Bradley's Buzz

#45 - 41

Welcome back to our little countdown, today we study and laugh at numbers 45-41 as we countdown to the #1 song of the 1980s - According to Bradley of course!

45. WALKING ON SUNSHINE – Katrina & The Waves
(Kimberly Rew)
Capitol single #5466
Chart Debut: April 20, 1985 (US)/ May 4, 1985 (UK)
Chart Position: #9 US / #8 UK

“Yow!” and so begins this summer zest filled pop ditty. Full of bouncy fun and complete with horns, shouts and a full 3 minutes of bounce, “Walking On Sunshine” makes me want to run along the beach and dip my tootsies into the surf. Bop along with the video!


44. INVINCIBLE – Pat Benatar
(Holly Knight/Simon Climie)
Chrysalis single #42877 (US)/ PAT3 (UK)
Chart Debut: July 27, 1985 (US)/ October 19, 1985 (UK)
Chart Position: #10 US / #53 UK
Like the little pistol who sings this song, “Invincible” is a power packed piece of vinyl Heaven. From the opening pound of the drum, the drum roll and the introduction of the guitar and synth line, this song gets me right from the get go. Recorded for the much bally hooed and little seen film The Legend Of Billie Jean, it says a lot about the song to know when the single is introduced in the film, you jump up and feel for the heroine. Once again co-written by my gal Holly Knight, she seems to link the world of love with standing up for yourself amidst the backdrop of violence and battlefields – but we’ll get to more of that later. See the video, complete with big MTV EXCLUSIVE bulletin, meaning it was hot baby hot!

43. NEVER SURRENDER – Corey Hart
(Corey Hart)
EMI America single #8268
Chart Debut: June 22, 1985 (US)
Chart Position: #3 US
“Just a little more time is all we’re asking for” – I had and still kind of do have a huge crush on Corey Hart. With his spiked hair, his sensitive side, his somewhat slurred deliveries and his so tight bod, he adorned my wall through those awkward teen days. One of the coolest things about the vinyl of this song was it came as a poster sleeve – you could unfold the cover and put it right on your wall. You didn’t have any place to keep the record anymore but you got to look at Corey Hart day and night. As for the song, I have a thing for a lyric that tells you to stand up for yourself and to never give in. Told as a plea to some lover, “Never Surrender” has that type of lyric and I love it. Not to mention my girl Lisa Hartman did a killer rendition on that little show I call Knots Landing. See the video with the hottie Corey Hart and watch hottie Lisa Hartman sing it on Knots.

42. PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE – Depeche Mode
(Martin Gore)
Sire/Mute single #29221/ Bong #2
Chart Debut: June 22, 1985 (US)/ March 24, 1984 (UK)
Chart Position: #13 US / #4 UK
Sit right back and I’ll tell you a tale, a tale of homophobic teens. By the time “People Are People” was making airwaves in the US, Depeche Mode had already chalked up a ton of hits and a huge following in England. The song in its perfect synth dark wave mode tells the tale of acceptance – “People are people so why should it be that you and I should get along so awfully” and some very clever lines – “So you punch me and you kick me and you’re shouting at me/ I’m depending on your common decency/ so far it hasn’t surfaced but I’m sure it exists/ it just takes a while to travel from your head to your fist…” Being the target of many a bastard, this song spoke to me and I wanted to shout the lyrics to every bully who had ever tortured me.

As it was, when this song was out, I recall being at my father’s house. When I would go there I spent most of my time hanging out with my half brother and his friend. One day while having MTV on, this video played and they informed me that the song and the band were gay. Their reasoning of course was the lines “I can’t understand what makes a man hate another man…” insisting that the lines meant they wanted to love another man. The idea intrigued me but actually paying attention to the English language, as I do, I realized 'man on man love' had nothing to do with the song at all. I tried to tell them the real essence of “People Are People” but being homophobic and half retarded, they didn’t get it. So I had to beat them – sure it took a while to travel from my head to my fist, but I had to make them realize we should all get along peacefully – no matter how much it hurts. Watch the video.

41. LANDSLIDE – Olivia Newton-John
(John Farrar)
MCA single #52069 (US)/ EMI single #5257 (UK)
Chart Debut: June 1982 (US)/ January 16, 1982 (UK)
Chart Position: #52 US / #18 UK
Once again, I declare my love for all things Livvie. This little single from her 1981 album Physical has all the greatest elements of Olivia’s 80s output – a little funky, a little synthy, a little naughty, and a little shrill – I love it. Anyone who is familiar with Olivia’s videos knows this is one of the most brilliant videos she ever did. Following our heroine in a very strange world of office love affairs, crystal triangles and sex dungeons all while lusting after a hottie who keeps losing his shirt – Matt Lattanzi who in real life ended up marrying our girl. The song begins with “Cold winds rarely blow/here at the end of the rainbow” but it seems Olivia is willing to leave her Paradise behind and follow the man who hit her like a landslide. As the song breaks into its final moments, you get one of my all time fav things by Livvie – a high-pitched squeal that leads to the fade out. Oh, how that landslide hit me as well. Watch the hot video here.

Livvie may have fallen under the weight of the landslide, but don't you fall under the weight of these great little gems for we have the top 40 to look at...

Labels: Corey Hart, Depeche Mode, Katrina and The Waves, Lisa Hartman, Olivia Newton-John, Pat Benatar, Top 100 Singles Of the 1980s

posted by swivek @ 8:59 AM