21 September 1989 The least fun of all the Marx Brothers, including Karl, the mullet-wearing Richard had successfully opiated the US masses for a couple of years with his piano-led "adult contemporary" soft rock. This was his first big hit on our side of the Atlantic: a cheesy spectre that haunted Europe. 'Right Here Waiting' … Continue reading Richard Marx – ‘Right Here Waiting’
Tag: 80s
Jason Donovan – ‘Every Day (I Love You More)’
7 September 1989 "Thank God for that!" is not, I admit, the traditional greeting for a Stock, Aitken and Waterman single by Jason Donovan. As we trudge across the inhospitable salt plains of the late-1989 charts, though, this is a veritable drink of fresh water. Naturally, 'Every Day (I Love You More)' is a pre-cast … Continue reading Jason Donovan – ‘Every Day (I Love You More)’
Dolores Keane – ‘Lion In A Cage’
24 August 1989 There's a generation of people for whom Nelson Mandela was always the twinkly-eyed, grandfatherly figure who served as president and figurehead of South Africa in the 1990s and '00s. For those of us who were alive and aware of world affairs in 1989, we had a different concept of him - and … Continue reading Dolores Keane – ‘Lion In A Cage’
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers – ‘Swing The Mood’
10 August 1989 Next time you overhear some barstool blowhard or drunken uncle opining that the charts today are rubbish, and music was far better back in their day, well - even without entering Exhibit A for the prosecution (below) that statement is always a load of rubbish and a sure sign that the opinionator … Continue reading Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers – ‘Swing The Mood’
Bros – ‘Too Much’
27 July 1989 I've said it here before and I'll say it again: in the late '80s charts there were worse things than Stock, Aitken and Waterman records. The poster boys for that maxim are Bros, now down to the two Gosses. This called for revised branding that reduced their three-person stick-figure logo to two … Continue reading Bros – ‘Too Much’
Sonia – ‘You’ll Never Stop Me Loving You’
20 July 1989 Succession planning is tricky for any business, but especially a self-styled Hit Machine. Teen pop idols have a short shelf-life and high turnover rate at the best of times. Soap stars as teen pop idols are fine for when you want to jump off their existing public persona, but they tend to … Continue reading Sonia – ‘You’ll Never Stop Me Loving You’
The Waterboys – ‘And A Bang On The Ear’
6 July 1989 Content warning: domestic violence; abusive relationships; male violence against women Yes, a number one single in Ireland in 1989 was a jaunty, ersatz trad-Irish ditty that romanticises abusive relationships and serial male violence against women, with no sign of any remorse or comeuppance. The male narrator is also a musician, so we … Continue reading The Waterboys – ‘And A Bang On The Ear’
U2 – ‘All I Want Is You’
22 June 1989 You're so materialistic, what with your wanting "diamonds on a ring of gold" and your promising me "treasure just to look upon it". You're also a bit odd and ranty, with all your pseudo-Biblical bluster of "eyes in a moon of blindness / a river in a time of dryness / a … Continue reading U2 – ‘All I Want Is You’
Jason Donovan – ‘Sealed With A Kiss’
15 June 1989 Those of you following the Jason Donovan: Pop Star plotline will recall how 'Especially For You' was a mid-tempo romantic duet, 'Too Many Broken Hearts' was an up-tempo number, and Jason sounded comfortable on neither. What next for our hero and the three-headed hit machine of Stock, Aitken and Waterman behind him? … Continue reading Jason Donovan – ‘Sealed With A Kiss’
No Sweat – ‘Heart And Soul’
1 June 1989 Despite the band name, Irish hard rockers No Sweat seemed to be putting in the work. It was a Saturday afternoon, so Roxy Records in the centre of my home town of Tralee was busy anyway, but the prospect of spotting an actual band off the TV was intriguing to me and … Continue reading No Sweat – ‘Heart And Soul’
