Second half.
20 - "Trouble," Gillan
The first and biggest hit for Ian's eponymous band was this cover of a song Elvis performed in the 1958 film King Creole, then Ten years later in his 1968 comeback special. Gillan gives a swaggering performance that reminded me a lot of Bad Company's Paul Rogers. It's good, even if I still don't know what a "green-eyed mountain jack" is.
19 - "One Day I'll Fly Away," Randy Crawford
The Georgia jazz singer's first and biggest solo hit here was this ballad about finding the courage to leave an unfulfilling relationship. It's nice, but I'm not sure what made it such a breakout for her.
18 - " Enola Gay," Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
OMD's second hit and first Top Ten was this synthpopper about the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. It doesn't seem to take a side as to whether it was right or wrong, but it still conveys the importance. One of their best.
17 - "Three Little Birds," Bob Marley and the Wailers
Their last hit during Marley's lifetime was this gentle song of optimism. Yeah, I really hope every little thing's gonna be all right.
16 - "Searching," Change
The second hit for this Italian-American group was a slinky funk number about looking for love, sung by the then-little-known Luther Vandross. It's goodness that Luther makes great.
15 - "You're Lying," Linx
The Britfunk combo's first hit is decent deception disco. Saying anything better about it wouldn't be telling the truth.
14 - "Gotta Pull Myself Together," The Nolans
The second Top Ten for the Irish sisters was this jaunty dance pop track about recovering from a romantic mistake. They hit my bubblegum sweet spot.
13 - "Casanova," Coffee
The only hit for this Philadelphia girl group was a disco cover of a 1967 Ruby Andrews R&B hit about shutting down a playboy. It exists.
12 - "Killer On the Loose," Thin Lizzy
Lizzy's only Top Ten of the decade was this fast rocker in which Phil Lynott sings from the point of view of Jack the Ripper. Effective, if a little on the nose when he flat out says "I'm a mad sexual rapist." Um...you could have maybe couched that a little and still gotten the point across, Phil.
11 - "Amigo," Black Slate
The only major hit for this London reggae band was this loping number about how Jah is your friend. Rastafarian worship music, essentially.
something something Top Ten.
10 - "When You Ask About Love," Matchbox
The retro specialists had their biggest hit by covering Buddy Holly. No need to bother with this. A photocopy from a machine low on toner.
9 - "Woman in Love," Barbra Streisand
Babs grabs a Triple Crown with this big Gibb ballad. Professional pop that still holds up.
8 - "My Old Piano," Diana Ross
This single flopped at home, but gave Miss Ross a Top Five here. It's disco-funk that compares a musical instrument to a reliable lover. Kind of odd, but fine.
7 - "If You're Lookin' for a Way Out," Odyssey
This New York disco trio only cracked the U.S. Top 40 with 1977's "Native New Yorker," but here they racked up five Top Fives, the third being this "I love you enough to set you free of that's what you want" ballad. Lillian Lopez's vocals knock it out of the park. A surprise soul classic.
6 - "Master Blaster (Jammin')," Stevie Wonder
Stevie pays tribute to Marley, funktasticness ensues.
5 - "What You're Proposing," Status Quo
The Quo's first hit of this decade was an energetic rocker about being unspecifically propositioned. They seemed to like what was on the table, though. It's okay, but I think using "runny nosin'" as a verbal is a bit dodgy.
4 - "Et Les Oiseaux Chantaient (And the Birds Were Singing)," Sweet People
Well...this group was from Switzerland...they were led by a guy named Alain Morrison...and their hit here was an easy-listening instrumental literally featuring the sounds of singing birds. I'm just hearing this now, so clearly I was premature in giving Kate Bush the Uneasy Rider. Sorry Kate, but I've got to rescind the award and give it to these other songbirds.
3 - "Baggy Trousers," Madness
Their fourth hit was a jumpy reminiscence of Suggs' schooldays, which apparently involved drunk teachers, fights with kids from other schools, and loose-fitting pants, among other things. It was evidently written as a contrast to the rigid private-school upbringing detailed in "Another Brick in the Wall Part II." And it is a good tonic to Floydian harshness.
2 - "D.I.S.C.O.," Ottawan
The first of the French group's two big hits was this song that describes a woman using the title as an acrostic device. They didn’t come up with any adjectives beginning with O, though. But I'll attribute that to English not being their native language.
And on top 37 years ago was...
1 - "Don't Stand So Close to Me," The Police
Their third #1 was this tale of a teacher lusting after a student. Between this and "Every Breath You Take," Sting did creepy surprisingly well. I guess that role in Brimstone and Treacle fit him better than I thought.
Don't be sad, I have more. Stay tuned.
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