1984 Number One Singles
February 4, 2009 at 9:48 pm | In music | Leave a CommentTags: 1984, 1984 Number One Singles, 99 Red Balloons, Bruce Hornsby, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Nena, number one singles, Paul McCartney, Paul Morley, Pipes Of Peace, Relax, The Power Of Love, Trevor Horn, Two Tribes, Wham!
1983 threw up little in terms of choice for great number one singles and 1984 similarly struggled against the onslaught of peckersucking pop. Nuclear tension was invading our lives and the charts with no less than three anti-war songs reaching the top. One of my favourite cultural commentators, Paul Morley, along with Trevor Horn would have an everlasting effect on the year, dominating the charts with Frankie Goes To Hollywood. By the end of 1984 the band had sat at the top of the charts for fifteen weeks with three number one singles and became the first band to hold the top two positions since the early 60s.
My number five choice followed The Flying Pickets to number one at the beginning of the year. It wasn’t until March that the real dross damaged our critical credibility and it would be Frankie Goes To Hollywood battling on our behalf in the singles charts whilst The Smiths came to prominence by topping the album chart. The difference between good and bad music got wider yet you could still play through some good records that broke into the top five. Who can forget Ray Parker Jnr? The Toy Dolls? Joe Fagin? Madonna?
5. Pipes Of Peace – Paul McCartney
My only contentious choice this time. It’s the first of those anti-war number ones with an overly-manipulative but enjoyable video. This is also McCartney’s only solo number one. Nothing much more that I want to say about this. It is what it is and it’s better than Chaka Khan’s ‘I Feel For You’.
4. The Power Of Love – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
In equalling Gerry And The Pacemakers’ (who said the 60s were a musical peak?) record of scoring number ones with each of their first three hits, Frankie Goes To Hollywood cemented their rightful place in the UK music scene’s hall of fame. After the pounding power of their first two hits it was a complete change of pace and something conventional. When I heard and loved this the first time around it was the beauty of Holly Johnson’s feeling voice and Trevor Horn’s overblown production coming together that caught us all. Marrying the singer with the production so well isn’t unique which is where the ridiculousness of the lyrics complicates. A pisstake of schoolboy poetry is unnoticeable because the sound alone generates the feelings for you. Brilliant stuff.
3. Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
A true cultural milestone that spent an extraordinary 48 consecutive weeks in the UK charts. 48 weeks and that was in the days when you had to shell a shed load to get into the top 40. It’s sales of 1,910,000 would make it the second highest of the 80s, after Band Aid, and the sixth highest of all-time in the UK. Having reached number six the song wasn’t heading for the top until Mike Read (the one who took air time from Sarah Greene on Saturday Superstore) removed the song off the turntable live on air once he’d realised how salacious and filthy gorgeous ‘Relax’ was. Two days later the BBC banned it (probably after pressure from the anti-Brand/Ross brigade) and the record moved up a couple of weeks later. For a song as explicit as this to be as successful was unthinkable given how sexually frustrated the country was. It was another classic generation conflict moment. Protector of public ethics Mike Read ended up interviewing the band and slid a big scaly one down this throat when he failed to throw their disgusting minds off his show.
2. 99 Red Balloons- Nena
Early memories of sexual attraction here with Nena’s skin tight leather pants anchoring themselves in my brain. I’ve still never really recoverd. ‘99 Red Balloons’ was the second anti-war number one of the year, suggesting armageddon if 99 balloons floated over the Iron Curtain. I’m told the English language version has a more satircal tone. A true one-hit wonder it is very much a song of its time yet its also timeless and could, like FGTH, top the charts now. Whatever happened to German music after this? From great punky pop to haw-hee-haw-hee-haw-down-to-Gorky-Park. Shocking.
