January 25, 1986 Part Two

Before we wrap up 1986, let's have a brief look at January 24, 1976.

Diana Ross was on top with the theme from Mahogany. The Top Ten included "Love Rollercoaster," "Love to Love You Baby," and "Convoy." And below...I did not remember that Helen Reddy recorded "Somewhere in the Night," three years before Barry Manilow did, but there she is at 24. And with all due respect to Barry, I gotta go with my girl Helen on this one...Olivia Newton-John is looking for "a lovelight to keep her body warm" on the country-pop "Let it Shine" at 30...Linda Ronstadt is here with, surprise, a cover, this time of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' "Tracks of My Tears" at 37. Not one of her better ones, at least to me...For once, Barry White just wants to dance, nothing more, on "Let the Music Play" at 38...And the Spinners are at 40 with "Love or Leave," a song that tells us "there is no crutch for love that's lame." Very true. But this week, the spotlight falls on...

27 - "Paloma Blanca," The George Baker Selection
This Dutch group first cracked the American charts in 1970 with the funky "Little Green Bag," which has since been immortalized by Quentin Tarantino in Reservoir Dogs. Their only other dent on the U.S. pop landscape came six years later with this song that can best be described as "disco-polka." It's about imagining oneself with the freedom of a bird ("paloma blanca" being spanish for "white dove"). It's probably the most Lawrence Welk-ish song to hit the charts during the 70s (yes, even ahead of "My Melody of Love"). But it's still catchy, in its cheesy way.

Okay, now let's clean up '86

20 - "Sidewalk Talk," Jellybean
19 - "Goodbye," Night Ranger
18 - "It's Only Love," Bryan Adams and Tina Turner
17 - "How Will I Know," Whitney Houston
16 - "Conga," Miami Sound Machine

The second half begins with producer John Benitez's first hit as an artist, a dance-pop number that takes the old "the walls have ears" saying and transfers it to a lower surface. The song was written by Madonna, whom he had previously produced, and she also sings the chorus on the track, while Catt Buchanan handles the rapid-fire, rap-sung verses. Who? Exactly. Anyway, this is all right.

Night Ranger are back from last time, reaffirming their inability to exit situations well. Ho hum.

Next is Bryan Adams getting his ass handed to him vocally by Tina Turner. Bryan can sing a bit, in his way, but he just can't hang with Tina.

Then it's Whitney Houston with her third hit, her first upbeat single. She wonders if her relationship is the real thing. I'm not sure if it was, but by this time, it was perfectly clear that Whitney was the genuine article.

This section closes with Gloria Estefan and Co. once again inviting us all to shake our bodies and feel the rhythm. And I usually take them up on it.

15 - "Tonight She Comes," The Cars
14 - "Small Town," John Cougar Mellencamp
13 - "Go Home," Stevie Wonder
12 - "Alive and Kicking," Simple Minds
11 - "When the Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going," Billy Ocean

This bunch is led off by The Cars, back for a third time with a then-new track from a Greatest Hits record. That happens quite a bit, and honestly, I don't like it. Kind of presumptuous, as far as I'm concerned. But at least this one charted well, and therefore justified its presence.

Next is Mr. Mellencamp, back again with his ode to mid-size communities. It's good, but I could stand not hearing it for a while.

Then it's Steveland Morris, returning with his last Top Ten hit. I'm glad he had this to cleanse the palate of "I Just Called to Say I Love You" and "Part Time Lover."

Simple Minds show up again with the biggest of the hits they actually wrote. I must say, while I do like "Don't You (Forget About Me)" for what it is, I'm glad the band actually had a hit more representative of their own sound.

This group is rounded out by Billy Ocean, here this time with an uptempo love song from the film The Jewel of the Nile, the sequel to Romancing the Stone. This is why Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito got to lip-synch in the video. That didn't make it a good idea, though.

Ten songs to rule them all:

10 - "Spies Like Us," Paul McCartney
This soundtrack trifle would be the last Macca single to crack the American Top Ten. That kind of sucks. I wish something like his 1989 Elvis Costello co-write "My Brave Face" could have climbed high enough to take away that distinction.

9 - "Party All the Time," Eddie Murphy
Oh Eddie, there was no need for this. You should have just told Rick James "I'm not a real singer, you should just record this yourself." But I suppose it was the 80s, and people didn't always have the best judgement, for reasons I won't go into.

8 - "I Miss You," Klymaxx
This song does nothing for me, and the spelling of the band's name makes me think of porn stars. Not good.

7 - "Walk of Life," Dire Straits
Johnny's still busking in the subway. And I'm still listening.

6 - "My Hometown," Bruce Springsteen
The Boss tied Michael Jackson't record of seven Top Ten hits from one album with this stark ballad about a man who's seen the place he saw as idyllic as a child spiral downward due to racial tensions and harsh economic realities. Near the end, he and his wife discuss leaving, but it's clear he's torn about it, because he still wants to pass on the sense of home to his own son that his father did to him. Well-drawn and bittersweet, like much of Springsteen's best.

5 - "I'm Your Man," Wham!
Yes, George Michael could pull off swaggering sexuality in his day. And Andrew Ridgely...stood beside him.

4 - "Talk to Me," Stevie Nicks
Stevie wants to be your confidant. She seems trustworthy enough. But would she write a song about what you told her later? I think she would. But speaking for myself, I'd probably be more flattered than mad.

3 - "Burning Heart," Survivor
Really, who else would you want to have soundtracking the biggest-ever fictional USA vs. USSR sporting event in history? Big dumb rock and the Cold War: separately they're depressing, but together, magic!

2 - "Say You, Say Me," Lionel Richie
Another song from a Cold War-themed film. But this one involved men dancing together, not punching each other. Maybe White Nights would have been bigger if they'd gotten Survivor to do a song. I bet Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines could have busted some cool moves to "Burning Heart."

And at the pinnacle of pop this week 26 years ago, we find...

1 - "That's What Friends are For," Dionne and Friends
Ms. Warwick teamed up with Stevie, Gladys, and Sir Elton for a waiting-room-friendly warm fuzzy-fest for a good cause. Don't care for the song, but it hardly matters. All hearts were in the right place.

The NotCaseys this week were "Sanctify Yourself" by Simple Minds, "Manic Monday" by The Bangles, "These Dreams" by Heart, and "Let's Go All the Way" by Sly Fox. And there were two Long Distance Dedications. In the first, a man named Tom dedicated Kenny Loggins' "Forever" to a woman named Robin, whose love helped keep him on the straight and narrow. And the second one was truly moving: A teenage runaway who'd turned to prostitution to survive dedicated Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" to encourage other girls who were having problems at home not to follow her path.

See you all next week: same Glove-time, same Glove-channel.