For The week ending April 9, 1983:
I'm pulling double duty again this week because this was an exceptional '80's countdown full of good and even great songs that I've never commented on. I just hope my emoticons appear on this critique (they mysteriously stayed in hiding on my '71 critique two days ago.)
40. Rio/Duran Duran--This electrifying synth-pop adrenaline rush is my second favorite song by this group. Before the end of this critique, you'll know my favorite song. (Hint, hint)
39. I Don't Care Anymore/Phil Collins--The powerful arrrangement and Phil's explosive drum word makes this one of his more interesting solo releases. (Years ago, I heard a funny, biting parody of this song called "I Have No Hair Anymore", at the end of which "Phil" explains that his hair "won't grow, won't grow.....won't grow, won't grow")
38. Some Kind Of Friend/Barry Manilow--Although Barry has a masterful way with a love ballad, it is refreshing to hear him kick the tempo up a few notches every now and then, and this release fits the bill nicely.
37. Stray Cat Strut/The Stray Cats--It's a rather cute and creative song, the best of their three major hits.
36. Make Love Stay/Dan Fogelberg--Mostly mediocre, although Dan's smooth vocals are always pleasing regardless of the quality of the song. (RIP, Dan)
35. Breaking Us In Two/Joe Jackson--This highly enjoyable release seems to have a steady, almost hypnotic, ping-pong/metronome style rhythm throughout. Oh, and Joe's keyboard work is outstanding, as well.
34. Whirly Girl/Oxo--A very delightfully frenetic, catchy dance hit, with a cheesy, but fun intro/outro that is similar to the intro to Men At Work's hit several months later "It's A Mistake". (Were you all aware that Oxo is also a brand name of kitchen utensils sold about everywhere?)
33. Welcome To Heartlight/Kenny Loggins--I can take it or leave it, but I was impressed by the special school Casey spotlighted which became Kenny's inspiration for the song.
32. It Might Be You/Stephen Bishop--The song is mostly mediocre, but I remember going to see "Tootsie" when it came out, the movie featuring this song. It was pretty funny.
31. I Like It/Debarge--It was slightly above average. Their harmonies were very smooth and pleasant.
30. Lies/The Thompson Twins--As is the case of about all their songs, I can take it or leave it.
29. Let's Dance/David Bowie--I have never cared much for this song, although it's a little more tolerable than it used to be. The arrangement just sounds jarring, choppy, sterile, and just too-high tech.
28. Overkill/Men At Work--It's a pretty good song with a sharp arrangement. (I've noticed that, of their five Top 40 hits, not one of them is a love song. When you consider the majority of hit songs in general are at least loosely about romantic love, that's quite mystifying. Maybe they thought that adding one more love song would be "overkill")
27. All Right/Christopher Cross--It's a nice, somewhat peppy song with a smooth, pleasant arrangement. It had that inocuous, inoffensive sound that was on its way out, to be replaced by British Technopop and Jacksonmania (and later by Princemania, Madonnamania, and hair bands.)
26. Solitaire/Laura Branigan--Although not as powerful and dramatic as the thrilling "Gloria", it did possess some of the earlier song's appeal.
25. Poison Arrow/ABC--Speaking of the increasingly popular technopop from the UK, this band was one of the best examples of it. The lively, upbeat synth arrangement and the delightfully bombastic vocals make for a release almost as great as their superb "The Look Of Love".
24. Fall In Love With Me/Earth, Wind, & Fire--I don't remember this song at the time, and I don't remember how it sounded last Sunday while listening to AT40, so I cannot comment. (Once again, you see, I was multitasking, that is listening to the '80's countdown while typing my critique of the '70's countdown.)
23. I Won't Hold You Back/Toto--I can take it or leave it. I enjoyed the stirring "Africa" much better.
22. Even Now/Bob Seger--It rocks out in a nicely dramatic fashion, but is otherwise unimpressive.
21. Change Of Heart/Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers--See #24.
20. Little Too Late/Pat Benatar--Ditto
19. Little Red Corvette/Prince--This song has a happy-sounding chorus and the usual irresistible technofunk production, but, oh, it's one naughty, naughty song. These days, one would need to call a HazMat team to dispose of those......those "things" in her pocket.
