Before we wrap up '87, let's take a detour to June 23, 1973.
Paul McCartney and Wings were at #1 with "My Love." The rest of the Top Ten contained such favorites as "Playground in My Mind," "Will it Go Round in Circles," "Kodachrome," and "Daniel."...First among the newbies are The Stylistics at #23 with "You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart)," a Bacharach/David composition that was originally a hit for Dionne Warwick in 1964. Classy cool...Boston's J. Geils Band had their second hit with the energetic bar-rock workout "Give it to Me," this week's #30...At #31 we find "And I Love You So," the final pop hit for relazed crooner Perry Como. As sleepy as you'd imagine, but hey, it had been 30 years since he first hit the charts, so cut the man some slack...Eric Carmen is here at #36, but fortunately, it's as a member of The Raspberries. "Let's Pretend" is solid, dreamy romance pop. I guess the other guys in the band kept his sappier tendencies in check...And at #38, soul group The Dells had their final pop hit with "Give Your Baby a Standing Ovation." A cool sentiment, but perhaps impractical in real life...But this week, my spotlight falls on...
34 - "No More Mr. Nice Guy," Alice Cooper
The last hit for the original Alice Cooper band was this song that Alice (the man) wrote after hearing the negative reactions of his mother's church group toward his act and image. "They say, 'He's sick, he's obscene.'" He turned that into a fun rock tale of a former (figurative) choirboy who's now become such a pariah that his pets have turned on him, his parents are shunned by the community, and when he tries to go to church in disguise, the minister recognizes him and punches him. One of Alice's most enduring hits, and deservedly so.
And now, back to 1987.
20 - "With or Without You," U2
19 - "Funkytown," Pseudo Echo
18 - "Jammin' Me," Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
17 - "Something So Strong," Crowded House
16 - "Point of No Return," Exposé
The second half opens with the return of U2's breakthrough smash. A standard of slow-burn rock. Simple and solid.
Australians Pseudo Echo had their only American hit with a rock cover of Lipps Inc.'s 1980 disco classic. There's nothing interesting about the band, this version is completely unnecessary, and that's all I have to say about it.
Next are Tom Petty and company with a song he co-wrote with bandmate Mike Campbell and future fellow-Travelling Wilbury Bob Dylan. It's a jagged rocker about someone who's sick of being deluged by uselsess information from the media. Among the things this person wants the world to "take back" are Vanessa Redgrave, Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy. Okay. I understand how the last two are connected, but Redgrave seems like the random addition to this trio. Still, cool song.
Then it's Crowded House with their second and last U.S. Top 40. It's catchy pop-rock about the intensity of love. Just as good as "Don't Dream it's Over." Like I've said before, these guys deserved several more American hits, but I think pop radio turned in a direction that shut them out.
This bunch ends with Miami dance trio Exposé and another of their disco hits. I just don't care about this group enough to say much more about any of their songs. They existed, people liked their music for a couple years, good for them.
15 - "The Lady in Red," Chris DeBurgh
14 - "Don't Disturb This Groove," The System
13 - "Lessons in Love," Level 42
12 - "Shakedown," Bob Seger
11 - "Meet Me Half Way," Kenny Loggins
This section begins with the return of Chris DeBurgh's massive ballad about his favorite scarlet woman. Still overly sappy and cringeworthy.
Synth-soul duo The System had their only pop hit with this midtempo ballad about the kind of activity that makes two people feel the need to hang a sign on their hotel-room door. "You're my lollipops and everything and a little taste of sin," singer Mic Murphy says. Tasty, in a weird sex way. Anyway, I like this more than most songs of its type.
Next are England's Level 42 with their second and last American hit, a bland synthpopper about trying to learn from romantic mistakes. I get the feeling that a lot of their other stuff was interesting, but man, their hits were dull.
