End.
20 - "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," Boys Town Gang
This group was founded by a San Francisco DJ in 1980 to perform in the city's gay clubs, and they first attracted attention with an explicit club hit called "Cruisin' the Streets." Then they had their biggest international success with this disco take on a Four Seasons perennial. I don't heare much in it, but I am curious to find out what "Cruisin' the Streets" sounds like.
19 - "Just What I Always Wanted," Mari Wilson
Not to be confused with ex-Supreme Mary Wilson or "Telephone Man" novelty act Meri Wilson, this beehive-sporting Londoner had her first and biggest hit with this number about needing love more than the material things she'sacc surrounded with. It has a cool little hybrid sound, like if Phil Spector had access to synths and drum machines in 1963.
18 - "Leave in Silence," Depeche Mode
The Mode's fifth hit was this moody tune about a relationship that cannot no longer be saved by talking. They were definitely sounding like the mope music purveyors we would come to know and love.
17 - "Zoom," Fat Larry's Band
Formed by corpulent singer/drummer Larry James, this Philadelphia funk band were more successful here than at home, reaching their peak by hitting #2 with this midtempo ballad about being taken aback by romance. It's pretty good, and reminds me more than a little of Stevie Wonder.
16 - "Today," Talk Talk
Their first hit was this speedy New Wave track about not being sure how to achieve real happiness. I think that's it. It's in the same solid class of the rest of the stuff I've heard from them,
15 - "Love Come Down," Evelyn King
Champagne's only U.K. Top Ten. Simply superlative.
14 - "Come on Eileen," Dexy's Midnight Runners
The 80s standard was their second #1 here, and it nearly got the Triple Crown, but it only hit #2 in...Canada. Yeah, we were the stingy ones. Damn.
13 - "Hi Fidelity," The Kids from Fame
As we saw in Part One, the TV version of Fame was huge over here, to the point where some of its young cast members got a substantial music career out of it, scoring two Top Fives, the first of which being this peppy number about either monogamy or stereo sound. Could be either, really. Just too sugary for my taste, right down to the stage musical style "everybody shout the title in unison" ending.
12 - "Why," Carly Simon
Carly wasn't as big here as she was athis home, but while there she didn’t hit the Top Ten in the 80s, she did that here twice, first with this synth-reggae song about romantic betrayal, produced by Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards for the soundtrack of the romantic comedy Soup for One, starring...uh, the woman who played Mr, Kotter's wife. Carly did better than I would have thought in this setting. This is another nice little discovery.
11 - "Give Me Your Heart Tonight," Shakin' Stevens
More from Shaky, this time a romantic plea withave a bit of a tangoish touch. That makes it stand out. One of the better things I've heard from him so far.
Oh yeah, all right, take it easy baby, make it last all night, this was...the British Top Ten.
10 - "Friend or Foe," Adam Ant
The head Ant's second solo hit is a bouncy declaration that he wants people to love him or hate him, nothing in between. It's...okay. Sorry, Stuart.
9 - "Saddle Up," David Christie
Under various anglicized names, Frenchman Jacques Pepino helped write songs for artists such as Gloria Gaynor and Grace Jones, but his only hit as a singer came with this disco-funker about letting go of adversity and moving on. Infectiously inspirational.
8 - "The Message," Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
Formed in 1976, DJ Joseph "Grandmaster Flash" Saddler and five rappers led by Melvin "Melle Mel" Glover made a pivotal moment in hip-hop history when they released this document of inner-city reality that showed that rap could be much more than boasts and party records. It could talk frankly about crime, prostitution, economic inequality, ignorance, and any other issue that needed addressing. It didn't go much beyond black radio at home, but Britain made it Top Ten, and it has since been recognized as one of the most significant records of any genre ever released.
7 - "Save a Prayer," Duran Duran
This floaty synth ballad was the Duranies' biggest hit to this point, reaching #2, higher than even such classic predecessors as "Girls on Film" and "Hungry Like the Wolf." That seems wrong, but this is still pretty nice proof of their versatility.
6 - "There it Is," Shalamar
Their third Top Ten of 1982 was this funk tune about finding love at long last. Maybe a bit derivative of Chic, but it's good enough to be forgiven.
5 - "All of My Heart," ABC
The Sheffield smoothies' fourth hit was this midtempo ballad about wanting a former lover back. I think this is the period where they were at their perfect slickness level, and they would overdo it later to their detriment.
4 - "Walking on Sunshine," Rockers Revenge featuring Donnie Calvin
The biggest hit for Arthur Baker's studio project was this cover of a 1978 Eddy Grant track about how love makes the drudgeries of life worthwhile. It's catchy electro-dance, and no, it isn't the same song that Katrina and the Waves did. Which was kind of a relief.
3 - "Private Investigations," Dire Straits
The first of the band's two #2s was this six-minute acoustic-guitar-and-synthesizer ballad on which Mark Knopfler talks (not sings) in the voice of a cynical, world-weary private detective. It's their most ambitious and interesting work. Look it up if your sick of only hearing "Money for Nothing" and "Sultans of Swing."
2 - "The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow)," The Jam
The group's penultimate single was this seething song about seeing an ex find love with someone else. More mature and soulful than their early stuff, and a good indication of where Paul Weller was heading in his future endeavours.
And on top 35 years ago was...
1 - "Eye of the Tiger," Survivor
Rocky III theme, Triple Crown winner, and immoral pump-up jam. You don't love it or hate it, you just listen to its inevitability. You're paying attention no matter what.
Thanks, more, see ya soon.
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