26 January 1989 The subtext of 1989's number one singles is that there are worse things than Stock, Aitken and Waterman records. Here's someone else from Genesis following Phil Collins' lead in making music that sounds middle-aged, purports to have an Everyman appeal, and is aimed squarely at an audience of middle-aged men. 'The Living … Continue reading Mike and the Mechanics – ‘The Living Years’
Tag: 80s
Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan – ‘Especially For You’
5 January 1989 Well now. I remember this. If ever a pop single came packed in a crate-load of context, it was 'Especially For You'. Kylie was now the biggest star—pop or TV—in Britain and Ireland. This duet was clearly aimed at surfing the wave of the Kylie-Jason wedding storyline on the UK screening of … Continue reading Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan – ‘Especially For You’
Cliff Richard – ‘Mistletoe And Wine’
10 December 1988 Well, I didn't know that 'Mistletoe And Wine' was originally from a musical version of Hans Christian Andersen's story The Little Match Girl, screened on UK television in the mid-'80s, set in Victorian London, without the more religious lyrics, and sung by Twiggy as the character of a bawdy East End lady … Continue reading Cliff Richard – ‘Mistletoe And Wine’
Chris De Burgh – ‘Missing You’
3 December 1988 Here we go again. Following the surprise success of the appalling 'The Lady In Red', 'Missing You' is another Chris De Burgh romantic slowie, one that got as high as number three in the UK as well as topping our charts. It's another synthy, schmaltzy gloop. And yes, it's another one where … Continue reading Chris De Burgh – ‘Missing You’
Robin Beck – ‘First Time’
26 November 1988 I've never liked the sickly-sweet taste of Coca-Cola, even as a mixer for student-level vodka, so I was never going to like this saccharine power ballad that was the soundtrack to a Coke ad. Clearly it was written for a TV commercial's one-minute attention span. All the heart-wrenching, shirt-ripping, tear-jerking drama is … Continue reading Robin Beck – ‘First Time’
Yazz and the Plastic Population – ‘Stand Up For Your Love Rights’
19 November 1988 This was the year that the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Ireland's existing laws making homosexual acts illegal were in contravention of the European Convention on Human Rights. Those laws were eventually repealed in 1993. In the UK, homosexuality had been decriminalised in 1967 but the 1980s AIDS crisis had … Continue reading Yazz and the Plastic Population – ‘Stand Up For Your Love Rights’
Enya – ‘Orinoco Flow’
22 October 1988 If Bono in his quieter moments must feel like an unloved prophet in his own country, not to mention a 'pox' in his home city, how must his Killiney neighbour Enya feel? She is estimated to have sold a colossal 80 million albums in total, despite the commercial disadvantage of never having … Continue reading Enya – ‘Orinoco Flow’
U2 – ‘Desire’
24 September 1988 Dunk a-dunk a-dunk, a-dunk-dunk! That's the Bo Diddley beat, a staple of rock music since the man himself popularised it in the '50s, and a proven crowd-pleaser. For example, in 1987 it was used by George Michael on his worldwide massive retro rock 'n' roll hit with a one-word abstract-noun title, 'Faith'. … Continue reading U2 – ‘Desire’
Phil Collins – ‘A Groovy Kind Of Love’
10 September 1988 So I can delay having to waste valuable seconds of my life contemplating Phil Collins again, let's consider the song. 'A Groovy Kind Of Love' was a mildly charming up-tempo '60s guitar pop hit for The Mindbenders written by Carole Bayer Sager, who had huge AOR songwriting success in the '70s and … Continue reading Phil Collins – ‘A Groovy Kind Of Love’
Brother Beyond – ‘The Harder I Try’
3 September 1988 Hold onto your hats: it's a good 1988 Stock, Aitken and Waterman single! This is what was so infuriating about SAW: they were well able to make good records when they wanted. Their two biggest 1987 hits, Mel and Kim's 'Respectable' and Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up', were genuinely distinctive: … Continue reading Brother Beyond – ‘The Harder I Try’
