tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33043026731322224192024-02-25T01:47:03.940-05:00Dreaming About Other WorldsOn which I write about the books I read, science, science fiction, fantasy, and anything else that I want to. Currently trying to read and comment upon every novel that has won the Hugo and International Fantasy awards.Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.comBlogger3471125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-73782548177832552812022-08-08T22:00:00.076-04:002022-12-08T16:21:07.829-05:00Musical Monday - I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner<center>
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> February 2, 1985 through February 9, 1985.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> The week of February 2, 1985.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> January 19, 1985 through Fabruary 2, 1985.</div>
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This song is another example of an instance in which a band's most successful song is not, in my opinion, their best song. In fact, <i>I Want to Know What Love Is</i> isn't even Foreigner's best ballad - that would be <i>Waiting for a Girl Like You</i>. Of course, power ballads weren't what made Foreigner a great band. The real crime is that they had so many great songs like <i>Cold as Ice</i>, <i>Double Vision</i>, <i>Hot Blooded</i>, <i>Urgent</i>, and <i>Juke Box Hero</i>, but it was this treacly piece of pabulum that turned out to be their most successful hit.<br />
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This is a pattern that is repeated over and over again: There are rock bands that create fantastic song after fantastic song, but it is only when they produce some bland and boring fluff that they are truly rewarded. I don't blame Foreigner for putting out this puffball of a song, I blame popular culture for waiting until they did so to reward them with a number one hit.<br />
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I mean, seriously, not only is <i>I Want to Know What Love Is</i> not one of Foreigner's "A List" songs, it isn't even one of their "B List" songs. It's barely hanging on to their third tier by the skin of its teeth. It is barely album-filler quality. And <i>this</i> is what turned out to be their biggest hit? The world is just inexplicably stupid sometimes.<br/>
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/08/musical-monday-like-virgin-by-madonna.html">Like a Virgin</a></i> by Madonna</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i>I Know Him So Well</i> by Elaine Paige and Barbra Dickson</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/08/musical-monday-like-virgin-by-madonna.html">Like a Virgin</a></i> by Madonna</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-careless-whisper-by.html">Careless Whisper</a></i> by Wham!</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/08/musical-monday-like-virgin-by-madonna.html">Like a Virgin</a></i> by Madonna</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i>Easy Lover</i> by Phillip Bailey and Phil Collins</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-do-they-know-its.html">Do They Know It's Christmas?</a></i> by Band Aid</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i>I Know Him So Well</i> by Elaine Paige and Barbra Dickson</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Foreigner <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-57396017965514750262022-08-01T22:00:00.093-04:002022-12-08T16:10:32.119-05:00Musical Monday - Like a Virgin by Madonna<center>
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> December 22, 1984 through January 26, 1985.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> December 29, 1984 through January 26, 1985.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.</div>
<br />
In September of 1984, Madonna jumped to the forefront of the pop culture landscape with this performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. Though she had already had pop chart success with songs such as <i>Borderline</i>, <i>Holiday</i>, and <i>Lucky Star</i>, this single performance launched her into an entirely different category of stardom. In a singular instant, Madonna went from being "that pretty singer who puts out dance pop" to "the sultry Queen of Pop who is the most notoriously infamous performer of the day". Very few performers can mark the exact moment they went from pop star to pop icon, but Madonna can: It was this performance. And the twist is, the part that made it so very notorious was a spontaneous decision to cover up a lost shoe: When it fell off as she descended the cake, Madonna decided to dive to the floor in order to recover her wayward footgear. At that moment, an era was defined and a star was born.<br />
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Beyond making Madonna's career, this performance stands as one of the defining moments of the decade. When people think of the 1980s, this is probably one of the events that they think of. This performance was so stunning, so scandalous, and so unforgettable that it overshadowed everything else about the 1984 MTV VMA's. Madonna wasn't intended to be the headline of the night. She was only nominated for a single award (for best New Artist in a Video for her performance in the video for <i>Borderline</i>). The actual awards were dominated by Herbie Hancock's video for <i>Rockit</i> and Michael Jackson's <i>Thriller</i>. The Cars video for <i>You Might Think</i> won the award for Best Music Video. Madonna wasn't even the most notable female artists coming into the VMA's - that was Cyndi Lauper who was nominated for nine awards (and won one). The list of nominees is like a roll call of the powerhouses of the pop music scene: The Police, the Cars, Duran Duran, David Bowie, Van Halen, ZZ Top, and on and on.<br />
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And almost no one remembers anything about the 1984 MTV VMA's <i>other</i> than Madonna's performance. It simply swept across the pop culture landscape like a hurricane, altering everything in its past. It effectively destroyed every other story about the awards show, and made Madonna into the only thing people could talk about. The real kicker is that when Madonna stepped on stage that night, <i>Like a Virgin</i> had not even been released as a single or a music video. That wouldn't happen until early November. Even so, this performance set the entire music world on its heels. It seems almost ridiculous to say, but Madonna singing an unreleased single while spontaneously rolling on the floor to cover up a wardrobe mishap was like an earthquake that transformed the entire pop culture world forever.<br />
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-do-they-know-its.html">Do They Know Its Christmas?</a></i> by Band Aid</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/08/musical-monday-i-want-to-know-what-love.html">I Want to Know What Love Is</a></i> by Foreigner</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-out-of-touch-by-hall-and.html">Out of Touch</a></i> by <a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/06/musical-artist-hall-and-oates_8.html">Hall and Oates</a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/08/musical-monday-i-want-to-know-what-love.html">I Want to Know What Love Is</a></i> by Foreigner</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-wild-boys-by-duran-duran.html">The Wild Boys</a></i> by Duran Duran</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/08/musical-monday-i-want-to-know-what-love.html">I Want to Know What Love Is</a></i> by Foreigner</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Madonna <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-37830591934231875922022-07-25T22:00:00.145-04:002022-12-08T16:11:45.212-05:00Musical Monday - Do They Know It's Christmas? by Band Aid<center>
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> December 15, 1984 through January 12, 1985 and December 23, 1989 through January 6, 1990.</div>
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In 1984, Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof saw a news report about a famine in Ethiopia. Moved to do something, he wrote one of the most white savious songs of the era, used his connections to recruit a Who's Who's of British pop music personalities, and recorded this single, pledging all of the proceeds to charitable famine relief. It was one of the iconic moments of the 1980s, and one of the most culturally imperialistic events of my lifetime.<br />
