TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 8:05:31 GMT 1
31 Boys Don't Cry – The Cure
I maybe shouldn't have included this but as we are covering the 80s and I haven't done 1979 yet and this is when I know the song from, it seemed ok. It reached #22 in this new version and a very clever video with The Cure as kids, it actually takes you a while to notice.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 8:08:32 GMT 1
30 Let's Go All the Way - Sly Fox
Back to the big 1986 one hit wonders. I actually thought these guys were from Europe very surprised when I found out they were US recently as it is totally euro pop. Wikipedia describe them as rap rock ok whatever.. Another super catchy song from that Summer it was top ten in the Us and UK, reaching #7 in Us and #3 in the UK.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 8:12:31 GMT 1
29 True Colors – Cyndi Lauper
Many of these songs are on Hits 5 one of the first compilations I bought, this was my favourite song on record 2. My favourite song on the whole record is still to come. This song can only be done by Cyndi Lauper, the delicate sexy quirky vocal just makes the song 100x better. It was a US number one but only reached #12 in UK, wish I knew that sooner!! Also she never looked more beautiful in this video.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 8:16:09 GMT 1
28 Rise – Public Image Ltd.
Only three vaguely alternative songs made the top 30 and this is the first; the best song John Lydon has every done ok Leftfield - Open Up runs it a close second. I really hated The Sex Pistols when I was at school and even now I really am not much of a fan, so this classic was a bit of a shock at the time. It reached #11 in the UK.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 8:19:55 GMT 1
27 Is This Love – Survivor
Woh there, we haven't had a big AOR rock anthem for a long time on this list. This is a really underated song by Survivor and I think its their best song that wasn't a hit in the UK. It just has amazing synths on it. Another song that takes me back to 1986, I used to sing this song everywhere usually when I was thinking about crushes I was too scared to ask out!! Yes a soppy git. Forgot how good this was. Then that guitar solo at 2:27 sigh.. It reached #9 in the US.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 8:23:17 GMT 1
26 Higher Love - Steve Winwood
Its just banger after banger now. This was the song that got me into Steve Winwood, after this I looked into as much of his old stuff as I could. One of the best vocalists of the time. This was the first single taken from his 4th album 'Back In The High Life' and it spend one week at number one in the US and reached #13 here. Never noticed Chaka Khan before!
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 8:26:38 GMT 1
25 Life's What You Make It - Talk Talk
Now an amazing song that was quite different from most stuff around in 1986, so atmospheric and just a great video as well. Like most Talk talk songs really should have been a bigger hit. It reached #16 in the UK and just #90 in the US.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 8:29:34 GMT 1
24 Take My Breath Away – Berlin
First I have to say I loved this song so much at the time, that's why it is so high. But overplay and over familiarity has hurt it quite a bit and I wouldn't chose to play it as much now. Its great to see the video again as I loved Terri Nunn's hair, wanted a girlfriend with hair like that hehe. It was a number one everywhere what else to say.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 8:33:04 GMT 1
23 If You Leave – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Great controversy after the last Haven Factor as we discovered that ShireBlogger wouldn't have used this song. For me its their best song from the second half of the 80s. Another song from the soundtrack of Pretty In Pink. One of their biggest hits in the US it reached #4 there but shockingly only reached #48 here. Guess it helped if you were a Molly Ringwald or James Spader fan.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 8:36:17 GMT 1
22 Danger Zone – Kenny Loggins
Another big movie song that missed the top 40 in the UK, although I am sure it sold a lot of soundtrack albums. For me this song is the best song on the Top Gun soundtrack, although love a bit of Cheap Trick - Mighty Wings as well hehe The song reached #2 in the US and just #45 here.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 8:40:19 GMT 1
21 Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground) - Mike & The Mechanics
Last song before the top 20, its the best song Mike & The Mechanics ever did. Again some amazing synths on this. And yes its another song from a movie but one much less successful than the previous two 'On Dangerous Ground'. For me Paul Carrack is the best vocalist they have and we will be hearing more from him in a future countdown. It reached #6 in the US and #21 in the UK.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 8:59:38 GMT 1
