And now, the neglected orphans of 1985-1988.
January 19, 1985
13 - "Do They Know It's Christmas," Band Aid
The song that started it all. After seeing a news report about the famine in Ethiopia, former Boomtown Rat Bob Geldof decided to do something to help. He called a friend, Midge Ure from the band Ultravox, and together they wrote a song that asked listeners to help out people halfway around the world who were suffering while the West celebrated the holidays. Then the pair gathered together many of Britain's biggest pop stars and bands of the day, including Sting, Phil Collins, George Michael, Culture Club, Duran Duran, and U2, to perform the track. The result was a single that sold millions of copies around the world and raised large amounts of money for famine relief. And in its aftermath, there was USA for Africa's "We are the World," Canada's Northern Lights and "Tears are Not Enough," and in the summer, the massive Live Aid concert. And the song itself still gets seasonal airplay to this day. A noble effort overall, and questionable lyrics aside ("Thank God it's them instead of you"?), it's probably the best of the three major collaboration.
14 - "I Would Die 4 U," Prince and the Revolution
The fourth single from Purple Rain was this bit of new wave/funk on which he declares that he is not your lover or your friend, but rather "your messiah." 20 years after John Lennon got in trouble for his "bigger than Jesus" remarks, this caused no controversy whatsoever. Interesting. Good, but there's a reason it wasn't as big as the three hits before it.
26 - "Call to the Heart," Giuffria
This band, formed by keyboardist Gregg Giuffria after he left the proto-hair metal band Angel, had their only major hit with this cheeseball power ballad on which singer David Glenn Eisley sounds like a poor imitation of Steve Perry. Indistinct and forgettable.
34 - "Money Changes Everything," Cyndi Lauper
The fifth single from She's So Unusual was this cover of a 1980 song by an Atlanta New Wave band called The Brains. It's a catchy, synth-driven rocker about how, well, money changes everything. Unlike its predecessors, this missed the Top Ten by a wide margin, but it deserved a better fate. It's fantastic. And The Brains' original is well worth looking up too.
38 - "In Neon," Elton John
Sir Elton didn't get any higher than this with this vaguely countryish ballad about a girl's futile dreams of stardom. Better than some of his bigger hits from this decade.
39 - "Mistake No. 3," Culture Club
Boy George and co.'s penultimate U.S. hit was this ballad that, I think, is about how friends and lovers come in and out of one's life, and how some of them one might regret having removed from one's life. The wedding-themed video is kind of odd and frivolous, and doesn't quite match the tone of the song, Better to just listen to the song and appreciate George's usual affecting vocal performance.
March 16, 1985
34 - "This is Not America," David Bowie with the Pat Metheny Group
Bowie teamed up with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and his band for this song from the film The Falcon and the Snowman, which was based on the true story of two American men who sold security secrets to the Soviet Union in the late 70s. It's spooky and atmospheric. I only wonder if Bowie and Metheny might do a sequel for the soundtrack of the inevitable Edward Snowden movie.
35 - "Why Can't I Have You," The Cars
The fifth single from Heartbeat City was this synthpop ballad about how Ric Ocasek lusts after an unattainable woman with a "candy smile" and "eyes like mica." That man certainly has some unique ways of describing the ladies. Definitely not one of my favorites of theirs.
40 - "Radioactive," The Firm
This short-lived supergroup, fronted by Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, had their only pop hit with this catchy rocker on which Rodgers describes himself using the title word. And he means it as a good thing, I guess, although he does say "don't you stand too close, you might catch it." Whatever. I like it.
May 25, 1985
38 - "Show Some Respect," Tina Turner
The fifth and final American hit from Private Dancer was this okay funk-rocker about how a couple must treat each other with more dignity for their relationship to survive. Okay, but not in the same league as her biggest songs of this decade.
39 - "Oh Girl," Boy Meets Girl
The duo of George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam had their first hit with this song on which Merrill tells a woman that he doesn't need her and doesn't want to see her, even though it's pretty clear neither is true. Mediocre uptempo MOR that peaked right here. Three years later, however, they'd score a Top Five with "Waiting for a Star to Fall." And in between their only two Top 40s, Whitney Houston topped the charts with their compositions "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)."
June 29, 1985
31 - "Possession Obsession," Daryl Hall and John Oates
The fourth hit from their Big Bam Boom LP was this song about the perils of being overly needy and greedy. It's okay, but Oates sings lead, and chartwise, that's never a good thing..He does all right, but let's just say that the fact that H comes before O in the alphabet isn't the only reason Hall's always billed first.