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To be fair to Geldof, his heart was probably in the right place. He really did want to help, and the single and resulting concert series (named Live Aid) raised millions of dollars, most of which apparently did go to food aid. I must confess that I am doubtful as to the actual impat of this fundarising on the actual famine - most famines in the modern era are not due to an actual lack of food, but rather due to poor infrastructure hampering distribution networks or political instability (or outright political repression) halting the flow of food from where it is produced to where it is to be consumed. Whether the aid was useful or not, Geldof actually did raise money and it seems to have actually been used for its intended purpose. What uis also undeniable is that Band Aid and Live Aid resulted in some of the signature moments of the 1980s, most notably a performance by Queen at Wembley Stadium, and stunts like Phil Collins playing in Live Aid events in both Britain and the United States on the same day.<br />
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That said, that doesn't make the song any less cringe-worthy. Many of the individual lines are somewhat offensive (the most obnoxious being "[t]hank god its them instead of you"), but on top of that, the entire premise of the song "<i>do they know its Christmas?</i>", is a very religiously imperialistic in tone. Africa is an incredibly religiously diverse continent. There are Christians to be sure, but the continent is populated with large numbers of Muslims, vast numbers of people who follow aboriginal African faith traditions, and a smattering of Hindus, Jews, and Buddhists as well as many others. To reduce this rich and varied collection of relgious beliefs to a question about whether the beknighted natives kow whether it is Christmas is stunningly offensive in its reductiveness.<br />
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In any event, the critiques of the song didn't dampen its pop culture dominance. The idea of a group of pop artists getting together to record a song for charity spread like wildfire through the music world of the 1980s. Band Aid's charity single was soon followed by USA for Africa's recording of the almost as cringey <i>We Are the World</i>. Live Aid was copied by Farm Aid, an effort spearheaded by John Mellencamp to raise money to save failing family farms. Ronnie James Dio and his bandmates got together a bunch of metal artists who put out the charity album Hear'n Aid. And so on. By the end of the 1980s you couldn't fall over without landing on one charity single or another. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Geldof should be the most flattered man of the decade.<br />
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-wild-boys-by-duran-duran.html">The Wild Boys</a></i> by Duran Duran</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/08/musical-monday-like-virgin-by-madonna.html">Like a Virgin</a></i> by Madonna</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-power-of-love-by-frankie.html">The Power of Love</a></i> by Frankie Goes to Hollywood</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/08/musical-monday-i-want-to-know-what-love.html">I Want to Know What Love Is</a></i> by Foreigner</div>
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i>Let's Party</i> by Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i>Hangin' Tough</i> by New Kids on the Block</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Band Aid Band Aid II <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-42223281565784115992022-07-18T22:00:00.101-04:002022-10-21T00:18:44.088-04:00Musical Monday - The Wild Boys by Duran Duran<center>
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<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> December 15, 1984 through December 22, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.</div>
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In 1984, Duran Duran was riding high. They were the darlings of MTV, having pushed out a series of catchy songs tied to slickly produced videos. More than just about any other musical act, Duran Duran had benefitted from the addition of the visual element to musical success, with their videos often being better than their actual music. It was at this point that Duran Duran did what so many musical groups had done before them: They decided to get artsy and experimental.<br />
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<i>The Wild Boys</i> was inspired by a 1971 novel by William S. Burroughs, and was the brainchild of Russell Mulcahy, a prominent music video director who had previous directed the videos for several of the band's songs, including the hits <i>Hungry Like the Wolf</i> and <i>Rio</i>. Mulcahy wanted to make a feature-length movie based on Burroughs' novel, and pitched the idea to Duran Duran with the idea they would do a song and he would direct the ensuing music video as a kind of preview of the hypothetical movie to be used as a teaser to entice movie studios to back the project. No movie was ever made, leaving this song and music video as the only extant artifact of the idea.<br />
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Indulging in arsty endeavors can either create a signature for a band - for example, Pink Floyd's concept album and related movie <i>The Wall</i> - or wreck a band - I'm looking at you Styx and <i>Kilroy Was Here</i> - but <i>The Wild Boys</i> seems to have had almost no real impact on Duran Duran's fortunes one way or another. The band was a glitzy pop sensation for a few years before <i>The Wild Boys</i>, and (notwithstanding some issues among the band members), they were a glitzy pop sensation for a few years afterwards. The band's fade from the limelight was more the result of their New Wave synth pop style going out of style than it was due to some career-ending experiment with quirky concept songs. perhaps the fact that <i>The Wild Boys</i> was just a single experimental song and video accounts for its apparent minimal impact on their ongoing success.<br />
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I will say that when the video was first released, I heard persistent rumors that the "original cut" had been so salacious and risqué that MTV refused to air it until several cuts had been made. This was always passed on by high school experts who would impart their knowledge with knowing looks. Unfortunately, I cannot find any evidence that this was actually the case. So much for the expertise of mid-1980s era high schoolers.<br />
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-out-of-touch-by-hall-and.html">Out of Touch</a></i> by <a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/06/musical-artist-hall-and-oates_8.html">Hall and Oates</a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-do-they-know-its.html">Do They Know It's Christmas?</a></i> by Band Aid</div>
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-i-feel-for-you-by-chaka.html">I Feel for You</a></i> by Chaka Khan</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/08/musical-monday-like-virgin-by-madonna.html">Like a Virgin</a></i> by Madonna</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Duran Duran <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-73790313893526448122022-07-11T22:00:00.086-04:002022-10-21T00:18:28.203-04:00Musical Monday - Out of Touch by Hall and Oates<center>
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> December 8, 1984 through December 15, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.</div>
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Built out a synthesizer riff backed by a drum machine, <i>Out of Touch</i> was Hall and Oates' most peppy and poppy song. It was also their last number one hit. They did have some lesser success over the next few years, but this song more or less marks the last moment Darryl Hall and John Oates were at the forefront of popular music. Alternatively, and more darkly, one could say that this was the beginning of the end of the duo's reign as one of the top musical groups in the world.<br />
<br />
It is kind of easy to see why this was the start of the slow fade for the band. It is overtly pop in a way that most of their previous hits had not been, entirely lacking in the jazzy, urbane, and urban tone that Hall and Oates had made their signature sound. In a way, this song seems to have marked the transition of the duo from trend-setters following their own beat to trend-chasers trying to match a style pioneered by others. This song is kind of fun, but it lacks the spark that earlier songs by the band had had. This was, for want of a better word, bland.<br />
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It didn't really help that the lyrics are more or less nonsense. Granted, Hall and Oates was never a band that had deep or particularly meaningful lyrics: Their best songs were love songs or simple and fairly straightforward stories. This song, however, is lyrically a complete mess. It might be about a breakup resulting from a couple growing apart, but if it is, that is kind of obscure. It might just be someone insulting their partner over and over again. It doesn't really matter, because the end result is mostly gibberish - words strung together to match a meter and rhyme but with no real discernible meaning behind them.<br />