20 Stuck With You – Huey Lewis & The News
Into the top 20 with a very special song, the first 12" I ever bought and the second artist album with my own money. Its funny listening back and thinking why did I love Huey Lewis so much. It really is quite old fashioned music and so totally uncool. I guess it was mostly his voice and like most music I liked then it took me away from where I lived to another world. Where Morrissey was looking for music that said things about his life, I wanted the opposite. I wanted somebody else life!! The life of a millionaire popstar hanging out with moviestars and hot women, why not like Huey Lewis!! The song spent 3 weeks at number one in the Us and got to #12 here.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 9:04:34 GMT 1
19 The Final Countdown – Europe
1986 was the year that rock music went mainstream again in the UK, let by two bands this band and Bon Jovi, they are still to come. Now the coolest thing ever was to have big hair, over the top clothes and pretty boy looks. And of course big choruses and riffs. They didn't get much bigger than this. To say the arrival of Europe was a big moment, was an understatement. Ok they never really continued the success at this level, they opened the door to rock bands that either only sold albums in the UK or were only big in US. See 1987 for that change. This was a UK number one and reached #8 in the US.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 9:07:50 GMT 1
18 Why Can't This Be Love - Van Halen
More heavy rock now, this time from a band who recently lost their lead singer Dave lee Roth. Sammy Hagar stepped up to the plate big time with this their last big hit in the UK. The song reached #3 in the US and #8 in the UK.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 9:11:11 GMT 1
17 Take Me Home Tonight/Be My Baby – Eddie Money
Now we have a new artist to these lists. Eddie Money has been having steady success in the US but this track that takes parts of 'Be My Baby' with backing vocals from Ronnie Spector gave him his biggest hit. Eddie Money is one of the best AOR singers of the 80s and this song was featured on No Limits as a powerplay. It went to #4 in the US.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 9:15:46 GMT 1
16 Hip To Be Square – Huey Lewis & The News
You maybe wonder sometimes why do people make their own personal charts. Well for me it was started by this song. I followed its progress on the charts and it was featured on Bruno Brookes Chartbusters for about 7 weeks and still don't go top 40. I realised that then that there must be lots of great music that doesn't make the top 40 and I want to give it some credit, so I thought by making them hits in my own chart I was in a way giving them a reward. But really this was robbed. I think that it is quite a common opinion that this is actually Huey Lewis's best song. It reached #3 in the US and FORTY ONE!!! in the UK.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 9:22:39 GMT 1
15 Brilliant Mind – Furniture
The second of the big indie songs of 1986. I don't know anyone who doesn't like this song. Just one of the coolest songs ever, I feel a big influence on one of my favourite US bands Merchandise. I guess it is also what Joy Division may have sounded like if they had lasted until 1986. Its just total goth pop perfection. It reached #21 in the UK and I feel we would have heard a lot more from them if it hadn't been for the demise of their label Stiff.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 9:26:12 GMT 1
14 Everybody Have Fun Tonight - Edit – Wang Chung
From the sublime to the ridiculous. Yes this song is complete nonsense but it is pure 80s pop brilliance. A massive hit in the US and many parts of the world but flopped here. I blame Radio 1 as they did not playlist it, the only DJ I ever heard play it was Gary Davies. Radio Luxembourg hammered it to death. It reached #2 in the US and #76 in the UK, it didn't even make The Book Of Hit Singles!
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 9:29:54 GMT 1
13 Livin' On A Prayer – Bon Jovi
The first appearance on the list in 1986 for Bon Jovi and maybe not in the order you expected but to be fair the first three singles of 'Slippery When Wet' are so perfect there really is nothing between them. Taken from one of my top 5 albums of 1986, Bon Jovi finally broke through massive in the UK. This was their second Us number one and peaked at #4 hre.
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TheThorne
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Post by TheThorne on Apr 15, 2018 9:40:56 GMT 1
12 E=MC2 – Big Audio Dynamite
We have already had an ex Pistols member not we go ex Clash, they were always better anyway. This best thing about this song is it just does not get old, it still sounds so fresh, its clever use of samples and drum machine still so good. It reached #11 in the UK.
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