37 - "Little by Little," Robert Plant
Plant's third solo pop hit was this tune about slowly but surely recovering from a traumatic event to the point where "I can breathe again." It's midtempo, synth-spiced corporate rock. Okay, but not up to the stuff he did with that famous band he was with before.
40 - "Wake Up (Next to You)," Graham Parker and The Shot
Parker, a British singer-songwriter, had built up critical acclaim and a cult following with his band The Rumour in the late 70s, but he never scored a U.S. Top 40 until forming a new band and releasing this rock ballad about how everything is right with the world as long as he awakens beside his special someone. Parker's voice has some similarities to Elvis Costello's, but he has his own style, and it works well. A pleasing radio tune. Parker never came close to this chart position again, but he did have a bit of a revival last year when he and the reunited Rumour appeared in the film This is 40.
February 15, 1986
28 - "Day by Day," The Hooters
The second and biggest of this Philly band's three hits was this okay rocker about not getting too far ahead of oneself. I still wish "All You Zombies" had gone Top 40 though. That could've contended for an Uneasy Rider for sure.
April 26, 1986
14 - "American Storm," Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
The tenth Top 40 of the decade for Detroit's Styx was this rootsy rocker about the numbness and isolation caused by cocaine addiction. At least that's what Seger said in an interview. Regardless, it's a decent tune, and much better than the title track of the album it came from, Like a Rock.
23 - "I Do What I Do (Theme for 9 1/2 Weeks)," John Taylor
The only solo hit by Duran Duran's bassist was this darkly steamy tune from the film in which Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke have a passionately destructive sexual relationship. Never seen it, don't feel the need to. I do know that both actors went through rocky career patches that saw revivals that were punctuated by Oscar nominations. I also know that Basinger won, and Mickey Rourke should have. Seriously, The Wrestler is one of my favorite movies.
26 - "Saturday Love," Cherelle with Alexander O'Neal
The first of this pair's two hit duets was this romantic R&B track written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Pleasant pop for any day of the week.
37 - "Stick Around," Julian Lennon
Lennon's fourth and last U.S. hit was saw him going in more of a synthpop direction on a song whose lyrics are basically "should I stay or should I go. Song's okay, and the sped-up video, which includes appearances by Joe Piscopo, Michael J. Fox, and three random women in bikinis, is, well, something to see.
38 - "Feel it Again," Honeymoon Suite
Formed in 1981 in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and deriving their name from their hometown's reputation as the preferred destination for newlyweds, these hard rockers scored their only major American hit with this rocker about jealousy. Good song, but the video features visual effects that look so incredibly cheesy and primitive now. I can tell you as a Canadian that this is clearly their best song. I can also tell you that our side of the Falls not only has most of the touristy stuff, but is also clearly better to look at than the American side. I've live most of my life within half-an-hour's drive of the place, Trust me.
39 - "For America," Jackson Browne
Browne's most recent Top 40 was this angry rocker that casts a cynical eye on what his homeland has become, contrasting his youthful idealism with the mistrust built up by Watergate and Vietnam and decrying "a generation's blank stare" and those who blindly declare "my country wrong or right." A little preachy, but a good enough song not to collapse under the weight of its politics.
June 21, 1986
29 - "One Hit (To the Body)," The Rolling Stones
One of the Stones' lesser 80s hits. Their basic sound accompanying Mick singing about a woman whose love he compares to a punch in the stomach. The sound of them on cruise control.
34 - "If She Knew What She Wants," The Bangles
The second Top 40 for these L.A. ladies was this sunny pop song about a hard-to-please woman. It was written by veteran singer-songwriter Jules Shear, who also penned Cyndi Lauper's hit "All Through the Night." Catchy tune, great lyrics, solid performance. All around good.
37 - "Out of Mind, Out of Sight," Models
This Melbourne band had been somewhat successful in their native land through the first half of the 80s, and opened for many major international acts on their Australian tours. But the band's only major dent on American music was this new wavish lust rocker on which the singer declares he's "gotta keep my body tight." I guess that means he works out to keep up an attractive appearance for his lover or lovers. That's considerate. As for the song, it's fun, dated cheese.