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It is possible that a young J.J. Abrams listened to the song and the lesson that he took was that if lyrics to a song could be a series of mostly unrelated words, a movie could be a sequence of mostly unrelated scenes that don't follow from one to another.<br />
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-power-of-love-by-frankie.html">The Power of Love</a></i> by Frankie Goes to Hollywood</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-wild-boys-by-duran-duran.html">The Wild Boys</a></i> by Duran Duran</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-wake-me-up-before-you-go.html">Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go</a></i> by Wham!</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/08/musical-monday-like-virgin-by-madonna.html">Like a Virgin</a></i> by Madonna</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/06/musical-artist-hall-and-oates_8.html">Hall and Oates</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-73297264052032662272022-07-04T22:00:00.034-04:002022-10-20T00:35:01.209-04:00Musical Monday - The Power of Love by Frankie Goes to Hollywood<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WtdRv6GT9Zg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> The week of December 8, 1984.</div>
<br />
The song <i>The Power of Love</i> is kind of tangentially a Christian themed song. The video that accompanies the song explicitly tries to connect it to the Nativity story in what was clearly a gambit to try to score a Christmas day hit for the band (Christmas day hits are, or at least were, apparently a big deal in the U.K.). One thing I have always thought odd about the story is kind of highlighted here - God could arrange for shepherds to get a visitation from an angel and for wise men from distant lands to show up bearing kingly gifts (gifts of a nature that should have ensured that Jesus' family would be quite wealthy), but could not coordinate events in such a way that Jesus could be born somewhere other than a stable.<br />
<br />
In any event, the song is okay, but kind of mediocre and Frankie Goes to Hollywood joins dozens of other bands that are one hit wonders in the United States but have multiple number ones in other countries. More to the point, this song didn't really land the way the band clearly wanted it to, and has been overwhelmed in the public consciousness by the song that followed it on the U.K. charts.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-i-should-have-known.html">I Should Have Known Better</a></i> by Jim Diamond</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-out-of-touch-by-hall-and.html">Out of Touch</a></i> by <a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/06/musical-artist-hall-and-oates_8.html">Hall and Oates</a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-i-should-have-known.html">I Should Have Known Better</a></i> by Jim Diamond</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-do-they-know-its.html">Do They Know It's Christmas?</a></i> by Band Aid</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Frankie Goes to Hollywood <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-40847129421607055082021-07-26T22:00:00.034-04:002022-07-05T16:02:27.373-04:00Musical Monday - I Should Have Known Better by Jim Diamond<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qWEFNFsFrgE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> The week of December 1, 1984.</div>
<br />
This is a song that I missed in the 1980s. I have basically no recollection of this song or this singer, which isn't entirely surprising, since he apparently only had success in Europe. That said, if I had first heard it in 1984 when it was released, I probably would have thought it was a hopelessly romantic, albeit super sappy song. On the other hand, first hearing it now, this song bothers me a bit. The lyrics - <i>I should have known better/Than to lie to someone as beautiful as you</i> - seem to imply that there is some level of plainness that makes lying to them acceptable. That sits wrong with me now in a way that it probably wouldn't have when I was a teenager. The implication just would not have occurred to me back then.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-i-feel-for-you-by-chaka.html">I Feel for You</a></i> by Chaka Khan</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-power-of-love-by-frankie.html">The Power of Love</a></i> by Frankie Goes to Hollywood</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-i-feel-for-you-by-chaka.html">I Feel for You</a></i> by Chaka Khan</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-power-of-love-by-frankie.html">The Power of Love</a></i> by Frankie Goes to Hollywood</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Jim Diamond <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-30288686103010280112021-07-19T16:39:00.079-04:002022-09-27T23:43:30.078-04:00Musical Monday - I Feel for You by Chaka Khan<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YW0sxgYAmLM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> The week of December 8, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> November 10, 1984 through November 24, 1984.</div>
<br />
This is another post about Prince. To be clear, Chaka Khan was (and is) an overwhelmingly powerful force in the rhythm and blues world. By 1984 she had carved a career that marked her as not only one of the top female vocalists in the genre, but one of the top female vocalists period. Between 1978 and 1983, she had hit the top of the R&B charts three times, but had not had a top hit overall. Thus, it is notable that it wasn't until she covered a Prince song that she managed to top out not only the Cash Box Top 100, but the U.K. Chart as well. This marked the start of a trend of artists covering Prince songs (or Prince simply writing songs for other artists to record) that turned into big hits. Given his own ability to turn songs into hits during the decade, it is hard to overstate how influential Prince was on the shape of music in the 1980s.<br />
<br />
This version of <i>I Feel for You</i> was the first big hit that paired a singer with a rapper, featuring Melle Mel on the recording. So, for anyone who doesn't like this practice, you have Chaka Khan to blame. This arrangement also led to the kind of odd result of Khan not actually singing until almost a minute into the song. As noted before, Khan was a dominant force as a vocalist, and she was acting as a solo artist for this song, which makes sidelining her for the first quarter of the song seem like an odd choice. I guess it was the right choice though, given the result.<br />
<br />
All that said, I didn't really like this song all that much when it was released. I was aware of some of Chaka Khan's other output, including <i>I'm Every Woman</i> and her collaboration with Rufus in <i>Tell Me Something Good</i>, and I thought they were far superior to this song. I still do. Just as with Steve Wonder and <i>I Just Called to Say I Love You</i>, Chaka Khan's biggest hit was, in my estimation, far from her best song.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/01/musical-monday-purple-rain-by-prince.html">Purple Rain</a></i> by Prince</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-i-should-have-known.html">I Should Have Known Better</a></i> by Jim Diamond</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-wake-me-up-before-you-go.html">Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go</a></i> by Wham!</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-wild-boys-by-duran-duran.html">The Wild Boys</a></i> by Duran Duran</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-freedom-by-wham.html">Freedom</a></i> by Wham!</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-i-should-have-known.html">I Should Have Known Better</a></i> by Jim Diamond</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Chaka Khan <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-25070573722873469022021-07-12T22:00:00.002-04:002022-01-08T21:55:06.706-05:00Musical Monday - Purple Rain by Prince<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TvnYmWpD_T8" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> November 10, 1984 through November 24, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.</div>
<br />
The first thing to know about this video is that it is not a real concert. I mean, it is actually Prince, and he is actually performing before an audience, but this was filmed for the movie <i>Purple Rain</i>. Consequently, the dedication and the brief story Prince tells about the writing of the song may or may not be entirely accurate. The movie <i>Purple Rain</i> seems autobiographical, but it is a kind of enhanced reality that only sometimes matches up to the reality of Prince's life as an emerging artist in Minneapolis. In any event, the important part of this is the song itself, which is pretty much the quintessential Prince song.<br />