Then it's the Styx of Detroit with his only #1 hit. He was away from his Silver Bullet Band when he teamed up with Harold "Axel F." Faltermeyer and producer Keith Forsey to write this synth-rocker for the Beverly Hills Cop II soundtrack. It's big and noisy and has lyrics about chases and getting busted. I guess it worked at the time, but it comes off as very dated and cheesy now.
This group is closed out by a Kenny Loggins soundtrack ballad about new beginnings. Any idea what movie it was from? Well, it was a film called Over the Top, in which Sylvester Stallone played a truck driver who wins the love of his estranged son by winning the World Arm Wrestling Championship. Ah, the 80s. Anyway, the movie sounds terrible, but this song is okay.
The Top Ten are here to see you. They don't have an appointment, but I'm sure you can squeeze them in.
10 -"Just to See Her," Smokey Robinson
Smokey returned to the Top Ten for the first time in six years with this ballad about wanting his baby back. I like his voice on this one. His best hit of the 80s.
9 - "Songbird," Kenny G.
This Seattle sax smoothie had his first pop hit with this sleepy instrumental that has been soothing waiting-room occupants for a quarter of a century now. He's boring, but he's made a shitload of money. And apparently, he's a very good golfer. But of course he is.
8 - "You Keep Me Hangin' On," Kim Wilde
The second-generation British pop star rerurns with the Supremes cover that was her only American #1. Still completely unnecessary. I'd rather hear "Kids in America."
7 - "Wanted Dead or Alive," Bon Jovi
The Jersey pop-metal collective followed up their two hard-rockin' #1s with this acoustic ballad on which Jon compares his life as a tourning singer to that of a cowboy riding "a steel horse" with "a loaded six-string on my back." Clever. Three years later, Jon would continue down this Western path with his #1 solo hit "Blaze of Glory" from the movie Young Guns II. But his first venture into this territory was by far the better one.
6 - "Alone," Heart
The band's second and last #1 was this big bombastic ballad about loneliness that's become a favorite among singing-competition participants. I guess it works as a showcase in that context, but as a song, I don't think much of it. I tell ya, if these guys broke up in 1980, I'd have been a lot happier.
5 - "Diamonds," Herb Alpert
The trumpet star had his final pop Top Ten with this dance track that was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and sung by Janet Jackson (who at the time was recording for A&M, the record label Alpert co-founded) and Lisa Keith. Basically, it's an update of "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend," even going as far as to contain that very phrase. Anyway/ it's all right, but there's not a heck of a lot of trumpet on it. But again, he owned the label, so...
4 - "In Too Deep," Genesis
The fourth hit from the monster LP Invisible Touch was this bland ballad that really doesn't do anything for me. Just Phil Collins on autopilot.
3 - "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)," Whitney Houston
The first single from Whitney's second album was this uptempo tune about wanting to shake one's booty, but only with "The One" as a partner. I think it's the best thing she ever did, and it the fourth of her string of seven straight #1s.
2 - "Always," Atlantic Starr
The only pop #1 for this R&B group was this okay ballad about eternal devotion that I'm sure was the wedding song of the summer of '87. But how many of those marriages were later destroyed by "Secret Lovers"?
And the top song in the U.S.A. 25 years ago was...
1 - "Head to Toe," Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
The group's first Full Force-less hit became their first #1. It's a dance track about the giddiness of romance, but theres a retro feel to it that appeals to me more than most such songs from this period. It could have been recorded in many different styles and still have been catchy. Easily the best thing these guys did.
This week's NotCaseys were "Rock Steady" by The Whispers, "Give to Live" by Sammy Hagar, "Seven Wonders" by Fleetwood Mac, and "Don't Dream it's Over" by Crowded House. And there was only one LDD this week: A Buffalo man, tired of all the negative comments people made about his city and convinced that there were better times ahead for both the town and its sports teams, sent out a message to the haters in the form of Timbuk 3's "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades."
Another down. More soon. Bye bye.
No comments:
Post a Comment