BGH: CT50 November 25, 1989

November of 1989.  In Canada, we were at a pivotal moment in the national institution that is the Degrassi franchise, as the scene switched from junior high to high school.  They eased their way into the transition with a episode where Erica has an abortion.  And Saved by the Bell thought tackling caffeine pill addiction was pushing the envelope.  Meanwhile, on the radio:

Bonus Track #1: 72 - °The Maker," Daniel Lanois (CanCon!)
Based in my birthplace of Hamilton, Ontario, Lanois first made his name as a producer of Canadian artists, then got his big break when Brian Enough asked him to produce U2's blockbusters The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree.  He became one of the most sought-after producers in rock, and in between assignments he put together an album called Acadie which featured this atmospheric track about longing for God.  It's moving and stirring, and gets a boost from a vocal cameo from Aaron Neville.  I love it, and I also love that CanCon regulations are the only reason it charted.

BonusTrack  #2: 63 - "Blow at High Dough," The Tragically Hip (CanCon!)
Founeed in Kingston, Ontario, in 1984, the future national heroes made their first chart appearance with this driving, inscrutable rocker that references taxis, supper bells, wedding rings, and the Elvis movie Speedway.  And the title is apparently a saying Gord Downie's grandmother would use that compared a rising cake to going too far too fast.  No one is really sure what it all means, but it hasn't mattered, as this is one of the band's most beloved songs.

49 - "House of Dreams," Blue Rodeo (CanCon!)
Formed in 1984, this Toronto country-rock band became CanCon superstars near the end of the 80s.  Their fifth Top 50 hit was this ballad about being left by the one you love.  This one features smooth-voiced Jim Cuddy instead of their other singer, the more weathered-sounding Greg Keelor.  It's not one of their bigger hits, but it's good enough that it would be a signature moment for many other bands.

48 - "You've Got It," Simply Red
Mick Hucknall and Co. followed up their Triple Crown near-miss "If You Don't Know Me By Now" with this ballad about an inescapable love.  Performed well, but not much.

47 - "Sons and Daughters," Chalk Circle  (CanCon!)
The final hit for these Newcastle Ontarians was this tune that I think is about American cultural imperialism.  It chugs along nicely, then finishes with kind of a gospel breakdown.  A nice little moment in a nice little career.

46 - "Another Day," Paradox (CanCon!)
This Quebec band sounds like Glass Tiger on their second of three hits, a decent enough acoustic rocker about carrying on.  They broke up in 1991, but leader Sylvain Cossette subsequently became a major solo star in Quebec.  I had no idea, which will give any outsiders reading this a taste of how French-Canadian pop culture is an island unto itself.

44 - "Another Man's Gun," Ray Lyell and the Storm (CanCon!)
Another Hamiltonian, Lyell and his band scored their first hit with this Old West-themed roots rocker.  My favorite of their handful of hits.  And for the record, Lyell is the only artist I have written about here who I have seen perform live at a funeral in a small church.

43 - "Let Love Rule," Lenny Kravitz
The son of Jeffersons actress Roxie Roker and a Jewish TV news producer, Kravitz launched his career with this idealistic bit of retro psychedelia.  Soulful, maybe too derivative of his influences, but shot through with charisma.  You could probably use the previous sentence to describe his entire career.

42 - "I'm Not the Man I Used to Be," Fine Young Cannibals 
FYC's sixth and final Top 50 here was this contemplative soul song that employs the then-ubiquitous "Funky Drummer" sample.  Another fine Roland Gift vocal.

41 - "The Way to Your Heart," Soulsister 
This Belgian duo had their biggest international success with this Motown-styled love plea. A nice little footnote to be reminded of.

40 - "Rockin' In the Free World," Neil Young (CanCon!)
The 80s were a time of experimentation and commercial struggle for Mr. Young.  It was a time when he was sued by his then-record label for not making albums that sounded like him.  But he ended the decade on a high note with this blistering rocker about staying positive in a troubled world.  Like Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A.," it has been misinterpreted as a jingoistic fist-pumper for mindless patriotism, but the lyrics lament the hopelessness of a junkie mother and take multiple stabs at Bush 41.  It deservedly took a place among his standards.

