25 July 1981 When the bould Martin Brennan followed his rendition of 'When You Were Sweet Sixteen' with 'Come Out You Black And Tans' and 'The Men Behind The Wire', he was replicating the Irish singles charts of July 1981. The Fureys and Davey Arthur were succeeded as Irish number one by the Wolfe Tones, … Continue reading The Wolfe Tones – ‘Streets Of New York’
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The Fureys and Davey Arthur – ‘When You Were Sweet Sixteen’
18 July 1981 Most recently interpreted, inter alia, for a primetime BBC audience by west of Ireland farmer and Alan Partridge lookalike Martin Brennan, this was some traditional Irish ballad from the days of all our forefathers and foremothers - or so I thought. But no; it was a million-selling US number one in the … Continue reading The Fureys and Davey Arthur – ‘When You Were Sweet Sixteen’
Shakin’ Stevens – ‘You Drive Me Crazy’
23 May 1981 Ireland had three Shaky number ones in 1981 but the UK had only two; this one was also kept off the top of the latter charts by 'Stand And Deliver'. What's more, it was number one here for a whole six weeks! This may be a source of perverse national pride for … Continue reading Shakin’ Stevens – ‘You Drive Me Crazy’
Starsound – ‘Stars On 45’
9 May 1981 'Stand And Deliver' by Adam and the Ants didn't go to number one in Ireland - this did instead. Now, as I write this, I genuinely do not know this record and haven't listened to it yet - I gather it's a medley of various oldies, perhaps in the manner of Jive … Continue reading Starsound – ‘Stars On 45’
Bucks Fizz – ‘Making Your Mind Up’
25 April 1981 More '50s throwing-back here, this time bubblegum popcorn something-or-other, which means it may still have been a hit and topped the charts even if it hadn't, of course, won that year's Eurovision. The line-up included a Dublin-born Nolan—though he's not related to The Nolans—and the contest was held in Dublin too, so … Continue reading Bucks Fizz – ‘Making Your Mind Up’
Shakin’ Stevens – ‘This Ole House’
4 April 1981 I thought three solo John Lennon number ones in a row was bad enough, but now the plague year of 1981 serves up three chart toppers in five months from Shakin' Stevens. If the Lennon experience has taught us anything, it's that even if someone had shot him it would have made … Continue reading Shakin’ Stevens – ‘This Ole House’
Joe Dolan – ‘More And More’
28 March 1981 Roxy Music's version of 'Jealous Guy' (a marked improvement on John Lennon's original) was a March 1981 UK number one that didn't top the charts in Ireland, but why bother with Bryan Ferry when we had Joe Dolan? Okay, so Ferry was a musical trendsetter who had things like lounge lizard charm, … Continue reading Joe Dolan – ‘More And More’
Ultravox – ‘Vienna’
21 March 1981 So it got to number one after all! When Keeley Hawes' character wakes up to her big 'I'm-in-the-80s-WTF?' moment in time-travelling TV police drama Ashes To Ashes, the accompanying musical cue is not the titular David Bowie track but the chorus from Ultravox's 'Vienna'. How has this track, less popular in 1981 … Continue reading Ultravox – ‘Vienna’
Joe Dolce Music Theatre – ‘Shaddap You Face’
28 February 1981 Not so fast. Yes, it's a terrible record, but I'm going to cut Joe Dolce a break here. First, his family is Italian. This may be a moot point and scant consolation for the millions of native and heritage Italians who probably had to put up with this as bantz for most … Continue reading Joe Dolce Music Theatre – ‘Shaddap You Face’
John Lennon – ‘Woman’
7 February 1981 Yoko Ono has been dealt atrocious racism, sexism, tragedy, scorn, and Beatle-fan opprobrium pretty constantly since the mid-'60s, all for the heinous crimes of [checks notes] being married to John Lennon and sitting beside him in the studio. These days her public profile mostly comprises her kindly, slightly cosmic, occasionally performance-arty social … Continue reading John Lennon – ‘Woman’