1. Two Tribes – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
One of the greatest pop songs matched with one of the greatest music videos. A perfect match from one of the most explosive acts since The Sex Pistols. This topped the charts for an incredible nine weeks. Unlike other number ones in the 80s this could have sat there for the whole year and I wouldn’t have complained. Paul Morley’s promotion of the band went into overdrive with the launch of the “Frankie Says…” t-shirts, a complete anthesis of Wham!’s vacuous merchandising. To see kids going around wearing t-shirts about such sexually provocative songs as ‘Relax’ is hilarious enough as an idea nevermind reality. I could probably write a whole page on this song. Visually this was a rich piece of work with former 10cc members, Godley & Creme, directing the famous video whilst Chris Barrie (Rimmer from Red Dwarf) provided the voice of Reagan. The opening moments of the song, from the government nuclear warning through to Holly’s “Oh-oh-oh. Oh-oh-oh. Let’s go!” are amongst the best you will ever hear. When songs get attached to sporting montages or reports they can remain in your brain forever. Channel 4’s American Football coverage used a vocal-less version of the song to great effect during its round-up of the week’s scores and it’s something that’s stuck in the memories of those who did follow the NFL. Originally ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)‘, a similarly great vocal-less backing, provided the music and I didn’t think they could top that but this did. Matching the physical presence of the NFL it remains an iconic tune for that sport and I can only think of the BBC’s using of ‘The Way It Is‘ and ‘Life Of Riley‘ for football that are as equally memorable. ‘Two Tribes’ (terrific little home-produced video here that would have benefitted from better editing) employs production that is as big as the blasts it seeks to frighten us about. Clashing symbals, booming, speeding bass lines, war-film-style scoring and the best in modern technology creating a true epic of a song. “Are we’re living in a land where sex and horror are the new gods? Yeah.” Unquestionably magnificent.
WORST NO.1 OF 1984: Had ‘Agadoo‘ reached number one it still wouldn’t be a major contender this year. No sir, there were some harrowing compositions that were huge sterioid freaks in comparison. Quite possibly we were served a collection of the worst love ballads that any time period has mustered. It comes to something when Wham! are pushed out of the way by something worse. ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’ gave them their first number one and spliced open the crack in mainstream pop that had first surfaced with the likes of Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran. Stevie Wonder lost his hearing and bypassed legislation by infusing ‘I Just Called To Say I Love You‘ with the subliminal message of “Buy me” both on the single and through millions of flashes in the film The Woman In Red. How I cry when I hear his sweet vocals reduced to employment on it. I know there’s always been a strong element of sentimentality to his music but this was a low. A real low. However, there was worse. Jim Diamond? Close. The immense embarrassment to Lionel Richie that is ‘Hello‘ although in fairness to him it’s the video that really condemns this one. Out in front though and by some distance, is ‘Careless Whisper’. How dire were Wham!? Exceptionally and their trash would pave the way for the likes of Bros, Take That, Boyzone and Westlife to demonstrate dramatically worsening standards which we’re still now trying to survive.
POPTASTIC FACT: Both Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright have covered ‘Careless Whisper’, jeopardising their artistic legacies in the process.
1982 Number One Singles
January 5, 2009 at 11:46 pm | In music | 1 CommentTags: 1982, culture club, Dexy's Midnight Runners, goombay dance band, kraftwerk, music, musical youth, number one singles, The Jam
1981 proved to be a weak year for number one singles as with only a handful of genuinely great songs. 1982 brought what would prove to be short-relief from the advance of the corporate pop record as the mainstream backed some of the best number ones of the decade. The 80s hadn’t grabbed hold of the pop charts but the seeds laid down in 1981 were starting to produce that unanticipated onslaught of art.
Bucks Fizz Eurovision success continued into the year as probably the best of their epics, ‘Land Of Make Believe’ opened the year. The first half of the year would be littered with mozarella supreme and novelty records. The volume of quality remained thin although those that did manage to break through did us proud.
