Tag Archive for "eighties" tag

We’ve looked at 1966 and 1975, now it’s time for something from the Eighties.

The decade’s best year for music, I feel (and you are free to tell me that you disagree just as long as you can back it up with better examples), is 1983.

From Pink Floyd, the vastly under-rated The Final Cut; ZZ Top produced their most successful, Eliminator; Metallica released their first (Kill ‘Em All), The Police their last (Synchronicity) and U2 their most delightfully political, War.

It was, of course, the year of Thriller, even if it was released in late-1982.

It’s also remembered as the year that Karen Carpenter and Beach Boy, Dennis Wilson, died. Both in tragic circumstances, Karen was just 32 and Dennis, 39.

Which are your favourite songs from 1983? Here are five of mine, starting with another respectful tip of the hat to that great evergreen, Ray Davies:

- Eurythmics, ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)’
- The Fixx, ‘One Thing Leads to Another’
- Michael Jackson, ‘Billie Jean’
- Elton John, ‘I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues’
- Bonnie Tyler, ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’

Thinking of it, it’s probably quite possible to compile an A to Z of chart artists from 1983 (-ish) without great effort. If you’re feeling up to it, in need of a pointless distraction from whatever you should be doing right now, see how far you can get with those unforgettable names, such as Kajagoogoo and Prefab Sprout.

You have to admit, the Eighties were and will forever remain… strangely amusing.

I’ll start you off with Adams, Bryan (‘Cuts Like a Knife’)…

Before plodding into another random topic, I’d like to apologise for what’s turned out to be another neglectful week. Thank you for bearing with me.

So, the Eighties. As much as it may well have been a fine decade for Christmas singles (thank you, Cliff), could anyone list ten chart-toppers that they still like?

Here’s one for you. Be sure to take note of the incredible pointed sideburns of Band/Live Aid’s all-too-often-forgotten hero, Midge Ure.

My first thought was that the best the decade had to offer would have to include a couple of re-releases: Jackie Wilson’s ‘Reet Petite’, in 1986, or Ben E. King’s ‘Stand By Me’, a year later. My second thought was rudely invaded by Glenn Medeiros, so I’ll probably never be able to recall it without breaking down. Sorry about that.

However, the following classics all topped the charts somewhere, proving that the Eighties weren’t quite so bad after all. What do you think?

- Blondie, ‘Atomic’
- Sam Brown, ‘Stop’
- Peter Gabriel, ‘Sledgehammer’
- George Harrison, ‘Got My Mind Set On You’
- Michael Jackson, ‘Smooth Criminal’
- John Lennon, ‘Imagine’
- Los Lobos, ‘La Bamba’
- Roy Orbison, ‘You Got It’
- Roxy Music, ‘Jealous Guy’
- U2, ‘With or Without You’

To help you list your favourites, have a look at this site, which conveniently lists the decade’s biggest hits from Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland, as well as the more commonly cited UK and US (Billboard Hot 100) charts. With its help, you too can easily waste an entire afternoon finding out who to thank for the continued airplay of ‘Funkytown’ by Lipps Inc. (it didn’t make the top spot in France, Italy or the UK for some strange reason), or trying to decide which Michael Jackson song you liked best. (The gloved one notched up an incredible eight Number Ones in both Belgium and the States throughout the ’80s, and all those hours spent playing ‘Moonwalker’ on the Master System II made my song choice for me; if you played it, please don’t be ashamed to say so, and refresh your memory here.)

It goes without saying that a Worst list would be too easy, but feel free to make us cringe if something’s on your mind – with or without the help of YouTube et al. One that really grates on my nerves is this one. Such a horrible little song…