Bradley's Buzz

TOP 100 SINGLES OF THE 1980's

According to Bradley ... of course.

Everyone knows I am quite obsessed with the 80s - nothing more so than the endless music that came out of that decade. I love everything, and know quite a bit about the comings and goings of the musical styles - so I thought it was high time I shared with you - both of you who read my blog - the TOP 100 SINGLES OF THE 1980S!

Believe me this was not an easy task but after sorting through the 1,672 songs I had chosen as my favorite 80s songs, it was time to muddle through them and pick only 100. Since I, myself am quite eclectic, I can tell you this list is rather eclectic too.

What was a hit or not had very little bearing on my choices. There was really only three criteria I cared about:

1. The song had to have been released as a single - no album tracks, or soundtrack fillers here, all bonafide releases on their own. Sadly some classics were then put on the shelf including Violent Femme's "Blister In The Sun" and Bonnie Hayes & The Wild Combo's "Girls Like Me" - two of my fav tracks from the 80s; both of which were never released as singles.

2. The single had to have been released and charted (if it did indeed chart) during the 1980s. That means my girl Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker" though it spent time on the charts in 1980 didn't qualify as it was released in October of 1979 and debuted on the top 100 in December of 1979 - also excluded was "Video Killed The Radio Star" a song I could've sworn screamed the 80s when in fact its first debut was September of 1979. P.S. Don't worry about poor Patty she makes an appearance or two regardless of "Heartbreaker"'s absence.

3. Finally, I had to love love the song. A song I could and/or would or do sing aloud every now and then. A song I would put on the endless compilations I make for people.

And with that in mind, I came up with MY top songs. Many may disagree, many may laugh, but hopefully all will remember and for any you don't know or can't recall, be sure you get in touch with me for you are missing out on something - I'm sure of it.... and as always, please comment and let me know how the songs took you, hooked you or made you spew...

So without further ado, I give you the first 5 in a long line of posts:
BRADLEY'S TOP 100 SINGLES OF THE 1980s
100-96



100. COOL RIDER – Michelle Pfeiffer
(Dennis Linde)
RSO Single #1070 – 1982

“If you really want to know what I want in a guy, I’m looking for a dream on a mean machine with hell in his eyes…” and so begins the very BEST song in the entire Grease 2 collection. The song, like the movie is highly underrated. As it turns out, Grease 2 as a DVD and in web site searches is much more popular than the original Olivia Newton-John/John Travolta film. I put that on the fact that the adults who were teenagers in 1978 when the original came out aren’t quite as internet savvy as the adults who were teenagers in 1982 when the sequel came out. Also when it comes to camp value, Grease 2 highly out cheeses the original. Either way, I love them both and Michelle Pfeiffer looks HOT HOT HOT. I know every time I hear the song (which is more often than you’d think) I want to throw on a black and pink reversible jacket, straddle a ladder and tell everyone how I want a C-O-O-L-R-I-D-E-R.

and for a really good time, check out www.grease2.net - an awesome website dedicated to the film and full of trivia, a message board and great pictures and happens to be run by a friend of mine. In fact, just this past weekend she organized a Grease 2 reunion with some of the cast members and plenty of fans! And see the awesome performance by Miss Michelle Pfeiffer on You Tube.


99. DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’ – Journey
(Cain/Perry/Schon)
Columbia/CBS Single #38-02567 (US)/ #1728 (UK)
Chart Debut: November 7, 1981 (US) / February 27, 1982 (UK)
Chart Position: #9 US / #62 UK

One of the few Journey songs Lisa Hartman chose NOT to cover in her Knots Landing glory days. It’s actually one of my favorites by the band. Personally, Steve Perry freaks me out, particularly in his videos when he is singing in all get out and his lips quiver. I think it’s because my bitchy neighbor in high school, Jill Breivegal is the spitting image of Steve and she once took a six-pack of beer away from me threatening, “You’ve had your day sunshine!” But as for the song, it reminds me of better times. Times when I put on my roller skates, hit the High Roller rink and went round and round dreaming of my small town boy ways living in my lonely world. Watch the video on You Tube.




98. WE BUILT THIS CITY – Starship
(Lambert/Page/Taupin/Wolf)
Grunt/RCA Single #14170 (US)/ #49929(UK)
Chart Debut: September 28, 1985 (US) / November 16, 1985
Chart Position: #1 US / #12 UK

This little ditty gets more negative press than it probably deserves, as it is a music critic’s nightmare. I’m not sure what the hoopla is really all about, but critics have chosen it as the WORST song of either the 80s or of all time - I can’t remember which. The reason behind their choice is the fact the song’s lyrics are a condemnation of corporate rock when the song is clearly corporate rock in full glory. Maybe Starship was trying to be ironic, but somehow I doubt it. For me I think it’s just a fun song – I love pissy Grace Slick’s snotty vocals and I’ve loved the song ever since I first heard it on the radio before it ever became a hit. Plus it has a catchy little chorus and I can rip it to shreds at the karaoke bar, and that to me makes a pretty damn good song. Paid critics be damned…Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxoqzhgKReY

97. BETTER BE GOOD TO ME – Tina Turner
(Mike Chapman/Nicky Chinn/Holly Knight)
Capitol/EMI Single #5387 (US)/ #338 (UK)Chart Debut: October 6, 1984 (US) / September 15, 1984
Chart Position: #9 US / #62 UK

When Tina reemerged in 1984 as the new rock queen she was determined to be, I admit I was right on that bandwagon. I had Private Dancer and loved the songs where she actually did rock out. As it turns out, it was rather a fluke and she would merge into Adult Contemporary faster than Celine Dion. However, she had her bits of rock in her vein and this was one of them. Co-written by one of my all time favorite songwriters Holly Knight (who you will find in a number of songs on this list) and one of my favorite producers Mike Chapman, the song was originally done by Spider – Holly’s band but Tina took it new levels and when she goes deep down in her register and says, “Prisoner of love, entangled in your web..” I still get kind of goose bumpy. And truth be told, I was in love with that dancer who comes out in white pants and no shirt to be tormented by the big T in the video. Fun stuff.
Watch the video on You Tube.


96. CENTERFOLD – The J. Geils Band
(Seth Justman)
EMI America Single #8102
Chart Debut: November 28, 1981 (US) February 13, 1982 (UK)
Chart Position: #1 US / #3 UK

Going to the roller skating rink was the only real teenager thing I was allowed to do as a kid, and on Wednesday nights, High Roller had 18 and younger nights and me and all 2 of my pals would meet up, have pizza, skate and get blisters. It was great! For our #96 ditty, I can claim in big exclamation that I won it in a roller skating contest! Can you even believe it? There I was just ready and waiting to do the big limbo. All Xanadu’d up and ready to skate my way to the history books. As it turns out, I was (and still am) pretty limber. So I just tucked my legs around my ears, put my skates to the floor and kept going down and down until I was the last one still going under that bar. My reward was the 45 of Centerfold, and to this day it’s not the striped shirt Peter Wolf wears in the video that gets me going (though if I could find that shirt you know I’d wear it), instead it’s the dreams of grandeur I had in 1981 when I was certain I would grow up to be the King Of The High Roller and I would be the one tossing those giant fuzzy dice around and holding the limbo bar – na, na, na, na, na, na na na. Watch the video on You Tube.

Come back tomorrow, when we visit songs 95-91

posted by swivek @ 3:20 PM