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-RTÉ 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’ →

23 April 1983 The occasional snatches of its chorus on radio and TV for the rest of the '80s, often on some ad for a romantic hits compilation, were all I'd previously heard of 'Words' by F.R. David, and I wasn't impressed: simpering vocals, saccharine keyboards, the whole sensitive-guy routine. So, I had this down … Continue reading F.R. David – ‘Words’ →

9 April 1983 I was a bit too young to be aware of 'Let's Dance' at the time, but if the wind is right I can almost hear the groans of Bowie die-hards echoing down the years. It borrows the distinctive soaring "ah-ah-ah-AH!" of 'Twist And Shout' for its intro and the famous drum beat … Continue reading David Bowie – ‘Let’s Dance’ →

19 March 1983 We've already entered 'Take That Look Off Your Face' as evidence of Andrew Lloyd Webber's role in ringleading the '80s power ballad genre, and now comes a co-accused: Jim Steinman. In fact, 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart' may actually be the definitive '80s power ballad. Perhaps because of its all-or-nothing commitment to … Continue reading Bonnie Tyler – ‘Total Eclipse Of The Heart’ →