Tag Archives: Thompson Twins

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song: 11/14/22

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Can you name the artist and song:

Had to cool me down to take another round
Now I’m back in the ring to take another swing

R-456458-1467823114-9872Last Song: “Lay Your Hands on Me” by Thompson Twins from Here’s To Future Days (1985)

Great job Craig (@cdennis0130)!!!

Every time I hear
Back and forth across the sea
I have chased so many dreams
But I have never felt the grace
That I have felt in your embrace

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 4/4/22

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Can you name the artist and song:

The sun was spitting fire, the sky was blue as ice
I felt a little tired, so I watched Miami Vice

Last Song: “Lies” by Thompson Twins from Quick Step & Side Kick (1983)

Great job Craig (@cdennis0130)!!!

You told me you loved me
So I don’t understand
Why promises are snapped in two
And words are made to bend

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 3/15/21

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Can you name the artist and song:

Tell me it’s true
I can’t believe you do what you do
I’ve got so much love

Last Song: “Hold Me Now” by Thompson Twins from Into The Gap (1984)

Great job Erwin Green (@erwin_green), Erwin Fletcher (@ErwinMFletcher8), Adora (@Adora2000), and Lori (@ThreezkyMusic)!!!

You say I’m a dreamer, we’re two of a kind
Both of us searching for some perfect world we know we’ll never find

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

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 2/7/20

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Can you name the song (80s version):

I been all around this great big world
And I’ve seen all kinds of girls
Yeah but I couldn’t wait to get back in the states
Back to the cutest girls in the world

Last Song: “King For A Day” by Thompson Twins from the album Here’s To Future Days (1986)

Great job Adora (@Adora2000)!!!

 
Diamond rings
And all those things
They never sparkle like your smile


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

1985, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week (UK Edition) – January 12, 1985: Songs 20-11

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Welcome back to the Top 40 Countdown! If you missed the previous posts, you can go ahead and check out songs 40-31, and 30-21. Once again, this has been a great week of discovering music, for me. Today is another great mix of songs. So, let’s Return to the week ending January 12, 1985, and move on with the countdown.

20. “Round and Round” by Spandau Ballet

Wow, Spandau Ballet did songs other than “True”?! I actually like this one better.

 

 

19. “It Ain’t Necessarily So” by Bronski Beat

This is a cover of George and Ira Gershwin’s popular song from the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. It has been covered many times, including this version, from Bronski Beat’s debut album, which reached up to #16 on this chart.

 

18. “Do the Conga” by Black Lace

The novelty act, Black Lace, is back with another hit! This is similar to Buster Poindexter’s “Hot, Hot, Hot“. I guess Black Lace was really trying to get the Wedding Reception circuit.

 

17. “San Damiano (Heart and Soul)” by Sal Solo

Sal Solo had been the lead vocalist of Classix Nouveaux, as part of the New Romantic movement. He embraced the Roman Catholic faith after a pilgrimage to San Damiano, a small village in Italy near Piacenza. He began a solo career, scoring a hit with this song, which would peak at #15. After 1987, Solo stopped recording music commercially, and became active in youth ministry in the Catholic Church in the UK.

16. “One Night in Bangkok” by Murray Head

Here is the song from Chess that I did know about already, and love! Murray Head raps the verses and the chorus is sung by Anders Glenmark, a Swedish singer, songwriter and producer. For fans of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television show, Murray Head is the brother of Anthony Stewart Head, who played Giles.

15. “Police Officer” by Smiley Culture

Smiley Culture was a reggae rapper. We did not hear this style music in the U.S. at this point. This was the supposedly autobiographical tale of how Smiley Culture was arrested for the possession of cannabis, but then let off in return for an autograph when the policeman recognized him as a famous reggae artist. In a cruel twist of irony, Smiley Culture died at the age of 48 in 2011 during a police raid on his home.

14. “The Riddle” by Nik Kershaw

Nik Kershaw was huge in the U.K. through the mid-80s. He did not break through in the U.S. Most likely, U.S. audiences would mainly have seen him from his Live Aid performance in Wembley.

 

13. “Lay Your Hands On Me” by The Thompson Twins

This was the first song released from the album Here’s to Future Days. It peaked right here at #13 in the U.K., and reached #14 on the U.S. charts. This song and “King for a Day” are my favorite songs by The Thompson Twins. And both songs are from the same album.

12. “Fresh” by Kool and the Gang

Great song from the Emergency album! I owned the cassette, and the whole first side is flawless, in my opinion. I love the funky R&B sound of this song. It peaked at #11 here, and cracked the Top 10 in the U.S., peaking at #9 there.

 

11. “Step Off (Part 1)” by Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five

My long-time readers and podcast listeners know of my love of rap, and how I loved to break out the cardboard and boom box, throw on my parachute pants, and throw down some break dance moves. Well, this is right in my wheelhouse! I love how the Chaka Khan/I Feel For You rap got mixed in here too.

That wraps up today’s list of songs. I think this is the best list so far! Come back Friday as we see what the Top 10 songs were this week in the U.K. in 1985.

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song – 10/17/18

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Can you name the artist and song:

And in a lover’s rage
They tore another page
The fighting is worth
The love they save

Last Song: “Lay Your Hands on Me” by Thompson Twins from the album Here’s to Future Days (1985)

This old life seemed much too long
With little point in going on

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

1986, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – April 5, 1986: Songs 20-11

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Welcome back as we continue the countdown! If you missed the previous songs, you can go back and check out songs 40-31 and 30-21. The hits are getting bigger and bigger. However, there are still two songs on today’s list that I was unfamiliar with. That’s always exciting for me. Now, let’s Return to the week ending and move on with the countdown. And as usual, if you’d like to listen to the song on YouTube, click on the song title. And if you want to listen or buy this song on Amazon, you can click on the album cover.

