Tag Archives: Kajagoogoo

1983, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week (UK Edition) – 19 June 1983: Songs 20-11

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Logo: Tops of the popsWelcome back to this week’s Top 40 Countdown! If you missed the previous songs, you can go ahead and check out songs 40-31 and 30-21.

Again, you can click on the song title to get the YouTube video, and you can click on the album cover to get the song from Amazon. Now, let’s continue the countdown.

20. “We Came to Dance” by Ultravox

The Midge Ure-led New Wave band never charted high in the U.S. However, this is a different story in the U.K. where they scored seven Top 10 albums and seventeen Top 40 singles. This song, from their 6th album Quartet, would peak at #18.

 

 

19. “Moonlight Shadow” by Mike Oldfield

Mike Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist and composer. Scottish vocalist Maggie Reilly, who had collaborated with Mike Oldfield since 1980, performed the vocals on this song. While it did not chart in the U.S., this song was a smash hit all over the rest of the world, topping the charts in many countries. It would peak at #4 here. In the U.S., Mike Oldfield may be best known for his 1973 song, “Tubular Bells“. Don’t recognize that name? Well it is best known here as the theme for the film, The Exorcist.

 

18. “Hang On Now” by Kajagoogoo

Kajagoogoo was a one-hit wonder in the U.S. with their smash, “Too Shy”. But, they had a few more hits in the U.K., including this one. This was the third single released from their debut album White Feathers. It would peak at #13 here.

 

 

17. “I Dream to Sleep” by H2O

This is the first of two Top 40 hits for the Scottish band H2O. It was released just ahead of their debut album, Faith. It would peak right here at #17. Their follow-up single “Just Outside of Heaven” reached No. 38 later the same year. They had no more hits after that, which led to their break-up in 1985.

 

 

16. “Garden Party (The Great Cucumber Massacre)” by Marillion

Marillion is a very cool Prog-Rock band from England. Unfortunately, they were never able to get a break in the States. But, they did have many hits in the U.K.

 

 

 

15. “Dark is the Night” by Shakatak

Long before Shaquille O’Neal came out with his Shaq Attaq sneaker line (which you would need to take out a second mortgage in order to afford), this jazz-funk band, Shakatak, went on a string of hits in the U.K. This song would peak right here at #15.

 

 

14. “Buffalo Soldier” by Bob Marley & The Wailers

The legendary Bob Marley recorded this song in 1978. It was released on his posthumous 1983 album Confrontation. According to Wikipedia, the title and lyrics refer to the black U.S. cavalry regiments, known as “Buffalo Soldiers”, that fought in the Indian Wars after 1866. Marley linked their fight to a fight for survival, and recasts it as a symbol of black resistance.
Oddly, this song was covered by Vanilla Ice in 2008.

13. “Love Town” by Booker Newbury III

The soulful Youngstown, Ohio native didn’t score very big in his home country. But, he had a big hit with this song in the U.K., where it peaked at #6. I like this song a lot. It has a “Turn Your Love Around” vibe to it.

 

 

12. “Dead Giveaway” by Shalamar

Shalamar had limited success in the States, unfortunately. They should have been way bigger. But, our friends in the U.K. appreciated them! This song did do pretty well in the U.S., peaking at #22. But, it landed all the way up to #8 in the U.K. This was off of Shalamar’s album, The Look, which would be the final album with Jody Watley as part of the group as she would embark on a successful solo career.

 

11. “Lady Love Me (One More Time)” by George Benson

Here is another song that was moderately successful in the States (charting at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100, #21 on the Soul singles chart and #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart), but shot up the charts in the U.K., peaking right here at #11.

 

 

What a great list today! I think this was my favourite of the week so far. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you. We’ll take a day to take this all in, and wrap up the countdown on Friday.

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 7/2/18

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Can you name the artist and song:

I never knew a rumor could spread so fast
‘Cause now the word is out all over town
That I’m longing for you

Last Song: “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo from the album White Feathers (1983)

Great job Karen (@dovey_karen)!!!

Modern medicine falls short of your complaints
Try a little harder

If you’d like to get this song from Amazon, you can click on the album cover below

1983, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week (UK Edition) – March 6, 1983: Songs 10-1

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Well, here we are. The Top 10 songs in the U.K. this week in 1983. If you missed the previous songs, you can go back and check out songs 40-31, 30-21 and 20-11. There will be some very familiar songs on here for us in the U.S. However, there may still be some pleasant surprises. You can click on the song title to get to the song on YouTube, and you can click on the album cover to get the song from Amazon. Now, let’s Return to the week of March 6, 1983, and wrap up the countdown.

