24 April 1982 There is good and bad in everyone. Can we say the same about this, perhaps the most reviled pop hit of the '80s? Well, the chorus is catchy. But that's what ensures 'Ebony And Ivory' lives on in infamy; no one who hears it can forget its horrors. This is a song … Continue reading Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder – ‘Ebony And Ivory’
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Goombay Dance Band – ‘Seven Tears’
3 April 1982 Okay, I get that in 1982 there was a market for schlager-friendly, disco-fied Caribbean-sounding pop. At least with Boney M you could get your gladrags on, bop around the place, and still learn about Russia's greatest love machine. But this is dreadful. I guess the pitch for this was Boney M meets … Continue reading Goombay Dance Band – ‘Seven Tears’
Tight Fit – ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’
27 February 1982 I haven't seen The Lion King in any of its iterations, but I understand it includes a version of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'. Hopefully not this version, which wears the song's Zulu origins and culture like a leopard-skin loincloth. The low, rumbling refrain is still residually catchy and if you search online … Continue reading Tight Fit – ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’
Shakin’ Stevens – ‘Oh Julie’
6 February 1982 He hadn't gone away, you know; this was Shaky's fourth Irish number one in ten months. The writing process was especially arduous: Mary-hairy, Gerty-dirty and Nelly-smelly were all considered but, like some Rose of Tralee of crapness, it was Julie and her truly who won out. Sonically too we have invention; some … Continue reading Shakin’ Stevens – ‘Oh Julie’
Bucks Fizz – ‘The Land Of Make Believe’
23 January 1982 Right after 'One Of Us', here's another Eurovision winner with an unlikely reggae groove. Even more unlikely is the subsequent revelation by its writers that this song's lyrics are actually a critique of Thatcherism. I say 'revelation' because I doubt anyone would have guessed it otherwise, unless there's a Wolfe Tones cover … Continue reading Bucks Fizz – ‘The Land Of Make Believe’
ABBA – ‘One Of Us’
26 December 1981 'Don't You Want Me' stayed at number one in the UK charts into the New Year, but in Ireland it ceded the floor after a week, allowing us an extra chart-topper and post-Christmas treat. Of ABBA's singles in the '80s, 'The Winner Takes It All' seems to take all the critical love, … Continue reading ABBA – ‘One Of Us’
The Human League – ‘Don’t You Want Me’
19 December 1981 Our 1981 number ones have been pretty thin gruel: solo Lennon; folk ballads; Shakin' Stevens; Joe Dolce; Pepé Le Pew. But thanks to some Christmas miracle, unlike the previous year's abomination this festive chart-topper is a genuine '80s classic, maybe even the greatest Christmas number one single of them all. There's isn't … Continue reading The Human League – ‘Don’t You Want Me’
Julio Iglesias – ‘Begin The Beguine’
28 November 1981 Julio Iglesias's Pepé Le Pew-like persona was something of a pop culture punchline in the '80s. 'Begin The Beguine', with Julio's breathy croon wrapped in reverb, captures that moment perfectly. What surprises me on hearing this for the first time since '80s daytime radio, and what I suspect propelled it to number … Continue reading Julio Iglesias – ‘Begin The Beguine’
The Police – ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’
21 November 1981 The sparkling piano part gives a lilt and charm that befit the song title. "It's a big enough umbrella / But it's always me who ends up getting wet" is a genuinely lovely lyric. Plus it's not about horny schoolteachers. 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic' has more to recommend it … Continue reading The Police – ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’
Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin – ‘It’s My Party’
24 October 1981 Not Dave 'Eurythmics' Stewart but Dave 'Not Dave 'Eurythmics' Stewart' Stewart, an English prog-rocker of the '70s as was Gaskin. Is this moody synth cover version of a '60s teenybop classic a brutalist weltschmerz re-reading, or just a serious-muso in-joke that the good people of 1981 didn't quite get? Your guess is … Continue reading Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin – ‘It’s My Party’
