Bradley's Buzz

The Top 10

After weeks and weeks of waiting, we are finally here - the top 10 Singles of the 1980s According to Bradley - so since I made you wait all this time, let's get started:

10. DON'T CHANGE - INXS
(Andy Farriss/Michael Hutchence)
ATCO single #99874 (US)/ INXS1 (UK)
Chart Debut: July 16, 1983 US
Chart Position: #80 US

You know I love my Michael Hutchence, and the whole band of INXS has a lot to offer, but it's this little single from the album Shabooh Shabah that makes INXS one of the greatest 80s band. Blending new wave and guitar rock into one glorious song is just one of the brilliant things about this single, but Michael's vocal performance, the drums, the keyboards, all of it make it one of the top ten singles of the 80s. "I'm standing here on the ground/the sky above won't fall down/ seeing no evil in all directions..." I've always thought of doing a cover of this song, and apparantly I'm not the only one for No Doubt had the idea as well. When deciding to do an 80s cover song for their singles compilation a few years ago, it came down to "It's My Life" by Talk Talk and this gem by my boys of INXS. Watch the video here!

9. ONLY YOU - Yaz (oo)
(Vince Clarke)
Sire/Mute single #29844 (US)/ Mute #020 (UK)
Chart Debut: February 26, 1983 (US)/ April 17, 1982 (UK)
Chart Position: #67 US (#1 Dance Club Play)/ #2 UK

When Vince Clarke opted out of Depeche Mode after only one album, he immediately took up with the smoky voiced Allison Moyet who had been touting around England singing jazz songs. With her voice and Vince's excellance at synthesized pop, Yazoo (as it was known in England) was a brilliant little blip in music history. Recording only two albums, Vince would go on to create Erasure while Allison would go on to her own thing before retiring on a chicken farm - don't ask me I just report the news.

As for "Only You" the song is pure bliss. Beginning with the quietest tone of synth Allison's voice comes in, "Looking from a window above/it's like a story of love/ can you hear me?.." a mournful twitch of lost love and pop genius the song remains one of the best the 80s had to offer. See the video here.

8. TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART - Bonnie Tyler
(Jim Steinman)
Columbia/CBS single #38-03906 (US)/ CBS #TYLER1 (UK)
Chart Debut: August 13, 1983 (US)/ February 19, 1983 (UK)
Chart Position: #1 US / #1 UK

If including "Sunglasses At Night" won't be enough to send my pal Brian into a gin laced tizzy, including his most abhored song certainly will. But despite Brian's lack of appreciation for Bonnie Tyler's epic masterpiece, I love it. In fact I love the entire Jim Steinman written catalog, from Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell albums, Air Supply's "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All", Barry Manilow's "Read Em And Weep" and the only Celine Dion song I can muster up the courage to listen to, "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" - Jim was a rock theatrical God. Even the video in all of its early 80s cheapness was of epic proportions - with Bonnie portraying some kind of insane school marm with boys with neon blue eyes trying to drive her mad. It was all too surreal and so unforgettable.

The song begins softly enough with a piano and the high octave male voice "turn around... bright eyes..." Bonnie and her ultra gravelly vocal enter, "Every now and then I get a little bit lonely.." and the song goes into an explosion before calming back down and then exploding again. Pure and simple theatrics but enjoyable theatrics none the less. Somewhere there's a Broadway musical in all of Jim's vocals - in fact the whole Bat Out Of Hell was meant to be a rock opera, but include all of his songs including lesser known gems by the likes of Karla Devito, and you have a winning Broadway musical that is not a rehash of a classic film. But I digress.. I guess I'll just turn around and see what my neon blue eyes can see.... Relive the electric blue eyed video here.

7. GLORIA - Laura Branigan
(Bigazzi/Tozzi/Veitch)
Atlantic single #4048 (US)/ #11759 (UK)
Chart Debut: September 4, 1982 (US)/ December 18, 1982 (UK)
Chart Position: #2 US / #6 UK

"If everybody wants you why isn't anybody calling?" Oh, poor poor Gloria and her messed up, screwed up love life. As told through the power packed lungs of Laura Branigan, "Gloria" enters our mind with a swirling synth intro where we discover Gloria is going through a number of troubled issues. She dates and dates and yet can't find the simplest of love, perhaps it's something some bastard told her that made her feel bad, or maybe it's just all those voices in her head. Is she sychophrenic?Is she unable to love? Does it really matter when the whole performance is so flawless? Perhaps it's the entire storyline that intriques me so, almost a desperate housewife Gloria isn't sure how she's going to go on her life, "how's it gonna go down?/ will you meet him on the mainline or will you catch him on the rebound?/ will you marry for the money, take a lover in the afternoon/ feel your innocence slipping away/ don't beleive it's coming back soon..." Oh how I felt for Gloria and somehow knew that I would end up being the male version of Miss G herself... See Laura in all her 82 glory-ah!

6. KIDS IN AMERICA - Kim Wilde
(Ricky Wilde/Marty Wilde)
EMI America single #8110 (US)/ RAK single #327 (UK)
Chart Debut: July 17, 1982 (US)/ January 26, 1981 (UK)
Chart Position: #25 US / #2 UK

My girl Kim Wilde in her ultra cool new wave best. It's creepy, it's dance inducing, it's new wave glory! Beginning with fanciful synth loop this English girl introduces the new world of the kids living in America, with their suburbs, malls and endless dance parties. "Looking out a dirty old window/ down below the cars in the city go rushing by/ I sit here alone and I wonder why/ Friday night and everybody's moving/ you can feel the heat but its soothing heading down/ I search for the beat in this dirty town/ downtown..." I love it.

When this song came out and I first saw the video, I thought it was one of the coolest things I had ever heard in the world. I think I have a love for songs that talk about kids, either cool or losers, it's just something I relate to. This was also released around the time of the Valley Girl status craze and it all somehow seemed related to me. As I would skate around and around in a giant circle at High Roller listening to Kim Wilde, it would occur to me that I was a Kid in America and I deserved to be in the Valley.

Incidentally, Kim, whose brother and father wrote most of her music including this song never once questioned the line, "New York to East California" though to this day, she, like the rest of us have no idea what it was supposed to mean. Were the kids west of East California not included in the wave of fun hitting the rest of America? I guess we'll never really know. Another side note, though this song was released in America a year later than it was in the UK, and though it hit the top 40 in July of 1982, it's actual US Top 100 chart debut was May 22, 1982 - my birthday (okay not the actual day I was born but close, very very close I tell you)... and perhaps somehow, someway I knew that and that is why the song has become so popular in my little mind... Watch the video here!

Well kids in America (and beyond) we are almost at the end of our countdown. I can't believe you've stuck with the total eclipse of this list so you deserve to come back and see the top 5 - tomorrow...

Labels: Bonnie Tyler, INXS, Kim Wilde, Laura Branigan, Top 100 Singles Of the 1980s, Yaz (oo)

posted by swivek @ 1:10 PM