<br />
Throughout his career, prince adopted the color purple as his signature look, leaning heavily into the "royal" nature fo his name. It seems natural then, that his signature song would reference the color in the title. This song, although not his biggest hit, became the song most identified with him. In a bit of history probably only really of interest to me, Prince stated that the origin of the title of the song was a line from the America song <i>Ventura Highway</i>, which means Prince was influenced by styles of music that I didn't entirely expect - although given his incredibly eclectic artistic output, I suppose I should not have been surprised.<br />
<br />
Over the years, there were more than a few poetically appropriate events that occurred in conjunction with this song - when he performed as the Super Bowl halftime act, it began raining when he performed it, with the falling drops highlighting the purple lights that lit up the stadium, giving the entire performance an eerie vibe. This was also the last song prince performed live before he died, which seems so fitting that if it had been written into a fictional narrative people would have thought it too on the nose to believe.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-caribbean-queen-no-more.html">Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)</a></i> by Billy Ocean</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-i-feel-for-you-by-chaka.html">I Feel for You</a></i> by Chaka Khan</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-i-just-called-to-say-i.html">I Just Called to Say I Love You</a></i> by Stevie Wonder</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-wake-me-up-before-you-go.html">Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go</a></i> by Wham!</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Prince <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-9627780664682704252021-07-05T22:00:00.082-04:002022-01-07T15:34:11.769-05:00Musical Monday - Caribbean Queen (No More Love On the Run) by Billy Ocean<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uxX2gA18grk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> November 3, 1984 through November 10, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.</div>
<br />
Peppy and poppy, <i>Caribbean Queen</i> tells the story of a man who was just playing around but found himself falling hopelessly in love with a beautiful woman. In a mildly interesting twist, <i>Caribbean Queen</i> was renamed for a variety of worldwide markets, bearing titles such as <i>European Queen</i> and <i>African Queen</i>, which definitely recalibrates the song quite a bit. Ocean himself is British and was born in Trinidad, which makes the Caribbean tag for the song seem like the most authentic one, but the use of localized names is a kind of clever marketing trick.<br />
<br />
I suppose the most notable thing about this song is that it pushed a black rhythm and blues pop star who wasn't named Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, or Prince into the forefront of the public eye. Not only that, it pushed a non-American rhythm and blues star into prominence, which was mildly unusual. This was just the first of Billy Ocean's hits, although none of the others were really quite as good as this one. In some ways, the closest comparison to Ocean would be Eddie Grant, but their styles and tones were quite different, with Grant having a harder more political edge to his music and Ocean offering more commercially-friendly fare.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-freedom-by-wham.html">Freedom</a></i> by Wham!</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/01/musical-monday-purple-rain-by-prince.html">Purple Rain</a></i> by Prince</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-i-just-called-to-say-i.html">I Just Called to Say I Love You</a></i> by Stevie Wonder</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-wake-me-up-before-you-go.html">Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go</a></i> by Wham!</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Billy Ocean <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-71133453839385835802021-06-28T23:20:00.078-04:002022-01-08T21:56:41.803-05:00Musical Monday - Freedom by Wham!<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2ag5Qbc1O-c" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> October 20, 1984 to November 3, 1984.</div>
<br />
Wham! had a few top hits in the United States in the 1980s. The duo had a few more top hits in the U.K. This song reached number one in the U.K., and was only slightly less successful across the Atlantic. The thing about Wham! is that even though they are one of the iconic bands of the 1980s, they only released a total of two studio albums, and their heyday only lasted for about two years. Michael and Ridgeley somehow managed to help set the tone for the entire decade with a handful of songs and some fairly suspect dancing.<br />
<br />
The weird thing about this song is that even though it is super-peppy and upbeat, the lyrics tell the story of a one-sided, almost abusive relationship. It seems odd to have a toe-tapping dance song that features lyrics about a narrator whose significant other apparently routinely cheats on them, but the narrator is so smitten that they always forgive their wayward partner. This is a strangely happy sounding tune with a dark core behind it. I suspect that few people who put this on for a turn at cutting the rug spent much time thinking about the words being sung at them. I kind of wonder if it would have mattered if they had.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-lets-go-crazy-by-prince.html">Let's Go Crazy</a></i> by Prince</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-caribbean-queen-no-more.html">Caribbean Queen (No More Love On the Run)</a></i> by Billy Ocean</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-i-just-called-to-say-i.html">I Just Called to Say I Love You</a></i> by Stevie Wonder</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-i-feel-for-you-by-chaka.html">I Feel for You</a></i> by Chaka Khan</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Wham! <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-20746117737845689312021-06-21T22:00:00.015-04:002021-10-28T01:09:29.873-04:00Musical Monday - Let's Go Crazy by Prince<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aXJhDltzYVQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> September 29, 1984 through October 6, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> September 29, 1984 through October 6, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.</div>
<br />
<i>Let's Go Crazy</i> was the third big hit from Prince's <i>Purple Rain</i> album, which he made to accompany the movie of the same name that he starred in. All of the footage from this video is drawn from that movie, including the somehwat hilarious attempts to make Prince's puppet-band Morris Day and the Time into credible rivals for Prince in the fictional dance club that made up the heart of the movie. The footage also features a lot of Apollonia, who played Prince's girlfriend playing a character that shared her name so Prince could manufacture another band to promote: Apollonia 6 (which had previously been named Vanity 6 before the singer Vanity left that group).<br />
<br />
Even though this song was pretty much the third-most popular song from this album, falling behind <i>When Doves Cry</i> and <i>Purple Rain</i>, it is my personal favorite. In large part, my affection for the song stems from the fact that Prince flashes his guitar skills in the closing segment of the song - I don't know if the quote is accurate, but supposedly when someone asked Eric Clapton how it felt to be the best guitarist in the world he responded with "I don't know, you'll have to ask Prince". I can't really claim to be qualified to make an assessment as to who the top dog in the axe-wielding department is, but Prince is definitely up there and shows it off here.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-missing-you-by-john-waite.html">Missing You</a></i> by John Waite</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-freedom-by-wham.html">Freedom</a></i> by Wham!</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-missing-you-by-john-waite.html">Missing You</a></i> by John Waite</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-i-just-called-to-say-i.html">I Just Called to Say I Love You</a></i> by Stevie Wonder</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-missing-you-by-john-waite.html">Missing You</a></i> by John Waite</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-i-just-called-to-say-i.html">I Just Called to Say I Love You</a></i> by Stevie Wonder</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Prince <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-53106609866625574912021-06-14T22:00:00.051-04:002021-10-26T00:03:44.793-04:00Musical Monday - Missing You by John Waite<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k9e157Ner90" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> The week of September 22, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> September 15, 1984 through September 22, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.</div>
