would be good to choose a year where there are more than a couple of good songs to choose from.  Briefly I had a look through the last seven years and found that in some of the years there was maybe one or two great number one singles.  Just let your eyes slide down the number one singles and you’ll find that 1980 is a good year to start.  It’s not that it’s the first year of songs that I remember because you’re going back to the early 70s for that but 1980 produced a brilliant collection of number one singles from The Pretenders ‘Brass In Pocket’ to one of John Lennon’s better solo efforts, ‘Just Like Starting Over’.  Blondie racked up three number ones in 1980, ABBA and The Jam had two whilst The Police somehow managed to have the longest stayer at number one with ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’.  In fact 1980 was such a great year for number one singles that it was hard keeping it down to just five personal choices, so here’s my top five number one singles of that year.

5. The Special AKA Live!  (EP) by The Specials
Edging out The Jam’s ‘Going Underground’, ‘Too Much Too Young’ was not only the shortest record to reach number one during the decade, it was also the first live recording to hit the top spot since Chuck Berry’s ‘My Ding-A-Ling’ did so in 1972.  The Specials first of two number one singles has remained as relevant since its release with its promotion of contraception and challenging of irresponsible/uneducated sexual behaviour amongst teenagers.

4. Xanadu – Olivia Newton-John & The Electric Light Orchestra
ELO have had a bit of a resurgence and revision in recent years, shifting some of their work away from the guilty pleasures section.  Generally they’re pretty poor but for a few fleeting minutes they’ve produced some pop magic and I think this is one that toys with cheese and high camp superbly.  Xanadu was ELO’s only UK number one and although their Winter Gardens organ gives the song it’s ice rink glitz, it’s Newton-John’s vocals that make the song. 

3. Ashes To Ashes – David Bowie
Bowie’s fastest selling single may well have been as notable for its then most expensive video tag but for most it’s his last great song, playing on his lifestyle and beliefs from the preceding decade.  When you catch the Major Tom lyric it’s one of the great revelationary moments in music.

2. Call Me – Blondie
Probably my favourite Blondie track this, written for and used brilliantly in Paul Schrader’s American Gigolo.  Originally Stevie Nicks was asked to work on a track for the film but couldn’t because of contract commitments leading to Debbie Harry being approached for the song.  She says that she rattled off the lyrics and the melody within a couple of hours and I’ve always wondered how much, given her Playboy Bunny past, her own personal experiences she drew on during that process.

1. Geno – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Dexy’s tribute to Geno Washington gave them their first number one single, containing universal music themes amidst a style that went against the grain in the post-punk era.  Brilliant.

WORST NO.1 OF 1980:  An easy choice this year and I’m very sorry Sally Lindsay but it’s one of those songs that grated way back then and still does now, ‘There’s No One Quite Like Grandma’ by St Winifred’s School Choir.  Almost as bad as ‘Mistletoe And Wine’.

POPTASTIC FACT:  The Theme from M*A*S*H spent three weeks at number one during 1980 and the lyrics were written by Robert Altman’s son, Michael, when he was just 14 years old.