March 21, 1987
23 - "That Ain't Love," REO Speedwagon
REO's eleventh Top 40 was this midtempo rocker about how a relationship isn't really ideal if one side has most of the power. I think that's it. Probably in the middle of their pack of hits.
25 - "As We Lay," Shirley Murdock
Toledo soul singer Murdock had her only pop hit with this ballad about two people attached to others and their regrets the morning after a tryst. Understated yet passionate. A fine addition to the Adultery R&B sub-genre
May 9, 1987
25 - "Day-In, Day-Out," David Bowie
Bowie's next-to-last U.S. pop hit to date was this funk-rock tale about a woman born in impoverished circumstances who doesn't have the access to the means to improve her station, so she ends up turning to drugs, theft, and prostitution, and things don't end well for her. The video makes this all even clearer. An okay song, but unlike say, "For America," this one isn't quite sturdy enough to make its points effectively.
32 - "Get That Love," Thompson Twins
By the time of this, their penultimate American hit, the Twins were down to a duo, with Joe Leeway having left. It's a midtempo synthpop effort, typical of them, and contains a lyrical callback to their earlier hit "Lies." But it's definitely a notch below the stuff that made them famous.
35 - "Heartbreak Beat," The Psychedelic Furs
These Brit New Wavers, led by brothers Tim and Richard Butler, had been developing a following on both sides of the Atlantic throughout the 80s, and they had made a bit of a breaktrhrough in 1986 when a re-recorded version of their 1981 song "Pretty in Pink" peaked at #41 in America after being used as the title track to a hit Molly Ringwald movie. The band's next single, a slick rocker about experiencing not-quite-romance while listening to the radio, did crack the Top 40, but the band would later decide that the song and the album it came from were too much of a commercial compromise from their true sound, and thus they never came close to these chart heights again. Which was probably for the best. This song's okay, but if you want to hear them at their best, find songs like "Love My Way," "Heaven," and "The Ghost in You."
36 - "You Can Call Me Al," Paul Simon
After the commercial disappointment of his 1983 LP Hearts and Bones, Simon felt discouraged and uninspired. But then he heard a tape of some musical styles from South Africa, and he decided to go there to write and record with African musicians. The result was Graceland, a record that topped charts around the world, was hailed by critics, and helped expose more people to African music. But the only Top 40 hit it produced was this funky, almost ska-ish song whose lyrics could be interpreted as Simon's own journey from mid-life crisis to musical rebirth. Fantastic song, fantastic album.
March 5, 1988
34 - "Twilight World," Swing Out Sister
The second and last U.S. Top 40 by these British purveyors of "sophisti-pop" was this classy, catchy tune about...I'm not really sure. Staying positive, I think. Anyway, not quite as awesome as "Breakout," but still quite good.
June 4, 1988
29 - "Beds are Burning," Midnight Oil
These Australians, led by bald, 6-foot-4 singer Peter Garrett, had long established themselves as stars Down Under, known for both their music and their politcal activism. But then, they scored a surprise American hit with this churning rock song that calls for the return of land in Australia's Western Desert to the Aboriginal Pintupi tribe. Not generally the kind of subject that makes for a pop hit in any era, but the song is hooky and insistent, and those horn blasts reinforce the lyrical urgency. The group wouldn't chart this high again in America, but they stayed together until 2002, when Garrett decided to begin a serious political career that has seen him not only elected to Australia's House of Representatives, but also appointed to cabinet positions. Have to admire a guy who proves when it comes to changing things, he's not just talk.
31 - "Under The Milky Way," The Church
Also from Australia, this Canberra band's only major American hit was this pretty acoustic number. Not sure what it's about, except maybe being led somewhere by "something shimmering and white." Doesn't matter. Loved it then, love it now.
38 - "When We Kiss," Bardeux
This dance-pop duo's only pop hit was this spare, midtempo, mostly-rapped song about a relationship that's only stable when lips lock. There's not much to it, and these girls sound bored, so why should I care?
40 - "Tall Cool One," Robert Plant
The former Zeppelin frontman's last major U.S. pop hit is a slick rocker about how much he wants to have sex with a particularly fetching lady. He does that a lot, and he's good at it. The song's okay, but it's mostly notable for its use of samples from multiple Led Zep songs, most prominently "Black Dog."
Next time: We're not done with the 80s yet. This weekend, they're airing the last original AT40 that Casey hosted, from this weekend in 1988, so of course, I have to give it its own entry.
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