S22 Contemporary Music

[Stephen Morgan]

Just the chart for now, I'll add a few comments on some of the singles, and the year in general later today or over the weekend when I can get my thoughts together on it.

Top 20 w/e 5/01/1985

20 Teardrops Shakin' Stevens
19 I Should Have Known Better Jim Diamond
18 Round And Round Spandau Ballet
17 Sex Crime (Nineteen Eighty Four) Eurythmics
16 Lay Your Hands On Me Thompson Twins
15 One Night In Bangkok Murray Head
14 Fresh Kool and the Gang
13 Do The Conga Black Lace
12 Another Rock and Roll Christmas Gary Glitter
11 The Riddle Nik Kershaw
10 I Want To Know What Love Is Foreigner
9 Everything Must Change Paul Young
8 Shout Tears For Fears
7 The Power Of Love Frankie Goes To Hollywood
6 Ghostbusters Ray Parker jnr.
5 Nellie The Elephant Toy Dolls
4 Like A Virgin Madonna
3 We All Stand Together Paul McCartney and the Frog Chorus
2 Everything She Wants/Last Christmas Wham
1 Do They Know It's Christmas Band Aid.

Obviously the most famous single of all those is Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas, we all know it's history and the reasons it got to number one. It's the first of many charity singles to feature a whole host of contemporary artists in it's line up, and as we all know led to the legendary Live Aid concert during the summer of '85.

[Rob McCow]

Some fantastic songs in that top 20 there! I'm going to have to listen to 'Ghostbusters' again now.

The Frog Chorus (Macca and the Frogs Ft.Rupert The Bear) brings back long lost memories too. I think I first saw the video round somebody else's house, I can picture the house quite clearly but who, why and when I was there I can't remember.

Lots of lovely 80's electro-synth pop in the charts too. Bliss.

[Rob McCow]

That was frightening. I just bought Ghostbusters OST before I had a chance to realise what I was doing. Damn you Amazon!

[Stephen Morgan]

Let's have an update, the charts for 26th January 1985.

Albums

20 The Riddle Nik Kershaw
19 The Very Best Of Chris DeBurgh
18 Parade Spandau Ballet
17 The Barbara Dickson Songbook
16 20/20 George Benson
15 The Unforgettable Fire U2
14 Arena Duran Duran
13 Private Dancer Tina Turner
12 The Age Of Consent Bronski Beat
11 Like A Virgin Madonna
10 Now That's What I Call Music 4
09 Born In The USA Bruce Springsteen
08 The Collection Ultravox
07 Welcome To The Pleasuredome Frankie Goes To Hollywood
06 Diamond Life Sade
05 The Hits Album Various
04 Eliminator ZZ Top
03 Make It Big Wham
02 Agent Provocateur Foreigner
01 Alf Alison Moyet

Several big 80s albums there, Springsteen's Born In The USA spent 129 weeks in the UK chart alone, another being Tina Turner's album with 147 weeks on the UK chart, the title track was written by Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, themselves with a long runner in Brothers In Arms from May 1985 with 228 weeks in the Uk charts.
The number one album from Alison Moyet is a sublime piece of work. Moyet, formerly of Yazoo, struck out as a solo artist with two number one albums (one a singles collection), this one, her debut, spawned three hit singles, Invisible, All Cried Out and Love Resurrection. Worth checking out.

Singles top twenty w/e 26/01/85

20 Dancing In The Dark Bruce Springsteen
19 San Damiano (Heart and Soul) Sal Solo
18 This Is My Night Chaka Khan
17 Say Yeah The Limit
16 Ghostbusters Ray Parker Jnr.
15 Police Officer Smiley Culture
14 Everything Must Change Paul Young
13 Solid Ashford and Simpson
12 Friends Amii Stewart
11 Step Off pt 1 Grandmaster Flash Melle Mel and the Furious Five
10 Atmosphere Russ Abbott
09 Do They Know It's Christmas Band Aid
08 Everything She Wants/Last Christmas Wham
07 Like A Virgin Madonna
06 Love and Pride King
05 Since Yesterday Strawberry Switchblade
04 Shout Tears For Fears
03 I Know Him So Well Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson
02 1999/Little Red Corvette Prince
01 I Want To Know What Love Is Foreigner

