This week we go back to 1985. I was 14. And this was the music.
40 - "The Borderlines," Jeffrey Osborne
39 - "I'm on Fire," Bruce Springsteen
38 - "Obsession," Animotion
37 - "Take Me With U," Prince and the Revolution with Apollonia
36 - "Operator," Midnight Star
35 - "I Wanna Hear it From Your Lips," Eric Carmen
34 - "Turn Up the Radio," Autograph
33 - "Nighrshift," The Commodores
32 - "You're The Inspiration," Chicago
31 - "Rockin' at Midnight," The Honeydrippers
We begin with R&B and dance-pop. Jeffrey Osborne had another one of his hits with this uptempo tale of a love that has to overcome obstacles that may involve some sort of international intrigue. I think it might be my favorite of his. It has spark. Animotion, a synth-pop group made up of five Los Angelenos and British singer Astrid Plane, had their biggest hit with this driving dancefloor number about all-consuming desire. The two lead singers go on about how much they want each other, with the man talking about how "my fantasy has turned to madness" and the woman saying that she wants to captutre and collect him like "a wild butterfly." Soundwise, it's very much of its time, but it has aged well. Kentucky's Midnight Star had their only pop Top 40 with this burbling funk groover that seems to be about an elaborate version of phone sex. I like it, but I probably enjoy one of their earlier R&B hits, "Freak-A-Zoid" more, and not only beause Apu Nahasapeemapetilon danced to it at his brother Sanjay's party. And the Commodores had their first and only post-Lionel pop Top 40 with this sweet tribute to two recently passed soul legends, Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson. It's not the greatest song, but their hearts were definitely in the right place.
Then we have rock. Bruce Springsteen had his fourth Born in the U.S.A. hit with this moody, chugging expression of barely-supressed lust. It's kind of like Bruce's version of "Every Breath You Take." Prince had the last and least-successful of his Purple Rain hits with this duet with his romantic lead in the movie, the woman born Patricia Kotero. Basically, the two of them go on about how much they like being around each other. It really isn't one of Prince's greatest moments, but it's not bad. L.A. pop-metallers had their only hit with this anthemic ode to cranking up the tunes. Not lyrically memorable, except when they repurpose an old Coca-Cola slogan by declaring "Things go better with rock." And they are not to be confused with the Russian band Autograph, who would be the Soviet Union's representatives at Live Aid that summer. And The Honeydrippers, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page's retro-rock lark, had their second and last hit with this cover of a 1949 R&B hit about a crazy party that involved stolen chickens, women losing their wigs, and brick-throwing. I guess you had to be there.
We finish with a couple chunks of MOR. Eric Carmen had his first hit in seven years with this song about wanting his lover to tell him he loves him. It's merely boring, and by Eric Carmen solo standards, that makes it practically a masterpiece. And Chicago are here with the pinnacle of their sappy suckitude, which appropriately was their last Top Ten hit with Peter Cetera. The two entities would then go their separate ways, giving the world twice as much syrupy crap as they could as one. Thanks, guys.
30 - "Somebody," Bryan Adams
29 - "Foolish Heart," Steve Perry
28 - "Just Another Night," Mick Jagger
27 - "Keeping the Faith," Billy Joel
26 - "The Boys of Summer," Don Henley
25 - "High on You," Survivor
24 - "Naughty Naughty," John Parr
23 - "Save a Prayer," Duran Duran
22 - "One More Night," Phil Collins
21 - "Jungle Love," The Time
This section is what the kids call a "sausage fest." How to divide it up...
I'll start with the solo men from outside the United States. Canada's Bryan Adams had his second hit from Reckless with this meat-and-potatoes rocker about the search for companionship. It's simple, but catchy. And sometimes that's enough. Mick Jagger had his first solo hit with this pop-rocker about wanting a tryst to last just a little bit longer. Nothing memorable or extraordinary about it. He needs Keith, and Keith needs him. England's John Parr had his first American hit with this sex-heavy rocker in which he tries to seduce a woman in spite of her insistence that "I don't want to be a girl like that." I think he wins out in the end. Anyway, it's hard to imagine that this panting horndog would come back a few months later with the squeaky-clean and inspirational "Man in Motion (St. Elmo's Fire)." And Phil Collins had his first solo #1 with this smooth, soulish ballad that was the first single from his monster No Jacket Required album. He does okay with it, but this was the beginning of him becoming a little too polished and smarmy for my taste.
Then we have the American males. Journey's Steve Perry is here, having a conversation with his heart, trying to convince it to be smarter in its choices of people to fall in love with. "You've been wrong before, don't be wrong anymore," he pleads. Yeah, Steve, it's that simple. Billy Joel squeezed out one more hit from An Innocent Man with this bouncy pop ditty about looking back to the clothes he wore and the things he did in his teenage days. Basically, it's the mission statement for that whole album, and it's a fairly decent song. Don Henley had his second Top 40 single with this slick rocker about getting older and seeing strange sights like "a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac." Probably Don's best overall solo hit. And Casey used the Deadhead reference to mention that the Grateful Dead had never scored a Top 40 hit. Little did he know that two years later, that would change.
And to finish the first have, we have bands. Survivor picked up their first non-"Eye of the Tiger" Top Ten with this synth-laden rocker about a woman who causes "complete intoxication." I wonder if Breathalyzers can pick that up. Anyway, this isn't much. Nothing over the top like their Rocky hits. It's just there. Duran Duran are here with their first ballad hit, a song that didn't crack the U.S. charts until three years after its original release. Not sure what it's about, but it's well-crafted pop, just like most of their hits. And Minneapolis funk outfit The Time, who played Prince's rivals in Purple Rain, had their first pop hit with this fun ode to animalistic romance. And yes, I like this better than the Steve Miller song of the same name.
Tomorrow: self-control, self-plagiarism, and just plain selfishness.
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