First of all, RIP Adam "MCA" Yauch. A major loss for music.
This week, we go back...to the future! Actually, that movie wouldn't come out for another two months. The big news this week back in old '85 was Ronald Reagan's controversial decision to attend a memorial service in Germany at a cemetery where former Nazi SS officers were buried. And while that was happening, these were the biggest hits in the U.S.A.:
40 - "The Neverending Story," Limahl
39 - "Invisible," Alison Moyet
38 - "Smuggler's Blues," Glenn Frey
37 - "Material Girl," Madonna
36 - "Lost in Love," New Edition
35 - "Say You're Wrong," Julian Lennon
34 - "'Til My Baby Comes Home," Luther Vandross
33 - "Heaven," Bryan Adams
32 - "Celebrate Youth," Rick Springfield
31 - "Walking On Sunshine," Katrina and the Waves
We'll start with British solo singers. Christopher Hamill, the ex-Kajagoogoo singer who created his stage moniker by rearranging the letters in his surname, had his only American solo hit with this Giorgio Moroder- crafted title tune from a German children's film. Sunny electropop with lyrics about fantasy and rainbows. Doesn't do much for me. And no, I've never seen the movie. Alison Moyet, who's lasting legacy is probably her work with the dance duo Yazoo, had her big U.S. solo moment with this soul number, penned by none other than legendary Motown tunesmith Lamont Dozier, about hanging on to a go-nowhere relationship because "it's too hard to start over again." A great song, and Moyet has more than enough in the pipes department to do it justice. A very underrated pop jewel. And Julian Lennon hit the 40 for a third time with a bouncy pop song about being unsure of where one stands with a love interest. He sounds happier here than on his other hits. Probably his best single.
Then we have the Americans. Glenn Frey got all gritty with this rock tale about the illegal drug trade, detailing the violence, the deception, the "lure of easy money," and the fact that the "war on drugs" is pretty much unwinnable. That wasn't a popular notion in the Nancy Reagan era, but as each year passes, it seems more and more true. This is probably the most tolerable Glenn Frey has ever been to these ears. Madonna is back from last time with her ode to marrying for money. Still fun. Much more fun than what I've heard from her new record. And Luther Vandross had another of his earliest pop hits with midtempo funk about not giving into temptation when his woman is away. He knows she can't stay away from that Luther magic. The man knew he had it goin' on.
Two groups pop up in this section. New Edition picked up their third pop hit with a charming but unremarkable R&B ballad. And Ralph Tresvant's voice grates on me more than usual on this. And American Katrina Leskanich and the band of Englishmen she fronted had their biggest hit by far with this, for lack of a better term, sunny pop-rock burst of unfettered idealism. It's very well-done, but I have to be in the right mood to hear it, or else it's fingernails on a chalkboart. But right now I'm pretty happy, so I have to say, don't it feel good? Say it, say it, say it again.
We close this section with two solo men born outside of the U.S. and Britain. Canadian Bryan Adams scored his first American #1 with this sappy ballad that originally appeared a year-and-a-half earlier in a movie called A Night in Heaven, which starred Christopher Atkins as a college student by day/male stripper by night. I assume the movie is more interesting than this song. It'd almost have to be. But clearly, it worked for Mr. Adams, and its success is probably what convinced him that doing terrible ballads for film soundtracks was the way to go after his rock songs started tanking. And Rick Springfield was nearing the end of his major 80s run when he put out this dance rocker about how the children are our future or something. He was never that great, but at least a lot of his stuff had a fun charm. This doesn't.
30 - "One Lonely Night," REO Speedwagon
29 - "Vox Humana," Kenny Loggins
28 - "Forever Man," Eric Clapton
27 - "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody," David Lee Roth
26 - "In My House," The Mary Jane Girls
25 - "Fresh," Kool and the Gang
24 - "Things Can Only Get Better," Howard Jones
23 - "Missing You," Diana Ross
22 - "Along Comes a Woman," Chicago
21 - "Rock and Roll Girls," John Fogerty
We begin this bunch with four groups. REO Speedwagon followed up the huge success of the terrible "Can't Fight This Feeling" with another ballad, this one that tells a man that he's not going to stay away from the lover he fought with for long, for just a single evening without her "is all it takes to A completely break you." Much more interesting and spirited than their previous single. I kind of like it. The Mary Jane Girls, a female vocal quartet masterminded by funk star Rick James, had their only pop hit with this promise of frequent sexual availability. Yes, Rick knew how to write sophisticated, intelligent material for women. Kool and the Gang are here, as they usually are; this time with a song about an exciting new lady who`s attracted their attention. This is definitely on the low end of my 80s K&tG spectrum. And Chicago had their last hit with Peter Cetera with this slick uptempo number about how the love of a good female changes things. For the better, of course.
Then we go to the American solo singers. Kenny Loggins is here with an uptempo pop tune that has somethng to do with the power of talking to each other, or something. It doesn't matter, though. I like it because it reminds me of "I'm Alright." David Lee Roth followed up his Beach Boys cover by reaching even farther back to do a faithful version of a 1956 hit medley by jazz bandleader Louis Prima that combines a song about a man who makes his living, er, loving ladies, with another song about loneliness. The two mesh very well, and Roth's natural showmanship is a great fit with this older style. Diana Ross had what would be her last Top Ten single with this tribute ballad to the late Marvin Gaye. The song itself isn't really my cup of tea, but there's no doubting the sincerity of how much she loved and missed her friend. Perhaps her best vocal performance of the decade. And John Fogerty had his second and last Top 40 hit from his #1 comeback LP Centrefield with this charming little pop song about love. A solid song, but it's certainly been eclipsed over the years by the albums baseball-centric title track, which only reached #44 upon its original release.
The first half closes with two British solo men. Eric Clapton had his last Top 40 hit of the 80s with this airy pop-rocker about pledging undying love. A little too reliant on keyboards for a man known for his guitar playing, but okay nonetheless. And synthpopper Howard Jones cracked the U.S. Top Ten for the first time with this song about pushing through the tough times with the knowledge that a bright future is ahead. I liked his two hits before this, and most of the ones he had after it, better.
Tomorrow: a song now associated with someone I despise, two diggerent approaches to the world, and a big hit about...a board game?
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