30 January 1988 Maybe it was a natural swing of the pendulum away from the decade's MTV glamour. Perhaps the relatable everyday drama of 'Papa Don't Preach' was an influence only now coming to market. Whatever the reasons, 1988 sees a surge of teen-next-door pop stars: sensibly dressed, not trying to be sexy, so down … Continue reading Tiffany – ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’
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Sananda Maitreya – ‘Sign Your Name’
23 January 1988 Sananda Maitreya no longer goes by how we knew him in the late-'80s. He has since re-released and streamed all his old material under his present name, which is what I will use here. I slightly resented 'Sign Your Name' when it was top of the charts. (It only got to number … Continue reading Sananda Maitreya – ‘Sign Your Name’
Belinda Carlisle – ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth’
16 January 1988 The video for 'Heaven Is A Place On Earth' was directed by Diane Keaton! The lucky guy smooching with Belinda Carlisle in the video is the lucky guy who happens to be her husband, and who also happens to be the son of James Mason; next time you catch North By Northwest … Continue reading Belinda Carlisle – ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth’
T’Pau – ‘China In Your Hand’
21 November 1987 Lyrics inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, apparently. The song itself feels stitched together too. You can hear something of Kate Bush in Carol Decker's gothic, stage-whispered verses: "Eyes wide / like a child in the form of man!" The chorus, though, is pure '80s power balladry: vague, blustery melodrama belted out as … Continue reading T’Pau – ‘China In Your Hand’
George Harrison – ‘Got My Mind Set On You’
14 November 1987 Jeff Lynne must have had some seriously scandalous kompromat on The Beatles and Tom Petty. Why else would they have continually entrusted production of their '80s and '90s records to him, when he consistently made them sound so awful? His dreary multi-tracked voice, his drearier country-rock soundscapes: never mind "Paul is dead", … Continue reading George Harrison – ‘Got My Mind Set On You’
Bee Gees – ‘You Win Again’
17 October 1987 The industrial-sounding percussion at the start of 'You Win Again' is intriguing; it has depth and texture. This doesn't last, of course. In comes the synthiest of synths, then that familiar deadening falsetto that flattens everything, so we know it's another typically terrible Bee Gees record. Cruelly, we get another tantalising glimpse … Continue reading Bee Gees – ‘You Win Again’
Abigail Mead and Nigel Goulding – ‘I Wanna Be Your Drill Instructor’
10 October 1987 Abigail Mead is a pseudonym of Vivian Kubrick, daughter of Stanley and composer of the original music in Full Metal Jacket. As the name of R. Lee Ermey, the real-life drill instructor who played the same role in the movie, isn't featured on the credits I'll take an educated guess that Nigel … Continue reading Abigail Mead and Nigel Goulding – ‘I Wanna Be Your Drill Instructor’
U2 – ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’
5 September 1987 A bicycle needs two pedals, but The Edge only needs one. His intro to 'Where The Streets Have No Name' may sound like some complex muso yoke at first, but it's just six notes played over and over; listen for yourself and you can pick them out. That shimmering effect is thanks … Continue reading U2 – ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’
Whitney Houston – ‘Didn’t We Almost Have It All’
29 August 1987 It doesn't bode well for the song if I already struggle with its title. If it even means anything, 'Didn't We Almost Have It All' is like something a divorcing couple might say in trying to keep things civil before the lawyers roll in: we gave it a go, we had some … Continue reading Whitney Houston – ‘Didn’t We Almost Have It All’
Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield – ‘What Have I Done To Deserve This?’
22 August 1987 I was too young in 1987 to know much about Dusty Springfield. Only years later I learned her mother was from my home town of Tralee, Co. Kerry, so Dusty was basically one of our own. No, we're not related. It was much later too, during my college years, that I became … Continue reading Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield – ‘What Have I Done To Deserve This?’