What an absolutely fantastic chart, topped off with a brilliant number one from Foreigner which was mixed and remixed until producers Mick Jones, Alex Sadkin and lead singer Lou Gramms, who provides a soulful lead, were satisfied with it. Backing the song were The New Jersy Mass Choir, Dreamgirls star Jennifer Holliday and the UK's own, The Thompson Twins. The song spent three weeks as the UK's number one single, appearing on many 80's compilations along the way.
The number three song, I Know Him So Well, is from the musical Chess, written by former ABBA members Bjorn and Benny in a collaboration with Tim Rice. Chess would also provide a hit for Murray Head with One Night In Bangkok.
I Know Him So Well has been covered by many down the years Barbara Streisand, pianist Richard Clayderman, Whitney Houston, The Shadows, John Barrowman, Lily Savage and one time Britain's Got Talent 2nd placer, Susan Boyle.

[Stephen Morgan]

Time for another update.

Top 30 w/e 2/3/85

30 Breaking Up My Heart Shakin' Stevens
29 Shout Tears For Fears
28 How Soon Is Now The Smiths
27 This House (Is Where Your Love Stands) Big Sound Authority
26 Legs ZZ Top
25 Sussudio Phil Collins
24 Material Girl Madonna
23 This Is Not America David Bowie and the Pat Metheny Group
22 Kiss Me Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy
21 I Want To Know What Love Is Foreigner
20 Atmosphere Russ Abbott
19 The Theme From "Shaft" Eddie and the Soul Boys
18 Loverboy Billy Ocean
17 Change Your Mind Sharpe and Numan
16 Love Like Blood Killing Joke
15 1999/Little Red Corvette Prince
14 Your The Inspiration Chicago
13 The Boys Of Summer Don Henley
12 Thinking Of You The Colourfield
11 Run To You Bryan Adams
10 Close (To The Edit) Art of Noise
9 Let's Go Crazy/Take Me With U Prince
8 A New England Kirsty McColl
7 Things Can Only Get Better Howard Jones
6 Nightshift The Commodores
5 Dancing In The Dark Bruce Springsteen
4 Solid Ashford And Simpson
3 Love and Pride King
2 You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) Dead Or Alive
1 I Know Him So Well Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson

A great mixture of 80s classics there, A New England, Dancing in the Dark, the first single from Springsteen's classic best selling album, Born In The USA, Run To You from Bryan Adams, Nightshift from The Commodores, their first hit without former lead singer, Lionel Richie, who had struck out as a solo singer just three years previously.
Shakin' Stevens had something of a flop with Breaking Up My Heart, after a steady run of top ten hits that one only reached 14 in a 7 week chart run. His fortunes would rise again by the end of '85 and he would reach number 1 the week after Christmas with Merry Christmas Everyone.
There's also a couple of obscurities there too, I don't recall much, if anything about The Big Sound Authority, I can't seem to find the track on any of the biggest 80's compilation albums, likewise Eddie and the Soul Boys cover of Isaac Hayes' Theme From "Shaft". Other than those two I think I can manage to play the entire chart.

[Dirk Gently]

13 The Boys Of Summer Don Henley

Weird fact of the day, that's my Father-in-Law's name.
He's not the Don Henley, but he is a Don Henley.

[Nyder]

I bought The Art of Noise single from Woolies. Then had to take it back because it was warped. The replacement was also warped! But hey, it was 3rd time lucky.

[Jonno]

I still remember well the first TOTP of 1985 (if we're lucky we might get to see it in January 2020 on BBC4!!). It had a major new look - the chart countdown extended to the Top 40 rather than Top 30 and split up into 3 sections, concluding with the video Top Ten (longer clips for climbers, shorter clips for fallers or songs played in full that week). They also introduced the Breakers, a handful of promos of songs normally as chart entries in the lower part of the Top 40. The idea being that they got to feature more songs than previously.

[Jonno]

Ghostbusters had a great chart run - 3 weeks at #2 stuck behind Stevie Wonder with the wretched I Just Called To Say I Love You in September/October 84. It had just dropped out of the Top 40 end November then climbed back up to spend 4 weeks in the Top 10 at the turn of the year peaking at #6.

I assume that the film got released in the UK at Christmas?

One of the great number ones that never was!

[Jonno]

Just to point out that Pick of the pops this Saturday on BBC radio 2 is featuring the chart of w/e 02/02/85 which fits in nicely with this thread!

[Zbigniev Hamson]

16 Lay Your Hands On Me Thompson Twins
...
9 Everything Must Change Paul Young
...
4 Like A Virgin Madonna

Well these amused me anyway