<br />
My most dominant memory of this song is the fact that my mother quoted it's chorus in some of her letters to me while I was away at school. At the time, I was at a boarding school in Virginia, while my parents lived in Lagos, Nigeria at the time. My mother was not happy about this arrangement, and I probably didn't make it any easier by being really terrible at writing letters in return. needless to say, she sent me many more letters than I sent her.<br />
<br />
The thing about the song is that it is actually a break-up song about missing a lover who has left you while you pine for them to return to your side and desperately try to erase their memory, which makes my mother's use of it to express missing her son kind of weird. That said, as break-up songs go, this is one of the best ones ever made. Waite's lyrics express the combination of longing and self-deception that perfectly encapsulates the emotions of a bad break-up.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-i-just-called-to-say-i.html">I Just Called to Say I Love You</a></i> by Stevie Wonder</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-lets-go-crazy-by-prince.html">Let's Go Crazy</a></i> by Prince</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-whats-love-got-to-do.html">What's Love Got to Do With It</a></i> by Tina Turner</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-lets-go-crazy-by-prince.html">Let's Go Crazy</a></i> by Prince</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-whats-love-got-to-do.html">What's Love Got to Do With It</a></i> by Tina Turner</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-lets-go-crazy-by-prince.html">Let's Go Crazy</a></i> by Prince</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
John Waite <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-37417010951051313982021-06-07T22:00:00.086-04:002022-01-07T15:34:27.235-05:00Musical Monday - I Just Called to Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EmEnpQ5yr3o" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> October 20, 1984 through October 27, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> October 13, 1984 through November 3, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;"><b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> September 8, 1984 through October 13, 1984.</div>
<br />
If there is anything that demonstrates that success on the pop charts is mostly determined by the preferences of suburban moms, it is the fact that this song is Stevie Wonder's best-selling single. Wonder has had a long and prolific career, churning out musical masterpiece after musical masterpiece - <i>Fingertips, Part II</i>, <i>Uptight (Everything's Alright)</i>, <i>Superstition</i>, <i>Master Blaster (Jammin')</i>, <i>Sir Duke</i>, and so many more. And yet, this milquetoast love ballad is the most successful song he ever wrote or recorded. To be clear, this isn't a bad song, it is just that compared to his greatest works, <i>I Just Called to Say I Love You</i> is just ordinary at best. It is, to be blunt, the epitome of Mom-pop.<br />
<br />
This song was also on the soundtrack to <i>The Woman in Red</i>, which, once again, highlights the connection between pop music success and the movie industry. This song won an Academy Award as a result, although the movie - a mostly unfunny Gene Wilder vehicle featuring Kelly LeBrock and Gilda Radner - was simply not very good.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-whats-love-got-to-do.html">What's Love Got to Do With It</a></i> by Tina Turner</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-missing-you-by-john-waite.html">Missing You</a></i> by John Waite</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-lets-go-crazy-by-prince.html">Let's Go Crazy</a></i> by Prince</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-caribbean-queen-no-more.html">Caribbean Queen (No More Love On the Run)</a></i> by Billy Ocean</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-lets-go-crazy-by-prince.html">Let's Go Crazy</a></i> by Prince</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/01/musical-monday-purple-rain-by-prince.html">Purple Rain</a></i> by Prince</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-careless-whisper-by.html">Careless Whisper</a></i> by George Michael</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-freedom-by-wham.html">Freedom</a></i> by Wham!</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Stevie Wonder <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-27011107416383497442021-05-31T22:00:00.068-04:002021-10-06T01:07:51.986-04:00Musical Monday - What's Love Got to Do With It by Tina Turner<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oGpFcHTxjZs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> September 1, 1984 through September 15, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> August 25, 1984 through September 8, 1984.</div>
<b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.<br />
<br />
Tina Turner reached the top of the charts for the first (and only) time at the age of 44. She had already lived an entire show business lifetime before this song came out - beginning in 1957 when she first started hitting the charts as part of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. Her career had already peaked in the 1960s, petered out, and died before the end of the 1970s. By 1980, she was a former star. She was also estranged from Ike, who it turns out had been an abusive husband who had badly mistreated Tina for years. For most artists with Tina's career trajectory, the 1980s would have been an empty decade. She might have returned for the nostalgia circuit a decade or two later, but functionally, her career would have been over.<br />
<br />
That's not what Tina did. Starting with the album <i>Private Dancer</i>, on which this song appears, she launched a second, even more successful career. Tina Turner was a bigger star after the age of 45 than she had ever been before the age of 45. Even though she was never able to fully replicate the success of <i>What's Love Got to Do With It</i>, she established herself as an act that could fill an arena for the rest of the 1980s and beyond. There were other artists who reivented themselves in the 1980s - Heart, David Bowie, even the Bee Gees - but none came from as far down as Tina did, and few reached similar heights.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-careless-whisper-by.html">Careless Whisper</a></i> by George Michael</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-i-just-called-to-say-i.html">I Just Called to Say I Love You</a></i> by Stevie Wonder</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-ghostbusters-by-ray.html">Ghostbusters</a></i> by Ray Parker, Jr.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-missing-you-by-john-waite.html">Missing You</a></i> by John Waite</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-ghostbusters-by-ray.html">Ghostbusters</a></i> by Ray Parker, Jr.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-missing-you-by-john-waite.html">Missing You</a></i> by John Waite</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Tina Turner <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-86031453323420784912021-05-24T22:00:00.055-04:002022-12-08T16:11:08.853-05:00Musical Monday - Careless Whisper by George Michael<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/izGwDsrQ1eQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> February 16, 1985 through March 2, 1985.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> February 16, 1985 through March 2, 1985.</div>
<b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> August 18, 1984 through September 1, 1984.<br />
<br />
At the outset, I will admit that I didn't much like George Michael's music in the 1980s. I'll also go ahead and admit that I don't much like George Michael's music now. I can appreciate his talent, and the artistry, he just doesn't perform a style of music that appeals to me. That there is music that is immensely popular that I don't personally find particularly appealing should not be particularly surprising. I'd venture that pretty much everyone has some piece of popular culture that just doesn't appeal to them. George Michael (and Wham!) fall squarely into that category for me.<br />
<br />
Disliking popular things other people like is perfectly okay. Being a dick about disliking popular things other people like is well, being a dick. I don't care for Michael's music, but if you like it, I hope you get a lot of joy from listening to this video.<br />
<br />