20. “King for a Day” by Thompson Twins

If I were king for just one day, I would make sure this song gets played just as much as “Hold Me Now”.

 

 

 

19. “I Can’t Wait” by Stevie Nicks

This is the second song, on this countdown, with this name. This is defintely the superiour song. I love Stevie Nicks, and this is one of my favorites by her.

 

 

18. “Calling America” by Electric Light Orchestra

I didn’t realize that ELO was still around at this point. This would be their last U.S. hit, peaking right here at #18. I like this one.

 

 

17. “Beats So Lonely” by Charlie Sexton

Here is another pleasant surprise for me! And you would never know that this was a 16 year old that recorded this!

 

 

16. “Why Can’t This Be Love” by Van Halen

This was our introduction to the Van Hagar years. Great way to start them!

 

 

 

15. “Sara” by Starship

Awesome 80s power ballad. It was the band’s second number-one hit after the song “We Built This City”.

14. “Harlem Shuffle” by the Rolling Stones

This cover of the 1963 Bob & Earl song would go on to be a #5 hit. The animation, in the video, was directed by John Kricfalusi, who would go on to create The Ren & Stimpy Show.

13. “This Could Be the Night” by Loverboy

Another awesome power ballad. They don’t make ’em like they used to.

12. “West End Girls” by Pet Shop Boys

Classic ’80s tune that became a #q hit in both the U.S. and U.K.

11. “Tender Love” by Force M.D.’s

Very cool R&B song just before New Jack Swing music became big.

That wraps up today’s list of songs. Come back Friday as we wrap up this weeks awesome countdown!

 

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.

Artists, Music, Remember That Song?

Remember That Song: 1/19/18

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Can you name the artist and song:

You came into my life
The look in your eyes
Took me by surprise
It’s you
And nobody else

Last Song: “Hold Me Now” by Thompson Twins from the album Into the Gap (1984)

Great job Roy (@rbutt14) and Candy (@candyissodandy)!!!

You ask if I love you
Well, what can I say?
You know that I do
And that this is just one
Of those games that we play

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

1984, Artists, Music, Top 40

Top 40 Songs This Week – April 14, 1984: Songs 10-1

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Welcome back as we wrap up this week’s Top 40 Countdown. If you missed the previous songs, you can go back and check out songs 40-31, 30-21, and 20-11. Well, I think this has been a great week of classic ’80s music. And as you will see, there are going to be no surprises in this top 10 today. They are all songs and artists that helped define the decade. So, let’s Return to the week ending April 14, 1984, and finish the Countdown.

10. “Jump” by Van Halen

Van Halen had been known for their hard driving guitar rock, led by Eddie Van Halen. But, it was this synthesizer based song that really brought Van Halen into the mainstream and gave them their only #1 single. “Jump” dominated the airwaves for a very long time, and the video was an MTV staple,

 

9. “Adult Education” by Hall & Oates

There’s nothing like  Hall & Oates to transport you back to the ’80s. This classic song was recorded for their greatest hits album  Rock ‘n Soul Part 1. 

 

 

8. “Hold Me Now” by The Thompson Twins

Here is another song that there could be no mistake as to which decade this was from.  I do have to admit that The Thompson Twins did drive me and my minor OCD slightly insane in that they were not only NOT related, but there were THREE of them! Ugh!! But, that does not take away from the greatness of this song.

7. “Here Comes the Rain Again” by The Eurythmics

This is one of my favorite Eurythmics songs. This is yet another song with that classic ’80s sound. Annie Lennox just has such an incredible voice.

 

6. “Miss Me Blind” by Culture Club

This was a time when Boy George and Culture Club were among the top artists of the music landscape. This was their third single released from the classic Colour by Numbers album.  This is another song and video that could come from no other decade than the ’80s.

 

5. “Automatic” by The Pointer Sisters

I love The Pointers. This song, led by Ruth Pointer’s deep vocals, is one of their several signature tunes. It was the second single released from their legendary Break Out album.

 

Now, we have reached the part of the countdown where we find out was topping some of the other charts this week.

The #1 Country song this week in 1984 was  “Thank God for the Radio” by The Kendalls.

Topping the R&B charts was “She’s Strange” by Cameo.

The best Rock  song in the country this week was our #15 song on the Hot 100 –  “You Might Think” by The Cars.

The #1 Dance tune was our #16 song on the Hot 100 – “I Want a New Drug” by Huey Lewis and the News.

For the 17th and final consecutive week, the #1 Album in the country was  Thriller by Michael Jackson. Next week it will be taken over by the Footloose soundtrack.

And the best Adult Contemporary song is also our #4 song on the Hot 100 this week:

4. “Hello” by Lionel Richie

Well, this is not one of my favorite Lionel Richie songs at all. But, it is good to hear once in a while. And now I can say that I’m not as creeped out at seeing this Lionel Richie sculpture from the video:  

as I was after I saw this recent I Love Lucy sculpture:

 

3. “Somebody’s Watching Me” by Rockwell

Speaking of creepy, this video was aired on MTV all the time. There is no way this song would be this high up the countdown if it wasn’t for Michael Jackson singing the chorus.

 

 

2. “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins

This iconic Phil Collins ballad came from the movie soundtrack of the same name. I still haven’t seen the movie yet, but love the song. The vocals and drums in this song are incredible.

1. “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins

Let’s dance!!! The king of ’80s soundtracks scored big time with this smash hit song. It is one of Kenny Loggins’ most identifiable songs, and won a Grammy for Song of the Year. Great way to end a countdown!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this week’s Countdown. I feel like I used the workd “classic” quite a bit. But, it was a appropriate. There were so many signature ’80s songs this week. What a great year of music! We’ll be back with a new countdown soon. In the meantime, Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.