10. “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Musical Youth

While this British Jamaican reggae band had only 1 hit in the U.S. (“Pass the Dutchie”), they had several hits in the U.K. between 1982 and 1984. This was their second biggest hit, peaking at #6 on this U.K. chart.

 

9. “Love On Your Side” by Thompson Twins

Unlike Musical Youth, the Thompson Twins had several big hits in the U.S. But, this was not one of them. It did come close, peaking at #45. However, this was a top 10 hit in several other countries, including here in the U.K. where it peaked right here at #9.

 

8. “Tomorrow’s (Just Another Day)” by Madness

Here is another group that did not make it big in the U.S., with only two Top 40 hits. In the U.K., Madness was huge! And so was the group Madness. (my Brit friends get it) I wish this song made it over here in the U.S. I love it! “Our House” can really get stuck in your head, and this could have done the same.

 

7. “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” by Bananarama

We should all know this song, at least from the original version by Steam. And any sports fan knows this song when their team is about to beat their opponent at home. This is a girl band version of it. I love everything Bananarama does. This was yet another song that did not hit big in the U.S., peaking at #101. But, it was a top 10 hit here, peaking at #5. This was the fifth single released from Bananarama’s debut album, Deep Sea Skiving.

 

6. “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo

We all know this one, as it was a worldwide smash hit. It reached #1 in many countries, including the U.K. for 2 weeks. Not bad for a debut single from a debut album.

 

5. “Africa” by Toto

Another worldwide smash hit we all know. This is one of my favorites of the ’80s, and I still love it.

 

 

4. “Rock the Boat” by Forrest

Forrest is not known in the States. But we all know this song from the 1974 original by The Hues Corporation. Forrest does a great job with this. I wish it would have made it in the U.S. so I could hear it more often on 80s stations and shows.

 

3. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by the Eurythmics

OK, no more surprises as we go down the home stretch. This was the Eurythmics breakthrough song all over the world.

 

 

2. “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson

Maybe it’s possible that some of you may know this song. It was only a top 10 hit in every country in the world that has music charts, and was #1 in almost all of them. Not only was this a worldwide smash in 1983, but it became a huge hit all over the world once again when Jackson died in 2009. It wasn’t reaching the top spot again in most places. But, it was a top 10 hit just about everywhere.

 

1. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler

And here we are at the #1 spot! This song was written by Jim Steinman, who is best known for being Meat Loaf’s producer. This was Bonnie Tyler’s biggest hit, topping the charts in several countries. I love this song, and most Steinman produced songs.

 

This was not planned, but it is definitely fitting that “Total Eclipse of the Heart” is the #1 song. I got the idea of doing the Top 40 this week from the U.K., from a conversation I had with my best friend, who happens to be from Wales, which is where Bonnie Tyler is from. Bestie and I were talking about music. I had already known that there are a lot of songs that were huge in the U.K, but never made it here. But, this got brought to the forefront of my mind from our conversation, as I did not know some bands Bestie brought up. And there were singers I heard of, but didn’t know they were in a band. So, I thought it would be great to discover great new music.

I hope you all thought this was a good idea. Please let me know if you’d like to see more of these. I’ll be back with a new countdown in the near future. Maybe it will be from the U.S. or from the U.K.

1983, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – May 28, 1983: Songs 30-21

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Welcome back to this week’s Top 40 Countdown. If you missed the first 10 songs, you can go ahead and check them out. 1983 was an incredible year of music. The ’70s sound had pretty much disappeared, and ’80s music was building it’s own identity. At this time, I was 12 years old, and would become a teenager later in the year. I was wrapping up 7th grade, and getting ready for my final year of junior high. Now, let’s Return to the glorious week of May 28, 1983, and continue the countdown.

30. “The One Thing” by INXS

I did not know about INXS until later in the decade, when their Kick album came out. So I was unfamiliar with this song. It is classic INXS. I really like this one a lot. It may be 1983, but this sounds like it could have been from their incredible 1987 album.

29. “Mornin'” by Al Jarreau

Ahhh, the smooth sound of Al Jarreau! This definitely would not have been on my radar in 1983. But, I like it a lot now. This came off of Al Jarreau’s #1 Jazz album, Jarreau. This song was written by David Foster and Jay Graydon. It was originally supposed to be an instrumental that was to appear on David Foster’s 1983 album, The Best of Me. Jay Graydon produced many of Al Jarreau’s songs, so they gave the song to him.

28. “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John

This was my introduction to Elton John. Thank you MTV! I tend to favor Elton John’s ’70s songs over his ’80s songs, but I love this one. It’s so upbeat and fun.

27. “Try Again” by Champaign

I believe this R&B ballad has been on one of my countdowns before. I still like it. This is another one that would not have been on my radar back then, but I like it a lot now.

