GATW: UKT40 April 7, 1979

Completion,

20 - "Just What I Needed," The Cars

The Boston New Wavers' first single scored across the pond as well as at home.  You might say that proved they were the real deal. Or you might not.  But I just did, so there.

19 - "Into the Valley," Skids

From Dunfermline, Scotland, this band scored their firstand biggest of their four hits with this punkish tune about the futility of young men being inducted into the army.  I think that's it.  Guitarist Stuart Adamson would go on to even more success with his next band, Big Country.

18 - "He's the Greatest Dancer," Sister Sledge

This was a bigger hit here than "We Are Family."  Not by much, but still, that feels wrong somehow.

17 - "Waiting for an Alibi," Thin Lizzy 

Their third of four Top Tens was this gritty rocker about a doomed bookie/gambler named Valentino.  I don't think these guys get their due as the British version of Springsteen.  They hit that same sweet spot.

16 - "Strange Town," The Jam 

More punky pop goodness from these guys on this tune about trying to find kindred spirits in a place you've never been before.  This is the kind of song that makes me wish I'd grown up in Britain to have this stuff on the radio in the background.

15 - "Keep On Dancin'," Gary's Gang

The only major hit by this New York group was this bland track that makes KC and the Sunshine Band seem like poets and innovators.  May be second only to "Makin' It" on my list of the worst of disco.

14 - "Money in My Pocket," Dennis Brown

This Jamaican became a star at home as a teenager, to the degree that Bob Marley himself declared him to be his favorite singer.  His only major international hit was his signature song, this reminder that material wealth is no substitute for love.  Solid head-nodding material.

13 - "Don't Stop Me Now," Queen

While this energetic confidence-rocker was a flop in America, at home it was a Top Ten hit and is one of their most enduring songs.  It's fantastic pump-up music that will make a supersonic man or woman out of you.

12 - "Can You Feel the Force," The Real Thing 

The Liverpool funksters' last non-remixed Top Five was this optimistic number that just might have been influenced by one of George Lucas' movies.  I don't remember which one, and I'm sure it has no widespread cultural impact today at all.

11 - "Some Girls," Racey

The Somerset boys' biggest hit was this glammy pop song about the varying degrees of romantic behavior practiced by the female of the species.  Catchy, but I wonder if these guys had ever been to the States and heard a jingle for Peter Paul candy bars.  Don't know why that popped into my head.  I feel like a nut.

The Top Ten shot first.

10 - "Oliver's Army," Elvis Costello 

EC's highest-charting single was this song that has a similar theme to the Skids song, but of course much sharper and barbed,  And apparently, the n-word he uses in relation to the British military presence in Northern Ireland was never censored on U.K. radio.  I feel that was a sebsible decision.  It's used in a very impactful context, and any disguise attempt would blunt it and miss the point.

9 - "Turn the Music Up," Players Association 

Another New York disco group with one real hit.  Generic, but better than Gary's Gang.

8 - "Sultans of Swing," Dire Straits 

The debut of Knopfler and Co.  Still slickly catchy as ever.

7 - "Lucky Number," Lene Lovich 

Detroit-born Lili-Marlene Premilovich moved with her family to England when she was 13, then floated around the London scene until she scored her first and biggest hit with this jittery ode to having love break up one's seemingly ideal single existence.  Lovich's voice has an odd quality that sounds to me like a cross between Siouxsie Sioux and Cyndi Lauper.   And this week, that's enough for an Uneasy Rider.

6 - "Cool for Cats," Squeeze 

The London New Wavers picked up the first of two #2s with this jaunty tune with lyrics about cowboys and Indians, police capturing thieves, and picking up women in bars.  And the title apparently comes from the early British equivalent of American Bandstand.  It doesn't make sense, but it doesn't have to.  It's just cool for cats.

5 - "Something Else," The Sex Pistols 

Them again, this time with a Sid-sung cover of an Eddie Cochran rockabilly tune.  A fun little bit to connect the dots between early rock and punk.  It can be hard to believe that Elvis and his ilk were once this great menace to society.

4 - "I Want Your Love," Chic 

Surprisingly, this charted higher here than either of their two American #1s, "Le Freak" and "Good Times."  Can't say that's right, but this is good enough for it not to be any kind of outrage.

3 - "Bright Eyes," Art Garfunkel

It is perceived by most that Paul Simon had the bigger solo career, but Artie did beat him in one metric; i.e., he had two British Number Ones to Paul's zero.  His second charttopper was this ballad from the film version of the novel Watership Down.  I've never been exposed to any form of the story, but maybe one day I'll be in the mood for rabbit mythology.   As for the song, it's basically Garfunkel in his natural MOR habitat, but with added dark talk about a "river of death."  I don't get it, but Britain did to the degree that it was the year's best-selling single.  Huh.

2 - "In the Navy," The Village People 

The camp crew's classic disco recruiting effort.  Hey, why were you chuckling when they said "They're signing up new seamen fast."  That’s not funny.  But I will admit that there's a humorous quality to the interjection "Oceanography what?!"

And on top over there 37 years ago was...

1 - "I Will Survive," Gloria Gaynor 
We all know it.  It's been referenced to death.  But it's still powerful.  That's right, I do have all my life to live and all my love to give, dammit!

There's another one.  The cycle will repeat in time.  Remain calm in the meantime.