5. Pass The Dutchie – Musical Youth
I’m sure the more stubborn would prefer to tip their hat to Madness or The Jam here but I can’t ignore this cultural shocker that hit big time with sub-teenagers of the time. The changing of the word Kouchie to Dutchie threw off middle England from the heavy drug overtones, turning the song a meaningless homage to Jamaican culinary heritage. Common slang now for a specific illegal intoxicant, ‘Dutchie’ originally meant a type of Jamaican cooking pot at the time of release, making this a true milestone in the forthcoming confrontation with Thatcher’s Britain.
4. The Model – Kraftwerk
Originally released in 1978 this found success when it was a b-side to ‘Computer Love’, gaining a release in its own right shortly after when radio DJs started playing the b-side, supposedly against the band’s wishes. How sad would music be now had this song never reached the audience it deserved?
3. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me – Culture Club
Going significantly further with their assault on Conservative Party voters were Culture Club. I remember quite vividly the outrage and comments directed towards them as it trickled down through society and eventually my dad in front of the telly in the form of “He looks like a girl!” Brilliant stuff, completely hilarious and generation defining. Not only did this song shake up the Tories here, it reached number two in America and generated the same kind of slanging and discussion that it had over here. An incredible feat made even greater by the fact that it topped the charts in over twenty countries worldwide. It’s another one of the decades great number ones and I don’t think its perfect ambiguity has since been matched.
2. A Town Called Malice – The Jam
Running ‘That’s Entertainment’ close for The Jam’s finest moment, ‘A Town Called Malice’ sits alongside the very best social commenatries in song. It was the band’s first number one of the year (‘Beat Surrender’ followed in November) and the first release from what would be their final album. Weller’s love of soul is a strong influence on the album and it would inspire him to form The Style Council after this, where he would still manage to rattle off the odd gem (‘The Lodgers’ being the pick) before his descent into Dadrock.
1. Come On Eileen – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
Don’t let the endless party nights and weddings spoil your appreciation for one of the finest songs of all-time. For a short time period Dexy’s were arguably the best British band around and their mixing of celtic and soul influences are written all over this. Alternative rock chronicler Julien Temple directed the video, giving us that iconic corner sweep shot of the band, capturing an essence that will last forever. A couple of years back I managed to catch the band on their reunion tour and they were excellent, making me yearn for seeing them when they were at their peak. The song would be Dexy’s only chart hit in America, topping the charts and getting voted the third best one-hit wonder ever by that hero of the cultured mainstream, VH1. Amazingly the two songs that surrounded it were also British with ‘I’m Too Sexy’ and ‘Tainted Love’ at fourth and second respectively. VH1’s greatest ever one-hit wonder? Surely you can guess? Yes, it’s ‘The Macarena’. You should’ve got that.
WORST NO.1 OF 1982: Competition was immense this year for the worst number one. I mean, where do you start? Shakin’ Stevens’ rock ‘n’ roll sensibilities gave way to garbage of the highest order with ‘Oh Julie’. Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder commenced with campaigns against their credibility that would later result in ‘The Frog Chorus’ and ‘I Just Called To Say I Love You’ and Renee and Renata blasted out ‘Save Your Love’ (saved from this award because of the brilliant video that accompanied it. Comfortably the worst song this year was The Goombay Dance Band’s ‘Seven Tears’ which I remember being on Top Of The Pops for an eternity. It managed to become the eighth best selling single of the year, beating the likes of ‘Golden Brown’, ‘Mickey’ (one of the greatest videos ever! FACT!) and ‘Ain’t No Pleasing You’ (original Fight Club angst).
POPTASTIC FACT: No German recording artist had ever topped the UK music charts, until 1982 when Kraftwerk, The Goombay Dance Band and Nicole all managed it.
1981 Number One Singles
September 10, 2008 at 5:56 pm | In music | 1 CommentTags: 1981, Aneka, Ghost Town, Japanese Boy, Joe Dolce, music, Number Ones, Soft Cell, Tainted Love, The Specials, UK Music Charts 1981
1980 was one of the more fruitful years for number one singles with artists like Bowie, Blondie, Lennon and The Jam producing some of their best work and topping the charts as well. Sadly, 1981 signalled the arrival of the 80s, the decade in which mainstream music died as musical fashions and movements gave way to a conveyor belt of manufactured pop.
