1 October 1983 In the 1983 case of Your Parents v. Pop Music, exhibit A for the prosecution is 'Karma Chameleon': what does it mean, and does he have to keep repeating it? On a related point, while it's fine for a rhotic English speaker to glide quickly over "kaw-ma", those of us in Ireland … Continue reading Culture Club – ‘Karma Chameleon’ →

10 September 1983 How many people over the years have been discouraged from listening to reggae just because their first impression of it was UB40? Millions, I reckon. They were certainly the most consistently visible—and, unfortunately, audible—reggae act throughout my teens. Not until much later in life did I realise that they were the exceptions, … Continue reading UB40 – ‘Red Red Wine’ →

3 September 1983 Surprisingly, given that classic Madness singles have been played on the radio fairly constantly since the '80s, I don't think I know this number one of theirs. It was kept off the top spot in the UK by the track that succeeds it as Irish number one, which makes me curious about … Continue reading Madness – ‘Wings Of A Dove’ →

20 August 1983 We were on holiday in Wexford that summer, having breakfast in the hotel dining room. I was seven years old. The radio was on: Marty Whelan's morning show on the then-RTE Radio 2, soon to be rebranded as 2FM. One of the dining room staff was going from table to table, arranging … Continue reading KC and the Sunshine Band – ‘Give It Up’ →

30 July 1983 'Every Breath You Take' at least had that guitar riff, and 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' a bright piano. But 'Wrapped Around Your Finger' has no redeeming features whatsoever; it's relentlessly dreary. The three worst things about any Police track are Sting's singing, Sting's lyrics, and Sting. Here, he sounds … Continue reading The Police – ‘Wrapped Around Your Finger’ →

23 July 1983 Paul Young's nasally-congested croon was a good fit for the type of sedate, soft-furnished soul-pop that a cautious '80s music fan may have tried before taking the plunge on an actual Sade album. However, his innate niceness doesn't sit right with this tale of a devilish cad touring the local talent; poor … Continue reading Paul Young – ‘Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)’ →

16 July 1983 In today's chart world of fts n' collabs, it seems incredible that 'Moonlight Shadow' doesn't give an artist credit to its singer, or apparently not even put their name on the record cover (above). Even at the time, my small child brain was a bit confused. Not having been a '70s prog … Continue reading Mike Oldfield – ‘Moonlight Shadow’ →

2 July 1983 In the 1980s Rod Stewart was held to be a 'playboy' and a 'ladies' man', which was the 1980s way of saying that a middle-aged guy in a leopard-skin jacket getting sweaty over young blonde women was all fine and dandy. He was also Scottish, apparently, though to my young ears his … Continue reading Rod Stewart – ‘Baby Jane’ →

4 June 1983 'Every Breath You Take' is officially the most-played track on radio ever: an estimated 15 million times. What accounts for this? Probably the glossy production on Andy Summers' guitar riff, which positively glistens with richness. As a riff, though, it's sparse and sombre, so right from the start there's an intriguing tension. … Continue reading The Police – ‘Every Breath You Take’ →

14 May 1983 Continuing our drive through the badlands of '80s power ballads: 'True' by Spandau Ballet shows us that any song can be a power ballad if you bellow it loudly enough. Tony Hadley really goes full foghorn for the big moments, the first of which is literally the word "SOUND!", while the quieter … Continue reading Spandau Ballet – ‘True’ →