16 July 1980 Don McLean: making every day The Day The Music Died. I can't say I like this maudlin sob-fest in any of its variants, but at least Roy Orbison's quivering voice and stock-in-trade of black velvet melodrama gives his version a bit of tension and stakes; we can well believe that this is … Continue reading Don McLean – ‘Crying’
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The Mash – ‘Theme from M*A*S*H’
2 July 1980 Content warning: self-harm. This one needs a lot of context. M*A*S*H the TV series was hugely popular in 1980. I have a vague childhood memory of it being on but I've never seen an episode of it. Ten years earlier, Robert Altman had made M*A*S*H the movie, a Palme d'Or-winning cynical comedy … Continue reading The Mash – ‘Theme from M*A*S*H’
Johnny Logan – ‘What’s Another Year’
22 May 1980 It's 1980, and Charles Haughey, the most divisive Irish public figure of the time, has finally assumed power. The rest of the decade will see his many enemies try repeatedly to bring him down, but without success. Little could anyone in 1980 have imagined that the person eventually responsible for Haughey's downfall … Continue reading Johnny Logan – ‘What’s Another Year’
Detroit Spinners – ‘Working My Way Back To You’
8 May 1980 That's The Spinners, for those of you in America - an English folk group of that name required the US outfit to amend their name on this side of the Atlantic. Those opening oohs and handclaps are easy on the ear and set the scene for the rest of this record: working … Continue reading Detroit Spinners – ‘Working My Way Back To You’
Marti Webb – ‘Take That Look Off Your Face’
27 March 1980 Our first power ballad, a genre that really took off in the '80s and, like the poor or venereal disease, is still with us. This one, of the West End musical variant, is sung by Marti Webb and written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which suggests the existence of a Webbest. A Lloyd … Continue reading Marti Webb – ‘Take That Look Off Your Face’
Kenny Rogers – ‘Coward Of The County’
26 February 1980 Two brief housekeeping notes before you read on: 1) From February to October 1980 the regular Irish singles chart was part of a strike action. During this time, Hot Press magazine published a fortnightly chart, and this is what we'll see until normal service resumes. 2) Content warning: sexual violence. A U.S. … Continue reading Kenny Rogers – ‘Coward Of The County’
The Pretenders – ‘Brass In Pocket’
26 January 1980 I know 'Brass In Pocket' from overhearing it on the radio fairly regularly throughout my lifetime, and each time it's a pleasant experience, or at least I've never felt the urge to change station. However, this may actually be the first time I've listened to it up close, as it were, and … Continue reading The Pretenders – ‘Brass In Pocket’
Dana – ‘Totus Tuus (Totally Yours)’
19 January 1980 Ireland's first new number one of the '80s, our first '80s chart-topper for an Irish act, and - oh great, it's Dana singing about the Pope. In truth, we can chalk this chart-topper up to the merchants in the temple; the Pope had visited Ireland four months earlier, millions had gone along … Continue reading Dana – ‘Totus Tuus (Totally Yours)’
Pink Floyd — ‘Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)’
15 December 1979 The last number one of the '70s was the first of the '80s, so there's a temptation to check it for remnants of the decade past and harbingers of the one we know to come. Granted, a similar exercise for 1999-2000 will enable us to review the '90s, the 20th century and … Continue reading Pink Floyd — ‘Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)’