18. I've Got A Rock And Roll Heart/Eric Clapton--I can take it or leave it.
17. Shame On The Moon/Bob Seger--Ditto
16. She Blinded Me With Science/Thomas Dolby--This guy gave synthesizer pop such a unique twist and created such a sharp, one-of-a-kind sounding pop song, that its charms are irresistible, even if cheesier than a Hickory Farms kiosk in December.
15. Twilight Zone/Golden Earring--This fantastic straight-up rocker, with its ominous feel, authoritative guitar work, and pulsating beat, is one of the all-time great cruising-down-the-highway tunes.
14. Back On The Chain Gang/The Pretenders--It's a fairly decent rocker, but far from great.
13. I Know There's Something Going On/Frida--Although ABBA released some fine, very enjoyable songs, none were as spectacular, IMHO, as this thunderous, thrilling solo hit by Frida. That amazing drum/guitar riff just grabs you and doesn't let go. Phil Collins, on drums and in the production booth, deserves just as much credit for this trememdous release as Frida's dynamic vocals.
12. Der Kommissar/After The Fire--The bouncy rhythm, the foreign-accented, hiccupping vocals, and the sharp technopop production combine to create one fun, semi-campy release.
11. You Are/Lionel Richie--This is one of Lionel's more interesting, enjoyable solo releases. The subdued synthesizer intro (repeated several times) is intriguing, and the song has a nice uplifting feel to it.
10. Beat It/Michael Jackson--At the time, I loved most of the Thriller singles as much as anyone. Later on, as Michael's image became sullied by his eccentricities and those sexual abuse allegations, my love for his 80's and 90's megahits waned a great deal. But since his death, I'm warming up to them again and rediscovering what creative pop gems many of them were, including this one. From the ominous intro, to Michael's assertive delivery, to the chorus's infectious guitar-based groove, this is probably the best song off that record-breaking LP.
9. Jeopardy/The Greg Kihn Band--A great dance-rock song with a sharp, tight beat.
8. Separate Ways/Journey--This powerful rock epic is so over-the-top dramatic, it's almost Wagnerian in its bombast and emotion. And Steve Perry's larger-than-life vocals were never more goosebump-inducing. All in all, a rock masterpiece that I never get tired of hearing.
7. One On One/Daryl Hall & John Oates--One of this duo's more dull, lifeless releases.
6. We've Got Tonight/Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton--Although not as good as Bob Seger's original, Kenny and Sheena's voices do sound good together.
5. Mr. Roboto/Styx--Oh, did this peculiar song alienate lots of people back in the day, including many diehard Styx fans like my sister Elaine, who exclaimed "Styx have gone to pot!"
I also remember some anti-rock crusaders pointed to the song's album Kilroy Was Here as supposedly having satanic backmasking. In fact, I've heard that all this backlash was why the group soon broke up. Anyway, in spite of it all, I love this over-the-top, campy rocker. I'll happily scream at the song's end "I'M KILROY! KILROY! KILROY!"
4. Come On, Eileen/Dexy's Midnight Runners--A fairly intriguing rocker with a catchy, Celtic rhythm. It's still an amazing, quirky bit of chart trivia that the song that kept Michael Jackson from occupying the top spot for ELEVEN straight weeks was a almost forgotten one-hit wonder Irish rock band.
3. Hungry Like The Wolf/Duran Duran--Back in their heyday, I hated Duran Duran. I didn't like their techno-rock sound, I thought their song lyrics were stupid and/or creepy, and I thought Simon Lebon's singing was most irritating. I started to reconsider my feelings when, years later, I was riding with my sister Elaine and "Hungry Like The Wolf" came on the radio. The cosmic feel and the driving rhythm of the song finally started to get to me and it wasn't long before I did a 180 on this song and now I love it as well as several other Duran Duran songs. (I still can't stand Arcadia, though.)
2. Do You Really Want To Hurt Me/Culture Club--Similarly, I didn't care much for this band back in the day, but I've warmed up to these guys and gal somewhat. And this song does have a sweet, exotic feel to it and Boy George's vocals are soulful.
1. Billy Jean/Michael Jackson--This song, which did the most to rocket Michael to superstar status, does have a killer groove. I also love the dramatic string riff in the chorus following Michael's declaring "the kid is not my son". That gimmick makes the song, IMO.
And my favorite song of the countdown (drum roll):
"Hungry Like The Wolf" with the Frida song a close second.
Thank you and good night.