One odd thing I noticed about this song is that it is often presented crediting George Michael as the artist. it is true that he sings the song, but it appeared on a Wham! album by Michael was a member of Wham!, so I wonder why the song is presented this way. This isn't universal - sometimes the song is presented crediting Wham! as the artist, which makes the mystery a little deeper. I don't know if this has any meaning, but it is quirky.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-ghostbusters-by-ray.html">Ghostbusters</a></i> by Ray Parker, Jr.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-whats-love-got-to-do.html">What's Love Got to Do With It</a></i> by Tina Turner</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/08/musical-monday-i-want-to-know-what-love.html">I Want to Know What Love Is</a></i> by Foreigner</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i>I Can't Fight This Feeling</i> by <a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/06/reo-speedwagon-in-1988-reo-speedwagon.html">REO Speedwagon</a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i>Easy Lover</i> by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i>I Can't Fight This Feeling</i> by <a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/06/reo-speedwagon-in-1988-reo-speedwagon.html">REO Speedwagon</a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-two-tribes-by-frankie.html">Two Tribes</a></i> by Frankie Goes to Hollywood</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/06/musical-monday-i-just-called-to-say-i.html">I Just Called to Say I Love You</a></i> by Stevie Wonder</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
George Michael <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-11139246537869251842021-05-17T22:00:00.081-04:002021-07-29T22:14:39.566-04:00Musical Monday - Ghostbusters by Ray Parker, Jr.<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fe93CLbHjxQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> August 11, 1984 through August 25, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> August 11, 1984 through August 18, 1984.</div>
<b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.<br />
<br />
<i>Ghostbusters</i> the movie was probably the first blockbuster comedy. Hit comedies always did reasonably well at the box office, but <i>Ghostbusters</i> pulled in nearly $300 million at the box office against a production budget of about $30 million, which was an entirely new level of success for the genre. For comparison, the most famous collaboration between Harold Ramis and Bill Murray prior to <i>Ghostbusters</i> was <i>Stripes</i>, which grossed $85 million at the box office - a profitable movie, but not nearly in the same stratosphere as <i>Ghostbusters</i>.<br />
<br />
<i>Ghostbusters</i> the song was the main theme for the <i>Ghostbusters</i> movie. There is usually some synergy between the success of a movie and the success of a song, and in this case, the synergy worked to launch both to extreme success. This song was written well into the movie production process, after Reitman passed several clips of the movie along to Parker for him to use as inspiration. And this fact is where this story gets interesting.<br />
<br />
When Reitman was filming <i>Ghostbusters</i>, he used the Huey Lewis song <i>I Want a New Drug</i> as placeholder music for some scenes, with the intent that it would be replaced by music tailored specifically to the movie before it was ready for release. These scenes ended up using Ray Parker's <i>Ghostbusters</i> song instead, which some people (including Lewis) noticed bore a lot of similarities to <i>I Want a New Drug</i>, resulting in a copyright lawsuit that was resolved via a confidential settlement agreement.<br />
<br />
Since no one knows the details of the settlement, it is difficult to say whether Parker actually lifted Lewis' work, or if the songs were similar because they needed to fit the same scenes and thus necessarily shared a lot of tempo and pacing requirements in common. Either way, <i>Ghostbusters</i> was Parker's biggest hit.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-when-doves-cry-by-prince.html">When Doves Cry</a></i> by Prince</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-careless-whisper-by.html">Careless Whisper</a></i> by George Michael</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-when-doves-cry-by-prince.html">When Doves Cry</a></i> by Prince</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-whats-love-got-to-do.html">What's Love Got to Do With It</a></i> by Tina Turner</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-when-doves-cry-by-prince.html">When Doves Cry</a></i> by Prince</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-whats-love-got-to-do.html">What's Love Got to Do With It</a></i> by Tina Turner</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Ray Parker, Jr. <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-59826597447981915222021-05-10T22:00:00.108-04:002021-07-02T21:06:48.969-04:00Musical Monday - When Doves Cry by Prince<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IUc0R8bbWQE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> July 7, 1984 through August 4, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> July 14, 1984 through August 4, 1984.</div>
<b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.<br />
<br />
Prince's career can be divided into two parts. The first is everything that took place before the release of the <i>Purple Rain</i> album and movie of the same name. The second is everything that came after that. Before <i>Purple Rain</i>, Prince was a successful musician. After <i>Purple Rain</i>, Prince was an icon, launched into the company of the top tier performers in the world. I had been aware of Prince prior to <i>Purple Rain</i>, but he was the guy who had a couple of very successful almost novelty-ish songs like <i>1999</i> and <i>Little Red Corvette</i>. He was the sort of musician who could reliably turn out profitable albums and make a high-profile living with his music. After <i>Purple Rain</i>, Prince was the sort of performer who could sell out a giant arena in minutes. And <i>When Doves Cry</i> was the flagship song from <i>Purple Rain</i>.<br />
<br />
In the early 1980s, I was kind of out of step with what was the dominant thrust of pop music. I wasn't much of a Michael Jackson fan, and I wasn't particularly enamored of the variety of acts trying to occupy the same post-disco dance friendly territory he had claimed. Although Prince was descended from the same musical heritage as Jackson and other similar artists, the Purple One took the musical style into an entirely different and refreshing direction. Where Jackson's performances were smooth and polished, with every note and movement refined to a high sheen, Prince's were raw and visceral, throbbing with barely contained sexual energy.<br />
<br />
<i>When Doves Cry</i> is, in my estimation, one of Prince's best songs. Proving that he was one of the funkiest men around, he managed to produce this song, which is almost the epitome of funk, without a bass line, which is a pretty stunning accomplishment. The only thing I can say is that I, a decidedly non-funky teenager, was drawn into Prince's orbit by this song, which I distinctly remember dancing to with my girlfriend at the time and thinking the world couldn't get any better than that.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-dancing-in-dark-by-bruce.html">Dancing in the Dark</a></i> by <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/06/musical-artist-springsteen-bruce.html">Bruce Springstein</a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-ghostbusters-by-ray.html">Ghostbusters</a></i> by Ray Parker, Jr.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-dancing-in-dark-by-bruce.html">Dancing in the Dark</a></i> by <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/06/musical-artist-springsteen-bruce.html">Bruce Springstein</a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-ghostbusters-by-ray.html">Ghostbusters</a></i> by Ray Parker, Jr.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/musical-monday-reflex-by-duran-duran.html">The Reflex</a></i> by Duran Duran</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-ghostbusters-by-ray.html">Ghostbusters</a></i> by Ray Parker, Jr.</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Prince <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-69575997230143843332021-05-03T22:00:00.059-04:002021-06-16T01:02:34.121-04:00Musical Monday - Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springstein<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/129kuDCQtHs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> June 30, 1984 through July 7, 1984.</div>
<b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.<br />
<br />