26. “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo

You know it. You love it. This is ’80s personified! This was Kajagoogoo’s only hit in the U.S., but they did have some other hits in the U.K.

25. “Electric Avenue” by Eddy Grant

There is no mistaking which decade this song is from! This was one of the biggest hits of 1983. The song’s lyrics refer to the 1981 Brixton riot, the title referring to Electric Avenue, a market street in the Brixton area of London.

24. “Never Gonna Let You Go” by Sérgio Mendes (with Joe Pizzulo & Leza Miller)

Although I am a rocker at heart, I really love a lot of soft rock from the early ’80s. And this is one of the best. Sérgio Mendes is a bandleader, and does not sing in this one. That credit goes to Joe Pizzulo and Leza Miller.

23. “Stranger In My House” by Ronnie Milsap

Kenny Rogers may have been the king of country cross-over music in the ’70s and ’80s, but Ronnie Milsap is no slouch either. This particular song peaked at #5 on the Country charts, #8 on the Adult Contemporary charts, and right here at #23 on the Hot 100.

22. “Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners

I love this song, even though I can’t understand the lyrics, other than the title. This falls in the same category as “Louie, Louie” by The Kingsmen and “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” by Iron Butterfly. This is great music, which is a lot of fun.

21. “Rio” by Duran Duran

Another ultimate ’80s song, by an ultimate ’80s band. Duran Duran was on top of the world at this time. And with songs like this, we can see why. Girls today have their One Direction. The girls of our generation had Duran Duran. Almost 35 years later, they are still going strong, having released a new album this past September, Paper Gods. And I think they sound the same today as they did in our glorious ’80s.

Well, classic Duran Duran is a good way to wrap up the countdown for today. Are you liking this countdown so far? And as the numbers get smaller, the hits get bigger. So, come on back tomorrow to check out the next 10 songs of the countdown.

1983, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – June 18, 1983: Songs 20-11

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Welcome back to this week’s Top 40! If you missed the previous songs, you can go ahead and check out 40-31 and 30-21.
So far, there may have been several songs that were new to you. Today, you probably have heard of one or two or all of the songs. Even though these are all instantly recognizable, it is always fun to go back and enjoy some classic ’80s music. So, let’s Return to the week ending June 18, 1983,and continue the countdown.

20. “She Blinded Me With Science” by Thomas Dolby

There is no denying which decade this song is from! This song made Thomas Dolby a one hit wonder, as it was his only top 40 hit in the U.S. It ranked #13 on VH1’s “100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s.”

 

19. “Come Dancing” by The Kinks

This MTV staple was my introduction to The Kinks. It sounds like something you would hear on a cruise ship. This song is a tribute that Ray Davies did for his sister, Rene. Rene visited her family around the time of Ray Davies’ 13th birthday, and gave him a Spanish guitar that he could not persuade his parents to get for him. On that evening, Rene, who had a weak heart as a result of a childhood bout of rheumatic fever, suffered a fatal heart attack (at the age of 31) while dancing at the Lyceum ballroom. This song would tie The Kinks’ highest charting song in the U.S. with “Tired of Waiting for You“, topping out at #6.

 

18. “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John

This was yet another MTV staple. And this is another song that introduced me to an artist who had been around for a while. I would say that MTV was just a bit relevant in those early days! There were so many songs and artists who I may not have paid attention to if it wasn’t for MTV. This song and video is fun and upbeat. This is a great song for people who have overcome obstacles in their life.

 

17. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” by Michael Jackson

Ironically, after I mention how influencial MTV was, we now have the biggest MTV singer of all time, with a song that never had a music video. This was the fourth single released from the legendary Thriller album. Even though it was on the Thriller album, it sounded more like something that would have been on his previous album, Off the Wall. This song would peak at #5 on the charts.

 

And now it’s time for a Long Distance Dedication. This week, the theme for me seems to be that this was a time when I was discovering music. So, this letter from Robert is so appropriate this week. Robert says:

Dear Casey,
I have had a long running feud with a friend about music. Mike and I met in junior high school. We had a few classes together and soon learned that we both loved music. Here is where the argument started. My favorite band is REO Speedwagon – Mike’s favorite band is the Police. We would go round and round, neither one of us giving an inch. REO guitarist is better – the Police experiment with different types of music – REO’s songs all sound the same – the Police are too confusing to understand. We went on and on and the argument lasted clear through the beginning of high school. Finally, we both agreed to listen to the other band’s complete catalog. I borrowed his Police albums and he borrowed my REO records. I listened to those Police albums many times over the next few days – and I made a startling discovery – they were good! I really started to enjoy most of their songs. I went out and bought my own copies and memorized all of the songs. I loved the lyrics and musical styles that the Police used. A few weeks later I went to Mike and admitted defeat. I still Loved REO, but I loved the Police, too. I do not even try to make distinctions among my favorite bands anymore – they are all great. Casey, please play “De Do Do Do De Da Da Da” by the Police for my friend Mike, who helped me open my ears to different kinds of music.

