No recap of the 70s show this week, because the only new-to-BGC song on there was a Chicago song that I found okay but unremarkable. So let's dive straight back into 1987.
20 - "Can'tcha Say (You Believe in Me)/Still in Love," Boston
19 - "What's Going On," Cyndi Lauper
18 - "Come as You Are," Peter Wolf
17 - "Let's Go," Wang Chung
16 - "Dominoes," Robbie Nevil
The second half begins with Boston's last Top 40 hit to date, a truly Bostonian power ballad full of cliches, guitar noodling, and Brad Delp's high-voiced earnestness. This is billed as a medley of two songs, but really, they could have just called it one song and got away with it. But that's not how Boston rolls. And they sold a buttload of records, so I suppose it works for them.
Cyndi Lauper is here with her take on Marvin Gaye's 1971 protest classic. I'm sure she meant well, but between her voice and the candy-coated synthpop arrangement, it just doesn't work. I love ya, Cyndi, but I gotta tell the truth.
Next is the third and last solo hit by ex-J. Geils Band singer Peter Wolf. It's an invitation to a wild, fun bash in which the only requirement for attendance is to be oneself. It's the same sort of boisterous, enjoyable party rock his old band specialized in. Very good.
Then Wang Chung return from last time, stating that they "can't hold back no more." Calm down, guys. Too much Wang Chunging can be dangerous.
Rounding out this group is Robbie Nevil, following up his #2 "C'est La Vie" with in another uptempo pop-rocker, this one about a woman who has knocked over a series of suitors in a manner similar to the titular game pieces when they are lined up. Okay song. Also, it gives me a chance to admit that I'm a sucker for a good domino trick, you know, when they set up thousands of them to climb hills and set off traps and it all forms some kind of pattern. You don't see enough of that these days. That's a fad that could use a revival. I can't do it, though. My hands aren't steady enough.
15 - "Stone Love," Kool and the Gang
14 - "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight," Genesis
13 - "With or Without You," U2
12 - "La Isla Bonita," Madonna
11 - "Walking Down Your Street," The Bangles
This section opens with Kool and the Gang's last Top 40. Like I've said before, this chart has opened my eyes to the fact that they did have a few decent hits in this decade. This, however, isn't one of them. It's the kind of bland R&B-pop that they did way too much of in the 80s. Again, however, it's better than "Cherish."
Genesis are back from last time with their beer-commercial hit. It's not bad in and of itself, but overplay in Michelob commercials kind of ruined it.
Next are U2 with their first #1, which introduced the world to The Joshua Tree, the album that established them as one of the biggest bands in the world. It's a midtempo ballad about a complicated love relationship. I probably don't need to say any more. I'm sure you've heard it several times. It's big and epic, and deserved its success. And it's much better than that Linkin Park song that ripped it off.
Then it's Madonna with her Latin-flavored ode to an island paradise full of wildlife, tropical breezes, and romance. Nothing world-changing, just simple, pleasing pop.
Closing out this bunch is the fourth hit for The Bangles. It's an okay bit of pop-rock about a woman being determined to get her man back, even if she has to "sacrifice my pride." I'm sure Susannah Hoffs can do better than this guy. And I know her band can do better than this.
And just ten tributes remain to battle to the death.
10 - "(I Just) Died in Your Arms," Cutting Crew
The first and biggest hit for these British blandmeisters was this craptastic semi-ballad about msking mistakes in love, or something. The title was inspired by a French term for orgasms ("le petit mort," the little death). And I certainly derived nowhere near that much pleasure from this hunk of shit. One of the worst #1s of the decade, surely.
9 - "Come Go with Me," Exposé
The Miami girl group's first hit established their Latin-tinged dance-pop template. I guess this was the best of the lot, but that's not saying much.
8 - "The Finer Things," Steve Winwood
Another of the hits that powered the Back in the High Life LP to triple-platinum. Bland pop-rock about appreciating love over everything else, with lyrics like "time is a river rolling into nowhere." The kind of unremarkable song that sounds just pleasant enough to fill radio airtime and become a hit. Nothing more, nothing less.
7 - "Lean on Me," Club Nouveau
The hip-hop/R&B take on the Bill Withers classic returns. Again, not a great version, but the song still shines through.
6 - "Looking for a New Love," Jody Watley
The first solo hit by the ex-Shalamar singer was this strutting dance-pop number about moving on from a bad relationship. Hardly groundbreaking, but it has a charm and a swagger. She never topped it. And it's a shame that that Cutting Crew dunglump kept it out of the #1 spot.
5 - "Midnight Blue," Lou Gramm
"Son, life is simple," little Louis Grammatico's father apparently told him once. "It's either cherry red or midnight blue." Um, that doesn't seem simple at all to me. But this song, about moving forward from past mistakes to make a better life, is terrific, shimmering pop-rock. Nothing Lou did with Foreigner came even close to this. Just a great, great song.
4 - "Sign o' the Times," Prince
When pop stars get serious, it can be disastrous. You have to actually have something worthwhile to say, and you have to say it in both a lyrically interesting and a musically engaging way. If you don't, you can come off as embarrassingly ill-informed or thuddingly heavy-handed. But Prince decided to take on this challenge, and he pulled it off skillfully, commenting on AIDS, gangs, drug abuse, poverty, natural disasters, and nuclear war over an ominously funky instrumental bed. It makes you think, but doesn't overwhelm you to the point of turning you off. For turning that difficult trick and still making it to the upper reaches of the chart, this gets this week's Uneasy Rider.
3 - "Don't Dream it's Over," Crowded House
The Aussie-Zealanders return with their biggest American hit. Still a thing of gentle, reflective beauty.
2 - "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," Starship
I only wish something could have.
And the number one song a quarter-century ago was...
1 - "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," Aretha Franklin and George Michael
Nearly 20 years after first hitting #1 with "Respect," The Queen of Soul returned to the pinnacle of pop with this midtempo duet with the man from Wham! Not a great song by any means, especially since the chorus practically rips off the one from "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" wholesale. But the vocal performances lift it from "meh" to "not bad." And you can't help but be impressed with how well George managed to hang with Aretha.
This week's NotCaseys were "Always" by Atlantic Starr, "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi, "Lessons in Love" by Level 42, and "You Can Call Me Al," by Paul Simon. During the countdown, Casey played Wings' "Band on the Run" to accompany a story of how lefty Paul McCartney learned to simply turn his guitar upside down from a picture of country singer (and 80s record-commercial legend) Slim Whitman. And he also played two LDDs. In the first, a woman dedicate The Little River Band's "Cool Change" to her recovering-alcoholic husband. And in the second, a man sent Michael Jackson's "Rockin' Robin" out to his young son, because it was the song he used to sing with the child before the two were separated by divorce.
And on to the next.
No comments:
Post a Comment