<i>Dancing in the Dark</i> is Springstein's most commercially successful song, reaching number one in more than one country and hitting the top ten in several more. The song also won Springstein a Grammy Award. Despite this, if I were making a list of Springstein's ten greatest songs, <i>Dancing in the Dark</i> would not be on it. Nor would it be on my list of his twenty greatest songs. Or even his thirty greatest songs. I suspect that I am not alone in this assessment. While <i>Dancing in the Dark</i> isn't a bad song, it just doesn't hit home the way Springstein's better songs do - I'd even rank several of the other songs on the <i>Born in the U.S.A.</i> album more highly than this one.<br />
<br />
This fact seems to me to highlight one of the truths of pop music: The biggest hits scored by many artists are not their best songs. <i>Dancing in the Dark</i> was likely hugely successful because it has a danceable beat and lyrics that more or less don't get in the way of that (although they are kind of world-weary and mildly bitter). Unlike his better songs, <i>Dancing in the Dark</i> is mostly bland and inoffensive, providing what seems like a fun good time for the listener, a fact reflected in the happy and upbeat music video - although to be fair, Bruce's dancing in the video seems at times to be forced and awkward, as if he were trying to project a persona that doesn't quite fit him.<br />
<br />
Now I'm going to go listen to <i>The River</i> and <i>Downbound Train</i> instead.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-two-tribes-by-frankie.html">Two Tribes</a></i> by Frankie Goes to Hollywood</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-when-doves-cry-by-prince.html">When Doves Cry</a></i> by Prince</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/musical-monday-reflex-by-duran-duran.html">The Reflex</a></i> by Duran Duran</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-when-doves-cry-by-prince.html">When Doves Cry</a></i> by Prince</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br /><a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/06/musical-artist-springsteen-bruce.html">Bruce Springstein</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-17109465535088713472021-04-26T22:00:00.080-04:002021-07-28T23:12:06.088-04:00Musical Monday - Two Tribes by Frankie Goes to Hollywood<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pO1HC8pHZw0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> Never.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> Never.</div>
<b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> June 16, 1984 through August 11, 1984.<br />
<br />
In the United States, Frankie Goes to Hollywood was basically a one hit wonder. In the U.K., they had multiple songs reach the top of the pop charts, including this one, which dominated the British pop charts for pretty much the entire summer of 1984. The thing is, while I can see why this song was not a big hit in the U.S., and why it might have resonated in other parts of the world, I am of the opinion that it is just not a very good song that happened to be attached to a fairly compelling music video.<br />
<br />
The lyrics of the song are a pretty blunt assessment of the dangerous and potentially destructive rivalry that existed at the time between the United States and the U.S.S.R., taking some pretty sharp jabs at both sides, and Ronald Reagan in particular. Given the nature of American popular culture at the time, this probably served to limit the song's popularity in the U.S., an issue that obviously would not be a problem for U.K. audiences. The larger problem is that while the lyrics do have a handful of bitterly satirical turns, they descend into being annoyingly repetitive, matching the pounding but kind of boring music that backs them.<br />
<br />
Where this song really shines is the music video that was made for it which depicts a no-holds barred grudge match between a Reagan caricature on one side and a Chernenko-like character on the other. The pair go back and forth taking shots at one another between grandstanding for the crowd of world leaders crowded around the ring. The members of Frankie Goes to Hollywood appear in the video as a sportscasting team broadcasting the match and offering color commentary. Although the video is just as blunt in its messaging as the lyrics of the song, somehow the satire works better visually than it does as lyrics.<br />
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The fact that the video elevates a kind of mundane song into an iconic cultural artifact is more or less the story of the 1980s. The rise of MTV, and as a result the rise of music videos, transformed the world of pop music, making the visual offering as important as (and sometimes more important than) the auditory portion of a pop song.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-time-after-time-by-cyndi.html">Time After Time</a></i> by Cyndi Lauper</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-dancing-in-dark-by-bruce.html">Dancing in the Dark</a></i> by <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/06/musical-artist-springsteen-bruce.html">Bruce Springstein</a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the UK Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-wake-me-up-before-you-go.html">Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go</a></i> by Wham!</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the UK Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-careless-whisper-by.html">Careless Whisper</a></i> by George Michael</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Frankie Goes to Hollywood <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-65435681641797977842021-04-19T22:00:00.072-04:002021-05-24T20:44:36.271-04:00Musical Monday - Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper<center>
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<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> June 9, 1984 through June 16, 1984.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> The week of June 9, 1984.</div>
<b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.<br />
<br />
<i>Girls Just Wanna Have Fun</i> was Lauper's first hit, and probably was her most comercially successful song, and was nominated for or won pretty much all of the awards, but the song I always associate with her is this one. The plaintive, melancholy mood of <i>Time After Time</i> is simply perfectly suited to Lauper's vocal delivery - when listening to the song it sounds like a confession taking place just before the singer breaks down in tears. The entire tenor of the song is both sad and hopeful at the same time.<br />
<br />
Oddly, despite the fact that the lyrics of the song seem to suggest undying loyalty, the music video more or less shows a fractured relationship disintegrating into a final breakup. The overarching story is that Lauper's character is homesick and wants to return to her childhood home and care for her mother, but that's not incredibly well conveyed by the video (in fact, that portion completely escaped me until recently). But the sequences show Lauper's character and her seemingly contentious relationship with her boyfriend, played by Lauper's then real-life boyfriend and manager David Wolff. In the end, Lauper leaves Wolff behind, which is more or less what happened in real life, so the teras are not feigned.<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-wake-me-up-before-you-go.html">Wake Me Up before You Go-Go</a></i> by Wham!</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-two-tribes-by-frankie.html">Two Tribes</a></i> by Frankie Goes to Hollywood</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-lets-hear-it-for-boy-by.html">Let's Hear It for the Boy</a></i> by Denice Williams</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/musical-monday-reflex-by-duran-duran.html">The Reflex</a></i> by Duran Duran</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-lets-hear-it-for-boy-by.html">Let's Hear It for the Boy</a></i> by Denice Williams</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/musical-monday-reflex-by-duran-duran.html">The Reflex</a></i> by Duran Duran</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
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Cyndi Lauper <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-52934585824342841452021-04-12T22:00:00.092-04:002022-07-20T00:11:55.356-04:00Musical Monday - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pIgZ7gMze7A" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> November 17, 1984 through December 1, 1984.</div>
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<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> November 24, 1984 through December 1, 1984.</div>
<b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> June 2, 1984 through June 9, 1984.<br />
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Peppy dance beat? Check.<br />
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Mostly meaningless lyrics? Check.<br />
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Goofy dance moves? Check.<br />
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Big, brightly colored clothes? Check.<br />.