The year started as the previous one had ended as John Lennon’s murder gave him the first two number ones of January with the horrendous bullshit of ‘Imagine’ and sickeningly schmaltzy ‘Woman’. Competition for this year’s worst number one single was down to a couple of stinkers and although there would be worse to come in following years the quality of chart toppers started to take a nose dive this year.
5. Shaddap You Face – Joe Dolce Music Theatre
Perhaps I could have given a nod to Smokey Robinson’s number one but that’s a bit twee and not really proper Smokey. ‘This Ole House’ and Roxy Music’s version of ‘Jealous Guy’ were also in with a serious shout. The problem is that, like in sport, outside the top the decline in quality is noticeable so this gets into the top five for sparing us from Vienna the song and video, although I’m sure Top Of The Pops continued to torture us with the video every week. If you do like Vienna may I recommend Vic Reeves‘ cover version (available for download) which gives the original the kind of treatment that it deserves. And here’s Samuel L Jackson’s interpretation when on V For Vendetta’s show.
4. Japanese Boy – Aneka
Selling five million copies worldwide Aneka was a true one hit wonder in the UK. Completely ludicrous, incredibly catchy and so cool that it appears on one of the radio stations in GTA: Vice City. Hell yeah!
3. Don’t You Want Me – The Human League
Just scraping above Aneka is not The Human League’s finest moment but it’s still good enough to get in here. The UK’s 25th top selling single of all-time and thankfully it cleared this year’s worst number one single off the top of the pile in time for Christmas. I’ve always found Fascination and Susanne Sulley’s Yorkshire accent more pleasing to the ear though.
2. Tainted Love – Soft Cell
A number one single in seventeen different countries, staying in the Billboard Hot 100 for a then record 43 consecutive weeks although it would be the band’s only US chart hit. Originally a northern soul track it is one of those great cover version rarities that passed into cliché many a wedding ago, however that shouldn’t detract from its pop brilliance. Great video as well.
1. Ghost Town – The Specials
An easy choice in 1981 for the best chart topper. Still a powerful a comment on social disintegration and must have been a strong influence on The Kaiser Chiefs’ ‘I Predict A Riot’. One of those peerless songs that sounds unlike anything else you’ve ever heard with that almost cinematic opening, painting a picture of forceful spectral winds seeping through cracks in all the boarded up buildings of early 80s inner city life in the UK. A true masterpiece of a tune and easily one of the best of all-time.
WORST NO.1 OF 1981: It might have only spent one week at number one but Julio Iglesias’ ‘Begin The Beguine’ is excruciating. It’s not that the song itself is bad, far from it because it isn’t, but when you hear that smooth crooning sliding over Cole Porter’s lyrics men lose faith in women.
POPTASTIC FACT: ‘Tainted Love’ was backed with another cover version, ‘Where Did Our Love Go’ which meant that as none of Soft Cell wrote the songs the royalties they earned from this monstrous hit were greatly reduced.
1980 Number One Singles
September 2, 2008 at 1:10 pm | In music | Leave a CommentTags: 1980, Blondie, David Bowie, Dexy's Midnight Runners, ELO, music, number one singles, Olivia Newton-John, Robert Altman, The Jam, The Pretenders, The Specials
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.
Who is Katy Perry?
August 11, 2008 at 4:06 pm | In music | 1 CommentTags: Katy Perry, music
Was having a bit of surf of the news during my lunch and found out that Katy Perry was the new UK number 1. Who is Katy Perry? No idea. In true blog style I’m sure we could say she’s the daughter of e.g. Chris, Fred, Cider, Kevin And etc., but she isn’t. As my own good knowledge of UK pop has pretty much evaporated in recent years I did a bit of surfing to find out who this person was. By chance I found this bit of blog work which I thought was interesting. I’ve no idea who Katy Perry is or wants to be but there are some interesting points raised alongside an insightful point about faux-lesbianism.