You’ve got it, Robert!

That was “De Do Do Do De Da Da Da” by the Police from their 1980 album Zenyatta Mondatta.

Now…on with the countdown.

16. “She’s a Beauty” by The Tubes

Minus “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'”, it seems like the songs on today’s list were in this same rotation on MTV. I love this MTV staple. This was The Tubes’ biggest hit, topping out at #10 on the Hot 100, and #1 on the Mainstream Rock charts.

 

15. “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo

Kajagoogoo exploded on to the music scene with this ’80s classic! “Too Shy” was the band’s first single released from their debut album. But, that was about it, as it was the only hit in the U.S. They did have some more hits in the U.K. This song landed at #9 on VH1’s “100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s.”

 

14. “Every Breath You Take” by The Police

This was the only #1 hit in the U.S. for The Police – and it was there for eight weeks! This song, from their classic album, Synchronicity, would go on to be a signature song for the band. I also remember, very clearly, listening to the year end countdown of 1983. This was the #1 song.

 

13. “Never Gonna Let You Go” by Sergio Mendes (with Joe Pizzulo & Leza Miller)

And we have an Easy Listening song making an appearance today! I remember that whenever we drove anywhere, my parents would always have the Lite rock station on in the car. This is one song that I always enjoyed. I still like it a lot.

 

12. “Faithfully” by Journey

Journey was still at the height of their popularity when Frontiers came out. This power ballad from that album, written by Jonathan Cain, is one of Journey’s most recognizable songs.

 

11. “Beat It” by Michael Jackson

We wrap up today’s list with a lost track you may not have heard before. Just kidding. I don’t know if there is a single person in the world who does not recognize this song. Of course, most of us know that Eddie Van Halen provided the guitar solo. His record company prevented him from appearing in the video. And thanks to Robert, we found out recently that Toto’s Steve Lukather was on guitar for this song. Eddie just did the solo.
“Beat It” received the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, as well as two American Music Awards. It was also inducted into the Music Video Producers Hall of Fame.

Well that wraps up today’s list of songs. We’ll take a day off to recover from this ’80s greatness, and just soak it in. But, we’ll finish off the countdown on Friday.

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 5/9/14

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Hair’s to Friday!!

Can you name the artist and song:

Stormy night under jet black skies
Billy pulls into town
Thunder rolls and the lightning bolts come crashin’ to the ground

Last Song: “Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo from White Feathers (1983)

Great job Annie (@anniebuentello)!!

Something’s wrong, you’re not naive
You must must be strong
Oh, baby, try

1983, Artists, Music, One-Hit Wonders

One Hit Wonders of the ’80s: 1983 – Kajagoogoo

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“Too Shy” by Kajagoogoo

“Too Shy” was the first single released off of Kajagoogoo’s debut album, White Feathers in 1983. The song was a worldwide hit. It peaked at #5 in the U.S. on July 9, 1983. The song was produced by Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran and Colin Thurston, who had produced Duran Duran’s first two albums. Follow-up singles “Ooh to Be Aah” and “Hang on Now” also both reached the UK Top 20, but they did not chart in the U.S.

Tensions rose in the band, which led to them losing lead singer Limahl. The band’s bass player, Nick Beggs took over lead singing duties. Their next two albums weren’t as successful as their debut album. Then drummer Jez Strode left the band. In 1985 the remaining three members relaunched as Kaja in the UK in 1985. But they were not very successful, and the band broke up in 1986.

However, that was not the end of Kajagoogoo. In 2003, VH1 persuaded the band to reform the original 5-piece band for the show, Bands Reunited. As a result of the show, the band received offers to work as their original five piece band. But, their were too many disagreements regarding the terms on which they could work together. But, in 2007, Nick Beggs, guitarist Steve Askew and keyboardist Stuart Neale decided to continue the Kajagoogoo reunion, releasing the single “Rocket Boy” in June 2007. The single received airplay on Steve Wright’s BBC Radio 2 show in the UK, and a new album, Gone to the Moon, was scheduled for release on the Spectra Records label later on that year. However, the album was postponed and in February 2008, the three Kajagoogoo members announced plans to reunite with original members singer Limahl and drummer Jez Strode.

The band has been recording and touring ever since. So, who knows if the band can strike it big in the U.S.? In the meantime, here is their only U.S. hit so far – “Too Shy”: