Welcome back to the Top 40 Countdown! If you missed the previous posts, you can go ahead and check out songs 40-31, 30-21, and 20-11. I hope you’ve been enjoying these songs this week. There will be quite a few familiar ones today. So let’s Returh to the week ending January 12, 1985, and see what was topping the charts in the U.K.
I had never heard this song in my life. However, it had topped the charts in the U.K. This was Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s third single, aft “Relax” and “Two Tribes”. This song is often regarded as a Christmas song, even though it doesn’t reference Christmas in the song lyrics. But, the video and the single cover are kind of Christmas themed
Paul Young had a handful of hits in the U.S>, including the #1 smash, “Every Time You Go Away”. But, he was even bigger in the U.K. This was his 5th top 10 hit there, and “Every Time You Go Away” hadn’t even been released as a single yet! I was unaware of this song, but I am liking it now.
Wow, this worldwide smash hit had staying power in the U.K. It had been the #2 song for three weeks in September the previous year, and is still in the Top 10 here! The song even re-entered the UK Top 75 on November 2, 2008, at No. 49.
And this is another children’s song from the animated film Rupert and the Frog Song. Except this isn’t a punk song. This is the early-mid 80s Paul McCartney style that sticks in your head whether you want it to or not.
We all know this power ballad by Foreigner. It was a Top 10 hit in many countries, and #1 in some of them. We’ve heard this song millions of times. But to mix things up, the YouTube link goes to the newly recorded version featuring Shriners Hospitals For Children patients. This is very cool! And the proceeds from this version, which was just released on January 1, 2019, go to Shriners Hospitals For Children. You can donate at https://showthemlove.org/.
I love this song. However, when you start hearing it in stores in September and October, it’s a little ridiculous. I know it is after Christmas now, but I can understand that it is still charted this high at this point, because it was released in December. Wham! thought they would have had the Christmas song market cornered in December 1984. And they would have too, if it wasn’t for…
I still love this song, and it was for such a great cause. It is so funny to see how young everybody looks in the video! And I just figured this out. In this song, these awesome British artists asked to “Feed the World”. Later on in the year, U.S. artists came out and proclaimed “We Are the World”. Were they expecting to get fed? Greedy bastards! I am just kidding of course. Both songs, as well as Wham!’s “Last Christmas”, raised money for the people suffering the famine in Ethiopia.
Well, that’s a wrap. The next countdown will be back in the U.S. Until next time, Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.
The countdown continues! If you missed the previous songs, you can go back and check out songs 40-31 and 30-21. Today, there are plenty more songs that I’m not familiar with, and a couple of songs I know, which both happen to be duets. As usual, you can click on the song title to see the YouTube video, and you can click on the album cover if you would like to get the song from Amazon. Now, let’s Return to the weeke of March 6, 1983, and continue this week’s U.K. countdown!
This song peaked right here at #20, ending the band’s run of four consecutive Top 10 hits in the UK. If the synthesized talking sounds familiar to you, it is taken from a Speak & Spell. Even though this is totally different from “If You Leave”, I like this.
This song, from the film An Officer and a Gentleman, was a world wide smash hit. With this song, Cocker and Warnes were awarded the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. This song won also both the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.
This song by the Australian group, Icehouse, peaked right here at #17. It was also a top 40 hit in the U.S. peaking at #31. I was not into New Wave back then, so this never crossed my radar.
This was the band’s fourth single. It would eventually become the second hit from their debut LP The Hurting and second UK Top 5 chart hit. This is one of those songs that I didn’t think I knew, but remembered it when I just played it now.
This was the seventh single released by new wave legends, Depeche Mode. This is another song that I would not have cared for back in the day, but I love it now.
Cool song by two old school legends.The late Phil Everly was one of The Everly Brothers, and Cliff Richard was having a great career until The Beatles exploded on the scene. But he had a strong comeback later on. Cliff Richard is the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart history, behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley.
I totally forgot about this one! I guess that can happen when the only song radio stations have been playing for the past 35 years is “True”. This was a top 20 hit in the U.S. as well. and it is way better than “True”!
Here’s one we all know! Upon it’s initial release, this song topped out at #73 on the U.S. charts. Then the song became the love theme for the character Luke Spencer on the popular daytime soap General Hospital. The song then became a #1 hit in the U.S., as well as a worldwide hit. It peaked right here at #11 in the U.K.
That wraps up today’s list of songs. I loved today’s countdown! What will tomorrow bring? Come back tomorrow, and find out what the biggest hits in the U.K. were this week in 1983. I guarantee you will know at least 1 song that will be in the top 10. Just look at the time period, and you know what album had been out.
This past Friday, I discovered a channel on my cable system that I never knew I had. I noticed it through the guide on the television, and there was a show called Flashback Friday (or something like that). Then I noticed that coming on at 8:00 was a show called 80s on Eight. Of course I set the DVR to record the show. Could it actually be a show that has ’80s music videos? Sure enough it was!! I got so excited, that I went on Facebook, and posted each video that came on with a brief description.
I had so much fun, that I thought I would share it all here as well.
If you are on Facebook, go ahead and Like Return to the 80s. In addition to linking the articles from this blog, I also share other pages, songs, and pictures that I come across.
For now, you don’t have to be on Facebook to share the Fun Friday I had. Hmm, I had fun Friday watching videos. Boy, I must be getting old!
So, below is what I posted along with each video. Enjoy!
One More Try – George Michael
OK, I just found a television channel that I never knew I had – Cool TV. Does anybody else have it? There is a show on now called 80s on 8 (not to be confused with the Sirius/XM channel). It looks like they show music videos from the ’80s! I am DVRing it now, and just started watching it. I’ll share the videos that are coming on. First up:
What Kind of Fool Am I – Rick Springfield
I’m liking this! As much as I love “Jessie’s Girl”, it’s refreshing to see a different Springfield video:
When You Love a Woman – Journey
Ummm..I thought the show was called 80s at Eight. Hold on, let me check…Yeah, that’s what it’s called. Eh, I’m definitely not going to complain! It is Journey after all. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen this video before. I must have stopped watching MTV by the time this came out:
Close My Eyes Forever – Lita Ford and Ozzy
Oh Yeah!!
Queen of the Broken Hearts – Loverboy
Woo Hoo! Here’s another one! Instead of “Working for the Weekend”, we get something a little different:
Shattered Dreams – Johnny Hates Jazz
There are commercials after a few songs. They should throw in some ’80s commercials. Next up…
King for a Day – XTC
I would never have thought to include this on a playlist. Something different for me.
Head Over Heels – Tears For Fears
OMG, I just heard this song on the radio, and was thinking of using it for a “Remember That Song?” post:
Is There Something I Should Know – Duran Duran
I think there may be 1 or 2 of you out there who may like this one. Any
Stuck in the ’80s fans out there? Sing it with me: PPTMN!!
And We Danced – The Hooters
LOVE. IT. I’ll be rewinding this and watch it again!
Breakfast In Bed – UB40 and Chrissie Hynde
Awww!! Last song! I don’t think I ever heard this song in my life. I really like it! Better than “Red, Red Wine”. Happy Birthday again Chrissie Hynde!!
I hope you all enjoyed my lunacy this evening. I don’t go off the deep end too often. And I hope I didn’t annoy too many people by filling up their newsfeed. But, I had fun!