34 - "Crossroads," Tracy Chapman 
After her debut album went multi-platinum and spawned the smash "Fast Car," folkie Chapman returned with this defiant number that rails at the "demons" that would have her compromise her art for continued commercial success.  Perhaps inevitably, it bombed in the U.S., and while it did a little better her, it spelled the end of her as a player on pop radio until her surprise 1996 hit "Give Me One Reason."

32 - "Sold Me Down the River," The Alarm
From Rhyl, Wales, this band were consistent charters in Britain, but their peak I  North America was the late 80s when they dented the charts with both 1987's "Rain in the Summertime," and this gritty rocker about romantic betrayal.  Maybe not their best, but swampy goodness all the same.

27 - °What'cha Do to My Body," Lee Aaron (CanCon!)
Born Karen Greening in Belleville, Ontario, Aaron carved out a career as Canada's metal queen (she even named an album Metal Queen) which peaked with her biggest hit, an exuberant hard rock sex jam.  She had the attitude to pull off the rock chick thing, but she also had a versatile enough voice that she was able to credibly perform jazz and even opera later in her career.  One of our lesser-known musical treasures.

17 - "Hey Men," Men Without Hats (CanCon!)
Though this didn't crack America like previous hits "The Safety Dance" and "Pop Goes the World," these Montrealers managed one more Top Ten at home with this rock number admonishing males for their mistreatment of women.  They get the message across without preachiness, and it's a message that still resonates, particularly in this cultural moment.

16 - "Rockland Wonderland," Kim Mitchell (CanCon!)
The cottage rocker scored another hit with this midtempo tune about out the positive communal experience of being at a rock concert.  The song isn't quite as powerful as the sentiment it describes,  but it's okay.

14 - "Giving Away a Miracle," Luba (CanCon!)
Our second encounter with Ms. Kowalchyk of Montreal comes in the form of this folk rocker about an angelic figure who can change lives with music.  Kind of a grandiose and potentially sappy topic, but her passionate vocal sells it remarkably.  Anthemic and wonderful, and it deservedly became her only non-cover to crack the Top Ten.

Keepin' it Top Ten.

10 - "We Didn’t Start the Fire," Billy Joel 
Billy J had a U.S, #1 and a #2 here with this rock laundry list of stuff that had been in the news from his birth year of 1949 until the then-present.  If you're a kid trying to use it as a history cheat sheet, be warned that while there's a lot of events mentioned that happened up until the end of 1963 ("JFK! Blown away!"), he then ran out of room and he squeezed the other 26 years into one verse.  Yes, more happened in the 70s than just Watergate and punk rock.  It seemed like a neat gimmick at the time,  but it has not aged well.

9 - "The Best," Tina Turner 
Tina's finished off her great 80s with a CanadIan and British Top Five in the form of this song of praise that was first recorded by Bonnie Tyler.  Tina's version is okay, but it's been blunted by its repeated use in athlete retirement ceremonies.  If you're making a playlist of cliches, you need to add this.

8 - "Another Day in Paradise," Phil Collins 
Big Phil narrowly missed a Triple Crown with this maudlin three minutes PSA reminding us that homeless people exist, and that sucks.  His heart was in the right place, but the result isn't very affecting.

7 - "Cover Girl," New Kids on the Block 
The Kids tried to rock on this song about a girl they like better than the ones they see in magazines and such.  They didn’t quite get there, but at the time that didn't matter.  It was product for an audience that needed little encouragement to buy.

6 - "No Souvenirs," Melissa Etheridge 
More proof that Canada was an early Etheridge adopter, as this torrid tune about a clean break with a lover that isn't quite as clean as it seems.  She was really fantastic at depicting desperation and lust in those early years.

5 - "Angelia," Richard Marx 
The Marxman was deep into boring balladeer territory with this blah about wanting a lady back.  Don't mean nothing to me.  He should've known better.

4 - "Miss You Much," Janet Jackson 
Miss Jackson cemented her superstardom with the first single from her Rhythm Nation 1814 album, another blazing blast of Jam/Lewis goodness.  No Janet, that wasn't the end.

3 - "When I See You Smile," Bad English
During that time when Journey was broken up, guitarist Neal Schoen and keyboardist Jonathan Cain teamed up with Cain's fellow former Baby John Waite and scored a cross-border #1 with a Diane Warren power ballad.   Better perhaps than those parts would seem to  add up to, but still a hit with a shelf life.

2 - "Sowing the Seeds of Love," Tears for Fears 
The sad and scared ones picked up their third and last charttopper here with a song reminiscent of Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles.  The lyrics mostly criticize "politician granny" Margaret Thatcher, but they throw in a line indicating their preference in Paul Weller band's ("Kick out the Style, bring back the Jam.")  Their last great moment.

And on top way back when was...
1 - "Listen to Your Heart," Roxette 

The Swedes were denied a Triple Crown because they never got to the top in the U.K., but this power ballad inspired by the romantic travails of a friend of Per Gessle was the first of three Can-Am Number Ones.  It was intended to be almost a parody of power ballads, but I guess they imitated them too well for it to be a joke.

There's another one. And it's been over seven years since I started this, so why stop now.  See you again.

GATW: UKT40 October 28, 1978 Part Two

The finish.

20 - "Mexican Girl," Smokie 
Their eleventh and last hit of this decade was this soft rock ode to a comely senorita.  All I'll say is that if you have "a heart as big as a stone," you should probably have that looked at.

19 - "Darlin'," Frankie Miller 
The biggest of the Scot's two hits was this countryish loneliness lament.  Solid wallowing material.

18 - "Dippety Day," Father Abraham and the Smurfs
The second of three hits for Dutchman Pierre Kartner and the fictional blue creatures is this jaunty nonsense.  Dippety don't bother.

17 - "Blame it on the Boogie," Mick Jackson 
This Englist singer co-wrote this tune about an uncontrollable urge to dance and took it to the Top 20.  It's okay, in a Leo Sayer disco-lite sort of way.  But the song also ended up in the hands of a group from across the pond, and you will soon find out who.

16 - "Hurry Up Harry," Sham 69
The Surrey punks' second hit was this simple rocker about trying to get a friend to come along with them to the pub.  Inconsequential fun.

15 - "Givin' Up, Givin' In," The Three Degrees 
Another Brit hit for the Philly trio.  Solid disco soul about finally dumping a duplicitous lover.  Always glad to see them again.

14 - "Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn'tve)," The Buzzcocks 
The Bolton boys' third and biggest hit.  A perfect encapsulation of angst and conflicted feelings.  Fine Young Cannibals missed the point entirely when they covered it.

13 - "Public Image," Public Image Ltd.
When not recommending songs about jerking off, John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon spent his post-Pistols year forming a new band with a slightly more musical sound.  And he was actually attempting to sing instead of just snarl aloud.  Their first single was this song about how his former band mates and manager cared more about style than substance.  Shocking, I know.  A very good record, and the beginning of a more than worthy second act.

12 - "Now That We Found Love," Third World 
The Jamaicans' first and best-known hit was this disco-reggae cover of a 1973 O'Jays song.  A sweet little groover.

11 - 'Talking in Your Sleep," Crystal Gayle 
The second and last hit here for Loretta Lynn's little sister with all the hair was this ballad about being cheated on in dreams, and possibly IRL, as the kids say.  Okay, but it won't change anyone's eye colour.

Ten times the tuneage.
10 - "I Can't Stop Lovin' You (Though I Try)," Leo Sayer 
Leo's last Top Ten of this decade was this ballad about accompanying a lover to the train that will take her out of his life.  A solid weepie.

9 - "Blame It on the Boogie," The Jacksons 
Yes, Mick Jackson's song ended up in the hands of Michael Jackson and his brothers, who sped it up and funked it over.  Yeah, they win on every level.

8 - "Love Don't Live Here Anymore," Rose Royce 
The L.A. funk crew's biggest U.K. hit was this sumptuous ballad about being left by your love.  Heartbreak encapsulated.

7 - "Rat Trap," The Boomtown Rats 
Their first of two Number Ones was this Springsteeny mini-epic about hopeless youth in a dead-end town.  This would be the first time a band identified as punk or New Wave topped the chart, and I would say it's worthy of that distinction.

6 - "Sweet Talkin' Woman," Electric Light Orchestra 
Their ninth Top Ten was this tune about chasing a loquacious lady.  Apparently, thetc first copies of the single were transparent purple vinyl, though the song came from the album Out of the Blue.  What a colourful anecdote.

5 - "MacArthur Park," Donna Summer 
Summer's cover of Jimmy Webb's bizarre song comparing a breakup to a cake being left out in the rain was denied a Triple Crown by the Brits, who only lifted it this high before it started flowing down the chart.  Donna definitely was an improvement on Richard Harris.  Maybe they should have asked her to replace him as Dumbledore.

4 -  "Lucky Stars," Dean Friedman 
The pride of Paramus, New Jersey, Friedman followed up his quirky U.S. hit of the previous year, "Ariel," with this duet with an uncredited Denise Marsa.  It's a ballad depicting a bedtime conversation between a husband and wife about the husband running into a former lover that day.  There is anger, doubt, and apology, leading to a seemingly tenuous resolution.  It's almost voyeuristic in its detail.  You feel like you've watched an entire one-act play when it's over.  I really need to explore more of Mr. Friedman's oeuvre to see if there's even more gold.

3 - "Sandy," John Travolta 
Only released as a single here , this is the song Danny Zuko sings in Grease after Sandy runs out on him at the drive-in movie after he comes on too strong with her.  Travolta sings it well, but every time I hear it I just think of the screen behind him with the cartoon of the performing snack foods.  I remember being thrilled seeing those cartoons actually being played between movies at a drive-in years later.  Those are gems of modern culture.

2 - "Rasputin," Boney M 
At last, here it is, the German disco machine's incredible telling of the tale of Grigori Rasputin, a mystical con man who became a leading advisor to the ruling Romanovs I early 20th century Russia.  He claimed to be able to heal Nicholas and Alexandra's sickly son Alexei, but he seemed more interested in accruing power and bedding the ladies of the royal court.  He was killed in December 1916 by a group of aristocrats and politicians resentful of his influence on the Tsar.  The song succinctly (if not entirely accurately) tells the story enthusiastically and danceably.  It made no impact in the States, but it got this high here and went Top Ten in Canada, which is how it became a treasured earworm from my childhood.  It never fails to make me happy.  Ooooohhhh, those Russians!

And on top 39 years ago, we find..
1 - "Summer Nights," John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John 
More Grease, this time the song where Danny and Sandy tell their respective peer group's about their summer romance.  They have conflicting accounts of what happened between them, but both seem to agree that that the relationship is over due to distance.  Little do they know...Anyway, always a fun listen.

That's done.  But I'm not.  You'll see.

GATW: UKT40 October 28, 1978 Part One

Fall 1978.  Britain was about to experience a bakers' strike, which led to bakeries rationing bread to prevent panic buying.  There was no shortage of 45 rpm vinyl records, however, and these were the ones people were buying most.

40 - "Dreadlock Holiday," 10cc

Their third and last #1 was this bouncy tale of a tourist in Jamaica dealing with an attempted mugging and being offered drugs by trying to smonth things over with proclamations of love for cricket, reggae, and Jamaica itself.  Slick, smart, and singalongable, like they are at their best.

39 - "The Winker's Song (Misprint)," Ivor Biggun and the Red-Nosed Burglars

Comedian and musician Robert "Doc" Cox made several naughty comedy records under this suitably suggestive name.  Obviously he didn't get any radio play, but this ukulele-driven novelty about masturbation got as high as #22 when it was recommended by Johnny Rotten in an issue of the influential music publication New Musical Express.  It's not at all subtle; there's no pretending that the song is about anything else.  You know what your getting, so listen at your own risk.  And it seems very appropriate to give it this week's Uneasy Rider Award.  Just don't tell me what you do with it, Mr. Biggun.

