The second half of 1985, then. As before, we're giving a capsule review of every top 3 single, and others that made significant forays into the top five. Number one titles are linked to their review on the Popular blog, with which we're keeping pace, and videos are from Dailymotion where we think they're worth reviewing. Or, for younger readers, viewing.
Sister Sledge's Frankie
continued its run at number one into July, keeping Harold Faltemeyer at number 2 with Axel F
. It's a simple synth loop, taken from one of the big films of the summer, and once heard, never forgotten. Kool and the Gang were also kept at bay, the sloppy love song Cherish
spent five weeks at numbers 4 and 5. As sloppy love songs go, it's not the worst. But it's not There must be an angel (playing with my heart)
(video), which spent a week at number 1 for The Eurythmics. It was the only chart-topper for Dave and Annie - indeed, we'll not see Dave in this project again. The song was taken from the group's celebrity duets album - Stevie Wonder played the mouth-organ on this track, soul diva Arthur Franklin popped up on the next single.
The Eurythmics looked set for a long run at the top, but were ousted after just one week by Madonna. Into the groove
(video) spent a month as the UK's best-seller, and it's the defining slice of early-career Madonna. Peppy, zippy, fun to dance to, fun to hear, sounding absolutely effortless, it's got to be one of the best chart-toppers of the year. It's the first of five songs we'd choose to illustrate her career.
Madonna kept a familiar face off the top of the chart during August, as the number 2 behind her was -- herself. Holiday
had originally been a top ten hit in early 1984, and was now re-pressed, re-issued, and returned to the top end. She was part of a female takeover of the chart - Tina Turner reached number 3 with We don't need another hero (thunderdome)
, and Kate Bush had a similar hit with Running up that hill
(video). Inevitably, Turner's song sounded dated at the time, Bush's still sounds creepy a quarter-century later. Dire Straits and The Cars were the only blokes in the upper reaches, with the vid-tastic Money for nothing
and Live Aid-revived Drive
, respectively. Live Aid had done wonders on the album chart, but its impact on the singles was less obvious. Baltimora reached number 3 with the oh-so-painful summer hit Tarzan boy
(video), perhaps an even worse track than Agadoo
purely for its blatant obviousness, and UB40 enlisted Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders on I've got you babe
, which somehow made a week at the top, when a polite just-scraping-the-top-20 would better reflect its tedium. At least Baltimora made no pretentions to artistic merit.
Which brings us to September, and David Bowie and Mick Jagger's Dancing in the street
. Another beneficiary of Live Aid, the song had been premiered at the charity event, and was sold for its benefit. Again, it's for a good cause, and while it was a bit of a dodgy song, it wasn't as bad as the critics have maintained. Neither Mick Jagger nor his Rolling Stones will bother us again. Perhaps part of the critical mauling was that Bowie and Jagger kept Holding out for a hero
(video) at number two; the Bonnie Tyler vocal was produced (or over-produced) by Jim Steinmann and is as frantic and bonkers and overblown as any other Steinmann production. It had flopped when first released in spring 1984, but second time around was a charm. Stevie Wonder had a lock on the number 3 position, Part-time lover
was an upbeat soul single with an interesting slo-mo video. It's a shame he's not had a significant hit since.
Stevie was a number one on The Network Chart, but the BBC (and hence the chart of record) went with Midge Ure's If I was
, a wistful soft-rock number about someone Midge isn't confident enough to date. Midge also benefitted from the Live Aid halo, his co-instigator Bob Geldof wouldn't return to rock until 1986, and the lead single missed the top 20. Midge was overtaken by Jennifer Rush's The power of love
, a song that had originally been released in June, and spent three months bobbling between 41 and 50. The song was kept alive by regular plays on pirate station Laser 558 - it was already huge in the near continent, and UK listeners indicated that they liked hearing the song. Only when it made the top 40 did the BBC and land-based radio pick up on the song, propelling it to the top within three weeks. Rush's song is the only one that can owes significant chunks of its success to Laser, as the station was closed in November 1985. As for the tune itself, synth balladry at its most elongated, the chorus is the best bit of the song. It's no relation to Frankie Goes to Hollywood's song of the same name from the previous year, nor of Huey Lewis and the News's hit from the same time, but is the same song covered (almost note-for-note) by Céline Dion in 1994.
Red Box made number 3 with Lean on me (ah-li-ayo)
, which sounded like something from children's television, but actually hid a subtle political message. Went right over our head for years, it did. Still our fave from this six months. (Well, our favourite top five single: we're still haunted by Maria Vidal's neon pink and dayglo yellow fingerless gloves from when she did Body rock
on TOTP.) Colonel Abrams's disco moocher Trapped
was stuck at number 3 for three weeks, behind A-ha's Take on me
(video). The Norwegians were on the third release of the single, made That Video with Bunty in the cartoon, and found they had an international hit on their hands. Our favourite bit is the upwardly-mobile vocal line in the chorus, Morten sings higher and higher, until he takes flight in a day or two. Madonna's success continued - she'd already put Angel
to number 5, had the completely-forgotten single Gambler
at number 4, and ended the year with Dress you up
at number 5. Tipper Gore and her fellow prudes believed that the last single was an ode to female masturbation, proving that Mrs. Gore was a complete failure as an art critic. Mercifully, she wasn't given a senior job when her husband Al was elected to high office in 2000.
Into November, and Elton John reached number 3 with Nikita
(video), featuring a video about a guard at Checkpoint Charlie. Elton dating a woman? It was acceptable in the 80s! Feargal Sharkey reached the top with A good heart
, a really rather good Maria McKee song about her recent break-up; Sharkey's version has become the definitive rendition, but we're sure there's a better one somewhere. UB40 came back with Don't break my heart
at number 3, a commercial reggae classic that's completely been forgotten. There's more to the group than Red red wine
and crap covers with Chrissie Hynde! The writing was on the wall for Wham! - after they'd played the concerts in Red China, there was nothing more the group could achieve. They took a few months off, and returned with I'm your man
, an overtly sexual song that really has to be one of their poorest. Dee C Lee's See the day
(alternative video) was kept at number 3, a towering icebox of cool, quietly but effectively raging against an unfaithful lover. Subsequent cover versions have completely missed the point.
Phil Collins had another duet into the top five, Separate lives
(video) was with session singer Marilyn Martin, got no higher than number 4, and still brings a lump to our throats. Unlike I know him so well
earlier in the year, Phil and Marilyn sang together in the chorus, successfully conveying the hatred their characters had for each other. It's a better song than Whitney Houston's Saving all my love for you
, which spent a fortnight at number 1 without really going anywhere. We disagree with Popular completely: Houston's performance completely loses the angst amongst overproduction, especially when compared to Collins / Martin, or to Lee. The year ended with three classic Christmas songs in high places - Aled Jones's reworking of Walking in the air
went to number 5, a re-release of Band Aid reached number 3, and Shakin' Stevens put Merry christmas everyone
to the top spot. The timeless festive classic pulled no punches in its festivity, and no yuletide topper would be quite so blatant for almost two decades.
The back end of 1985, then, and with the possible exception of Feargal Sharkey, no chart topper from the last four months of the year has stood the test of a quarter-century. That will change as we cover the first half of 1986. As ever, we'll be riding on the coat-tails of Tom Ewing's Popular project, which we do recommend to readers.
