An Old Man Abroad: UKT40 June 9,1984 Part One

June 1984.  A record number of Britons are unemployed, over 3.2 million.  And I’m not sure if that number included the thousands of coal miners involved in the ongoing strike.  Yep, these were the Thatcher years.  And this was what played in the background.

40 - “Don’t Tell Me,” Blancmange

Our second visit with this last of three Top Tens for Middlesec duo named after a dessert.  Still not very filling.

39 - “Change of Heart,” Change

The third hit for an Italian-American dance-funk outfit led by the awesomely-named Jacques Fred.  Strutting breakup funk.  Great for its genre.

38 - “Stay With Me Tonight,” Jeffrey Osborne 

The last of just two Brit hits for the ex-LTD frontman was this solid bit of sex-funk.  It’s probably my favourite of his.  He bores me most of the time, but not here.

37 - “Love All Day,” Nick Heyward

The fourth solo hit from the ex-Haircut One Hundred singer was this peppy pop love song.  Doesn’t have the magic that his big band hits do.  This is just a song among thousands.

36 - “When Am I Going to Make a Living,” Sade

The follow up to the band’s Top Ten debut single “Your Love is King” only made it this high.  Maybe because it was a lyrical shift from sex to hustling to make a living.  That’s all I can think of, because this is terrific.  It would fit right in on one of Curtis Mayfield’s 70s albums.  It becomes more clear all the time that Sade is an underrated talent.

35 - “I’ll be Around,” Terri Wells

The only hit for this Philadelphia singer was a cover of the 1972 Spinners classic.  It’s got a more contemporary beat, and it’s a good showcase for Wells’ voice, but otherwise, no need to track it down.

34 - “Dancing in the Dark,” Bruce Springsteen 

The Boss had managed one Top 40 here before this, but he broke out with this classic.  The big beat and synths were a big step out, but lyrically, it’s still one of his perfect little portraits, this one of a man frustrated with life and just looking for a chance to create some excitement.  I might have this in my 80s Top Ten.

33 - “Dazzle,” Siouxsie and the Banshees

Hit number 11 for the Sioux crew was this swirling goth rocker about sacrifice your soul for wealth.  I think that’s it.  It’s epic and evocative and good good good.

32 - “Each and Every One,” Everything but the Girl

Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn met at the University of Hull in 1982, and they began a musical partnership that bore its first success with this single, a bossa nova that Thorn wrote as a response to music critics who wrote patronizing reviews of female artists.  Slick, but sincere, and a good introduction for people who only know the group from that remix of “Missing.”

31 - “Susanna,” Art Company 

This Dutch band was known at home as VOF de Kunst, but they adopted this name for the English release of this track, a pop-reggae number about a tryst that almost happens, but the moment passes.  It’s recorded in front of a live audience that seems strangely invested in the plight of the protagonist.  That gives it a feel reminiscent of Opus’ “Live is Life,” another song that I don’t think would have been as much of a hit in a plain studio version.

30 - “Infatuation,” Rod Stewart 

Roddy had another hit with this very 80s-sounding lust rocker.  It was way bigger in the States than it was here.  I’m on the side of this side of the pond.

29 - “Rough Justice,” Bananarama

The pop girl trio got serious on this song about the inequity of the world.  It’s not bad, but there’s a reason it missed the Top 20.  They bounced back when they returned to lightness and fluff instead of trying to weigh in on starving children and domestic abuse.

28 - “Locomotion,” Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

Our second visit with this bouncy Top Five.  Still great 80s pop.

27 - “Going Down Town Tonight,” Status Quo

Yet another from the old Quo.  A speedy rock number about the allure and danger of nightlife.  The lyrics don’t quite go with the music, but still, I like this better than I thought I would.

26 - “Farewell My Summer Love,” Michael Jackson

In response to Thriller, MJ’s old label Motown released an album featuring vocals from unreleased 1973 sessions laid over modern backing tracks.  The LP’s title track scraped into the Top 40 at home, but went Top Ten here.  This time, I stand with the Americans.  It’s a song about kiddie romance that was too young for him even then, and the arrangement is bland and cheap-sounding. A textbook case of cynical corporate repackaging.

25 - “So Tired,” Ozzy Osbourne 

The second solo hit for former Black Sabbath singer John Michael Osbourne was this uncharacteristic, string-laden ballad about a dying relationship.  Decent enough.  And apparently, Ozzy was injured by flying glass while making the video.  That’s one of the stories about him I hadn’t heard.

24 - “One Love,” Bob Marley

A posthumous release of a 1977 track issued to promote the Legend compilation.  One of his most familiar recordings, but the message of faith, hope and redemption still rings loudly.

23 - “Love Wars,” Womack and Womack

The first hit for American marrieds Linda and Cecil was this funk-pop declaration of romantic ceasefire.  Passionately sung dance floor fodder.

22 - “Against All Odds,” Phil Collins 

The movie ballad denied a Triple Crown by Phil’s countrymen.  There’s just an empty space where it would have been, and him ever getting one for it is...highly unlikely.

21 - “Footloose,” Kenny Loggins 
Another movie smash denied the Crown by Britain.  But Kenny had never charted here before, so in that context, going from zero to a #6 is pretty good.

In Part Two: a woman with a very deep voice, a man with a very high voice, plus sadness, misery, and tears.