Overlooked 90s Rock Classics
June 11, 2008 at 4:20 pm | In music | Leave a CommentTags: dinosaur jr., music, pavement, suede
Great indie songs can often get lost if they don’t slot neatly into the discotechque vibe and I thought I’d drop a few lost songs in that fit that criteria and undeservedly get lost in time. Thanks to the glories of You Tube, and I guess you could also thank the introduction of the music video, these tracks can remain forever.
Pavement are one of those bands that got a lot of alternative and critical success although I struggled to warm to them. However with Crooked Rain they delivered an album that was more commerical than previous efforts, catching my pop sensibilities in doing so. There are at least three truly brilliant songs on there but Range Life is probably the pick. It’s a great little pop song that ticks over beautifully in their typically discordant way before exploding into the laziest of summer jams.
Dinosaur Jnr’s Start Choppin’ was released a few years after the immense ‘Freak Scene’ and was largely ignored as grunge had become mainstream and jokers like Alice In Chains, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam cashed in on their US rock credibility, taking the American market towards commercial punk/nu-metal. This is a terrific record though and features some brilliant guitar work by one of the most underrated guitarists of the past twenty years, J Mascis. There must be a ‘best of’ compilation around and it’s definitely worth checking to hear how good American alternative rock was before it lost its edge in the 90s as it became polished, inoffensive and corporate, opening the way for the British.
Suede were one of the bands that filled that void breaking through thanks to some great singles that helped people to believe in the incredible hype that supported them. Although that debut album garnered a lot of critical acclaim I found it to be three amazing singles sharing space with some other songs. I think The Wild Ones was the second release off their follow-up, the excellent ‘Dog Man Star’ and it captures perfectly what the band were about with that album being comfortably one of the best of its year. ‘Coming Up’ is probably their finest hour but it was on ‘Dog Man Star’ and in particular this song they threw off the poor David Bowie clones criticism. If you got past the posturing of Brett Anderson then you found one of the best bands of the 90s.
Alphabeat, Gabrielle Cilmi, Babes In Toyland & Bongwater
March 29, 2008 at 4:05 pm | In music | Leave a CommentTags: alphabeat, babes in toyland, bongwater, gabrielle cilmi, music, pale saints
Had a bit of a surf this morning and stumbled onto YouTube and thought I’d mention a couple of songs that have caught my ear recently. The first, amazingly, didn’t get to number one which I am flabbergasted about. It’s Alphabeat’s simply brilliant Fascination. What a belting pop song and I’m too painfully aware that I’m beginning to sound like an old folk talking about the latest sounds so no need to remind me.
Getting a lot of airplay on the radio is Gabrielle Cilmi with Sweet About Me which is one of those songs that you’ll either love of hate because of her voice.
If all that pop posturing and corporate singalong gloss is too much for you, here’s a couple of lost American alternative cuts that raged against the machine in the much darker days before corporate indie took over the charts. Both of these are personal favourites. Sadly I was unable to find any video to go with the first of these, which isn’t surprising because indie music in those days meant the most basic homemade style vids, if you even got a vid. I can remember a Pale Saints video that was absolutely terrible. I had a look at it again and yes it’s just as bad now.
First up is a live performance of Catatonic by Babes In Toyland. Fronted by the very alluring Kat Bjelland I was fortunate enough to catch Babes In Toyland a couple of times and they were electric, if a bit light on melody at times.
Second up is one of those really early videos for bands that are putting out music on their own label. It’s Bongwater with The Drum. About as basic a video as you can get and although it’s pretty far away from being their best song it has excellent pop sensibilities and I’m tshows that it is possible to do great cover versions that are better than the original.
Coincidentally both Babes In Toyland and Bongwater features in John Peel’s Festive 50 for 1991.
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