38 - "Teenage Kicks," The Undertones 

The first and best-known hit for these Northern Irishmen is this power-pop blast of young lust.  It almost sounds like it's being sung through gritted teeth.  One of the best representations of the adolescent male libido in any artist form.

37 - "Hard Road," Black Sabbath 

Their last single of the first Ozzy era was this grinder about how life is hard, but there are good moments, so hang on in the times in between.  I think that's it.  Good song, but maybe only a 3 on the Headbangometer.  Oh, and I didn't rate "Paranoid" last time, but do I even need to say it's a 5?

36 - "Silver Machine," Hawkwind 

A reissue of their 1972 smash.  Still spacey Lemmy goodness.

35 - "Get it While You Can," The Olympic Runners 

There were no world-class athletes among these Britfunkers: they were named for the London studio where they first recorded.  The first of the three singles they scraped into the Top 40 was this boogie about taking advantage of opportunities.  It blends in, and not much more.

34 - "Summer Night City," ABBA

Their ninth Top Five was this whirly disco number about the appeal of hot urban evenings.  This is a track where you can hear how superior they were to imitators like Brotherhood of Man.  Only they could put white bread on a turntable and make it sound like something truly approaching funk.

33 - "Got to Get You Into My Life," Earth Wind and Fire 

EWF's authentically funky contribution to the soundtrack of the spectacularly failed Beatles tribute film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band went Top Ten at home but only this high here.  Maybe it was because the country was offended by the desecration of their national treasures this was a part of, I don’t know.  If they had been more open-eared, it might have done better.  It deserved to.

32 - "Part-Time Love," Elton John 

Sir Elton's first hit with lyricist Gary Osborne was this flirtation with disco about one-night stands.  It's all right, but he was always better with Bernie.

31 - "Kiss You All Over," Exile 

#1 at home, #2 in Canada, #6 here.  That seems just.  It's this perfect little disco-rock come-on.  I would never lock it out of my musical rotation.

30 - "Fool (If You Think It's Over," Chris Rea

The Middlesbrough man's debut hit got to #12 across the pond, but only this high here.  I think America had it right.  Very good pop song about the fleetingness of heartbreak.

29 - "One for You, One for Me," Jonathan King

A bland disco effort by this guy who pops up a lot but turned out to be a creep.  Nothing to linger on.

28 - "Instant Replay," Dan Hartman 

The disco smash and only U.K. Top Ten for Edgar Winter's former bassist.  A very good genre representative.

27 - "Bicycle Race/Fat Bottomed Girls," Queen 

Their double-sided,interconnected disc about butts and the vehicles they sit on.  Two classic rock songs about two different kinds of exercise.

26 - "Respectable," The Rolling Stones 

Their last British hit of the decade was this balls-out rocker that may be about a trip to Washington which involves "talking heroin with the president" and finding a woman who's "the easiest lay on the White House lawn."  Apparently, this was the sound of them being influenced by punk, and it suited them.

25 - "Down at the Tube Station at Midnight," The Jam

The sixth hit for the Mod rockers was this tune about a man trying to get a late train home to his wife only to be robbed by skinhead hooligans.  It perfectly evokes the fear and helplessness of being in that situation.  I could make a case for it being their best song, easily.

24 - "A Rose Has to Die," The Dooleys

The third hit for this family pop group reinforces the point I made about ABBA above.  Acording to this, lies kill flowers.  It'd be kind of ironic if that was a lie, wouldn't it?

23 - "Grease," Frankie Valli 

Britain held this to #3, robbing Frankie of a Triple Crown.  That's okay.  And "Grease is the way we are feeling"?  That doesn't sound pleasant.  It sounds like you have a stomachache.

22 - "Brandy," The O'Jays 

The Philly soulsters with a ballad about sitting home alone hoping against hope for the return of a departed lover.  It's fantastic cry-in-your-cherry-soda music.  The discoveries keep piling up.

21 - "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)," Sylvester 

The disco legend's only Top Ten.  One of the genre's standards.  A boogie tornado.

In Part Two: two easily-confused versions of the same song, a punk's second chapter, and some forgivably fractured history.