# 60-56
We continue with our TOP 100 SINGLES OF THE 1980s with numbers 60 - 56!
60. NEED YOU TONIGHT - INXS(Andy Farriss/Michael Hutchence)
Atlantic single #89188 (US)/ Mercury single #INXS12 (UK)
Chart Debut: November 1, 1987 (US)/ November 12, 1988 (UK)
Chart Position: #1 US / #2 UK
As I said back at #90 when we had our last INXS entry, I thought Michael Hutchence was one of the sexiest guys to ever strut across a stage. It wasn’t just the way he looked or acted, it was his voice and the brilliant sexy deliveries of that voice. In all of the INXS singles released with Michael, none capture that raw sexiness like “Need You Tonight”. Just the emphasis of certain phrasing sends me right up a wall whenever I listen to the song. You’ll have to excuse me – I have to go take a cold shower. Watch the video here.
59. HIDIN’ FROM LOVE – Lisa Hartman(Bryan Adams/Jim Vallance)
RCA single #13251
Released: 1982
Chart Position: -
And we’re back… Oh, my poor girl. All Lisa Hartman ever wanted to do was sing. Her mother swears she didn’t speak her first words, she sang them. While in high school, Lisa ran around Houston as the front woman in a rock band. In 1976, at the ripe old age of 19, Jeff Barry who had written such 60s classics as the Shangri-Las “Out In The Streets” saw Lisa perform and immediately had her signed to Don Kirshner’s namesake label. In LA, she recorded her very first album, the self titled ditty captured all that was oh so 1976 Olivia Newton-John pop but it failed. So Lisa took up some modeling and acting gigs, got a lead in the ABC series Tabitha, and released another single in 1978. Nothing.
In 1979, she recorded yet another album Hold On – studying close to the 60s Motown stuff she loved. Again, no hits. So it was back to acting and modeling.
In 1982, our girl released what is her best album of recorded material, Letterock. Clad in a blue teddy on the back of the record sleeve, you knew you were onto something good. The songs were perfect for the 1982 woman rock stuff happening. She had covers of uber popular Rick Springfield, she had originals about gay boyfriends, Juice Newton styled ballads, and a Holly Knight song that had reached the top 40 two years earlier for the band Spider; and she had this single – “Hidin’ From Love” written by a then fairly unknown Bryan Adams. The song has all the power packed punch of Quarterflash or Scandal – two female led rock outfits scoring hits around this time, but for some reason our girl just never had the hit she deserved.
So Lisa went back to acting and onto one of my all time favs - Knots Landing where she played ill-fated rock singer Ciji Dunne in the fourth season (1982-83) and when she was proved to be uber popular, she came the following year as Cathy Dunne in one of the more better crafted "look-alike" soap scenerios (think "Vertigo"). After her success on Knots Landing, RCA Records re-released the Letterock album in 1984 retitled Lisa Hartman and with the front and back covers switched. Lisa even did some promotion appearing on Solid Gold and a few other shows (as you can see); but still the album did nothing chart wise.
I guess in the end Lisa Hartman scored out all right considering her acting career definitely took off starring for three years on my beloved Knots Landing, and making a slew of TV movies through the 90s, and though a fourth and final album in 1987 didn’t score any better than her previous efforts, an almost forced collabaration with husband Clint Black scored her a top 40 pop hit, a number one country hit and a few awards for the song “When I Said I Do” – so Lisa Hartman got what she wanted after all. You Letterock girl! Check out this awesome My Space site dedicated to Lisa Hartman's music and you can even hear our #59 song right on the site!
58. CHANGE – John Waite(Holly Knight)
Chrysalis single #42606
Released: 1982
Chart Position: #54 US
I have to admit that John Waite has always kind of bothered me. I think it’s his endless changing of bands and styles. Is he trying to be Steve Perry? Is he trying to be Nick Gilder? Is he trying to be Stephen Tyler? I just don’t get it. But the one thing that he did do and he did very well is this single. “Change” is written by my beloved Holly Knight and produced by Neil Geraldo – that’s right Ms. Pat Benatar’s right hand man, and it was even released on the same label as Pat and Blondie, so it’s really no wonder it’s so good. The story of always wanting more than you have or deserve is fuelled by a pretty high energy guitar rock song and everyone can relate to the lyrics – “We always wish for money/ we always wish for fame/ we think we have the answers/ some things aren’t ever gonna change…” Perhaps Holly should’ve also handed this one over to Lisa Hartman – I’m sure she could’ve nailed it even better. I couldn't find the video for it, but here is John performing an acoustic live version though it's nowhere near as great as his original recorded version.
57. SWEET CHILD O MINE - Guns n Roses(Adler/Hudson/McKagan/Rose/Stradlin)
Geffen single #27963
Chart Debut: July 23, 1988 (US)/ August 20, 1988 (UK)
Chart Position: #1 US / #24 UK
There are numerous claims that Appetite For Destruction changed the music scene when it debuted in 1988. For some reason I didn’t notice, all I knew was that it was a damn good album. When I threw my cassette into the car player, rolled down the windows, turned up the volume and drove along Wausau, Wisconsin – it was an exuberating experience. Plus I was finally able to be cool with all the head bangers. “Sweet Child O Mine” is the single that drove the album into the stratosphere and likely so. It’s a great song that makes you turn up the volume and sing along. I mean who doesn’t do the Axl sway when the song starts playing? Watch the video here!
56. I WANT THAT MAN – Deborah Harry
(Currie/Bailey)
Sire/Red Eye single #22816 (US)/ Chrysalis single #3369
Chart Debut: October 7, 1989
Chart Position: #2 Modern Rock (US) / #13 UK
“Here comes the 21st century/ it’s gonna be much better for a girl like me..” and so declared the chorus of this ultra cool Deborah Harry solo single. Co-written and produced by the Thompson Twins’ Alannah Currie and Tom Bailey, I thought for sure this would be the single that made it clear Debbie could score huge on her own. The keyboard intro, the dance back beat, the shaking little breakdowns and the sing along lyrics make it one of the best singles of the late 80s. They even played it on the Wausau, Wisconsin rock radio station! Plus Debs looked super cool as a vampire/singer in the video who goes after the man she wants – of course she gets him; she even rips off his cross and bites his neck. That’s our Debs - if she wants it, she gets it. By the way, I too want to be the Queen of the USA – but you don’t have to send me roses every other day – make it twice a week. Watch the video here and see a great live performance from 1989 from the Roller Derby show. It's almost as cool as the video!
The 21st century may be here but our #1 single of the 80s won't be here for a while yet, so stay put and I'll be back with numbers #55-51!
Labels: Deborah Harry, Guns n Roses, INXS, John Waite, Lisa Hartman, Top 100 Singles Of the 1980s
posted by swivek @ 3:33 PM
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