GATW: UKT40 April 7, 1979

April 1979.  The Kingdom was in the midst of the election campaign that would bring Margaret Thatcher to power.  Though I don't feel that many of the makers of the music on the following chart voted Conservative.  Just a hunch.

40 - "Valley of the Dolls," Generation X
The punk band that launched Billy Idol had their third and final hit with this catchy rock tune about sex and violence.  Simple and good.  But not at all related to the 1966 novel by Jacqueline Susann, nor to the film version which starred Patty Duke and Manson-murders victim Sharon Tate.

39 - "Everybody’s Happy Nowadays," Buzzcocks
More punk, this time from a Bolton band who were a little more on the melodic side than most of their peers.  The fifth of their six hits was this sharp blast of angst about being envious of others' joy.  They may have been the best of their time at striking the balance between accessibility and credibility.

38 - "Let's Fly Away," Voyage
A French disco group with a British singer.  Fluffy dance music about going on holiday.  Okay, but far from enduring.

37 - "The Logical Song," Supertramp 
Their biggest hit on both sides of the Atlantic.  Roger Hodgson declared that he didn’t need no education before Roger Waters did.  But he didn't have a children's choir backing him up.

36 - "Imperial Wizard," David Essex 
Mr. "Rock On"'s last 70s hit was this martial-sounding call to arms against tyranny.  An interesting, if not quite effective, to combine punk anger with glam gloss.

35 - "Remember Then," Showaddywaddy 
Another retro number from these guys, this time a cover of a 1962 Earls hit about recalling a lost love.  Not very mem-mem-rememem-meh-memorable.

34 - "BYOF," Fantastic Four
This Detroit group had a number of R&B hits in the 60s, but their only British hit was this groovefest whose title stands for "Bring Your Own Funk."  Not sure why they thought that was necessary, since this seems to contain more than enough to go around.

33 - "Questions and Answers," Sham 69
From Horsham in Surrey, this punk band picked up five late 70s hits, the fourth being this poppy tune about being true to yourself and not just accepting what you are told.  Basic, but effective.

32 - "I Don't Want to Lose You," Kandidate
This British soul group's biggest hit was this meh ballad from the soundtrack of a movie called Sunburn, which not only starred Farrah Fawcett, but also three British actors who would go on in the 80s to star in three separate dramas on three separate U.S. networks: Joan Collins of ABC's Dynasty, John Hillerman of CBS's Magnum, P.I., and William Daniels of NBC's St. Elsewhere.  That's way more interesting than this song.

31 - "Tragedy," The Bee Gees
Their fourth U.K. #1.  Just sublime disco drama.

30 - "English Civil War," The Clash
The sixth hit for The Only Band That Matters was this adaptation of the American Civil War song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" describing a potential conflict spawned by a rising tide of far-right racism.  It's true, everything old is new again.

29 - "You Bet Your Love," Herbie Hancock
This Chicago jazz keyboardist played with Miles Davis in the 60s, then embarked on a solo career that touched on pop, funk, and here, disco.  Pretty standard stuff, remarkable mainly for Hancock's vocoder-assisted vocals and some nice keyboard work.  But not as attention-grabbing as, say, "Rockit."

28 - "The Staircase (Mystery)," Siouxsie and the Banshees 
The second hit for Ms. Sioux and crew was this gothy rocker that uses architectural features as a metaphor for confusion.  I think that's it.  Great stuff.

27 - "Wow," Kate Bush 
Her third Top 40 was this drama ballad about aspiring artists being given the runaround by the people who make up the business half of "show business."  And yes, I would say the song lives up to the title.

26 - "Forever in Blue Jeans," Neil Diamond 
The D-Man with his simple pop tune about being happy with modest means.  I don't know about forever, but I'm in blue jeans right now, and I feel pretty good.

25 - "Clog Dance," Violinski 
Led by ELO violinist Mik Kaminsky, this band had their only hit with this rock instrumental.  Sounds like stock production music to accompany sports highlights.  Meh.

24 - "Silly Thing," The Sex Pistols
This creation of impresario Malcolm McLaren became the snotty face of punk when they debuted in 1976.  By this time, singer Johnny Rotten had left, and bassist Sid Vicious had just committed suicide while awaiting trial for the murder of girlfriend Nancy Spungen.  The group was still attempting to carry on, releasing an album, The Great Rock n’roll Swindle, which featured some tracks with Rotten and Vicious, as well as other contributors such as infamouse train robber Ronnie Biggs.  This song, however, is mainly a showcase for guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook, the latter of whom sings lead.  It's loud, fast, and angry, but without the bilious vocal sneers of Rotten, it just blends in with the rest of the punk pack.  But we'll hear more from this LP later.

23 - "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)," The Jacksons 
Michael and bros., dancing, shouting, and funking stuff up.  Just joy.

22 - "Hold the Line," Toto
Top 5 at home, #14 here.  The Brits had it right.

21 - "The Runner," The Three Degrees
These Philly ladies hit #2 at home and #1 here with the classic "When Will I See You Again," but while they struck out on the American charts afterwards, they'd make the British Top 40 seven more times with songs like this disco workout about a commitmentphobic lover.  On this, they sound like ABBA, but with soul.  And I mean that as the highest of compliments.

In Part Two: fortune, felines, and armed forces.