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Ridiculously short shorts? Check.<br />
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Black light sequence? Check.<br />
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I am starting to think that between Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Duran Duran, Prince, and so on, 1984 may have been peak 1980s. <i>Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go</i> is pretty much a prime example of the music and music videos of the era. Peppy, poppy, with performers in shirts shouting slogans in big letters who are also wearing brightly colored fingerless gloves, and just generally over the top, the song and video are more or less symbolic of the era. As Deadpool says in the movie <i>Deadpool</i>, Wham! earned their exclamation point.<br />
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<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-lets-hear-it-for-boy-by.html">Let's Hear it for the Boy</a></i> by Denice Williams</div>
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<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-time-after-time-by-cyndi.html">Time After Time</a></i> by Cyndi Lauper</div>
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<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-caribbean-queen-no-more.html">Caribbean Queen (No More Love On the Run)</a></i> by Billy Ocean</div>
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<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/07/musical-monday-out-of-touch-by-hall-and.html">Out of Touch</a></i> by <a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/06/musical-artist-hall-and-oates_8.html">Hall and Oates</a></div>
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<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2022/01/musical-monday-purple-rain-by-prince.html">Purple Rain</a></i> by Prince</div>
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<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/07/musical-monday-i-feel-for-you-by-chaka.html">I Feel for You</a></i> by Chaka Khan</div>
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<b>Previous #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/musical-monday-reflex-by-duran-duran.html">The Reflex</a></i> by Duran Duran</div>
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<b>Subsequent #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-two-tribes-by-frankie.html">Two Tribes</a></i> by Frankie Goes to Hollywood</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
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Wham! <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-75290009672771339112021-04-09T22:00:00.028-04:002021-04-13T23:39:42.017-04:00Book Bogger Hop April 9, 2021 - April 15, 2021 - Fritigern Launched the Gothic War Against Rome in 376 A.D.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B6MAiJbnzo0/Wf-s8-Mxy3I/AAAAAAAAJ70/Nls0SfE7nAIdIEVX4NbEN4IoMHVWwPCawCLcBGAs/s1600/Book%2BBlogger%2BHop%2B%2528Final%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="393" height="247" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B6MAiJbnzo0/Wf-s8-Mxy3I/AAAAAAAAJ70/Nls0SfE7nAIdIEVX4NbEN4IoMHVWwPCawCLcBGAs/s320/Book%2BBlogger%2BHop%2B%2528Final%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jen at <a href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com/" target="_blank">Crazy for Books</a> restarted her weekly Book Blogger Hop to help book bloggers connect with one another, but then couldn't continue, so she handed the hosting responsibilities off to <a href="http://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/" target="_blank">Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer</a>. The only requirements to participate in the Hop are to write and link a post answering the weekly question and then visit other blogs that are also participating to see if you like their blog and would like to follow them.<br />
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This week Billy asks: <i>Does the cover of a book affect whether you are more willing to read it?</i><br />
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Not consciously, although I will reiterate something I have pointed out many times before: There is a wealth of research that establishes that humans are not aware of all of the factors that influence their decisions. People are biased in favor or or against certain things by factors that they do not recognize. Consequently, it is impossible to say for certain whether a book cover influences my desire to read a book, and I can only say that it doesn't usually consciously affect my decision-making.<br />
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I say this, because usually, by the time I get to a book, I have already determined I want to read it before seeing it. Generally, I choose books based upon who the author is, recommendations from sources I trust, and similar factors. By the time I actually get to a book, it has already gone through a process that led me to it in which the cover art was simply not a factor. That said, there is a reason that book publishers spend a fair amount of time, effort, and money on their art and design departments. If cover art didn't matter, they wouldn't bother.<br />
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All that said, when I have duplicate books that are in roughly equal condition, I almost always keep the one with the better cover and get rid of the other.<br />
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Previous Book Blogger Hop:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/book-bogger-hop-march-20-2021-april-1.html">In 375 B.C., the Theban Sacred Band Defeated a Much Larger Spartan Force at the Battle of Tegyra</a></i></div>
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<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/07/book-blogger-hop.html">Book Blogger Hop</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-75402071587988840672021-04-05T22:00:00.037-04:002021-05-19T09:56:40.624-04:00Musical Monday - Let's Hear It for the Boy by Denice Wiliiams<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gI7YHZVc7mM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> May 26, 1984 through June 2, 1984.</div>
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<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> May 26, 1984 through June 2, 1984.</div>
<b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> Never.<br />
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There's not really a whole lot to say about <i>Let's Hear It for the Boy</i>. Like a lot of popular songs from the mid-1980s, it is basically an empty, almost meaningless song with a catchy hook and a danceable beat. The song appeared on the soundtrack for the movie <i>Footloose</i>, once again reinforcing the connection between filmed media and pop success, but other than that there is almost nothing memorable about it.<br />
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<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/musical-monday-reflex-by-duran-duran.html">The Reflex</a></i> by Duran Duran</div>
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<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-wake-me-up-before-you-go.html">Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go</a></i> by Wham!</div>
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<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/musical-monday-hello-by-lionel-richie.html">Hello</a></i> by Lionel Richie</div>
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<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-time-after-time-by-cyndi.html">Time After Time</a></i> by Cyndi Lauper</div>
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<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/musical-monday-hello-by-lionel-richie.html">Hello</a></i> by Lionel Richie</div>
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<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-time-after-time-by-cyndi.html">Time After Time</a></i> by Cyndi Lauper</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Denice Williams <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3304302673132222419.post-56607973191496124532021-03-29T22:00:00.064-04:002021-06-16T01:02:53.984-04:00Musical Monday - The Reflex by Duran Duran<center>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J5ebkj9x5Ko" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>
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<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>#1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> June 23, 1984 through June 30, 1984.</div>
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<b>#1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> June 16, 1984 through June 23, 1984.</div>
<b>#1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> May 5, 1984 through May 26. 1984.<br />
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<i>The Reflex</i> is one of those iconic 1980s era songs that is emblematic of the era, and also highlights one of the worst things about music from that time period. The song is catchy and danceable, like pretty much everything else that Duran Duran produced. It is also complete nonsense, like pretty much everything else Duran Duran produced. This is kind of a running theme with a lot of popular music on he U.S. music charts in the mid-1980s - it is often upbeat and fun, but it is empty and meaningless. Duran Duran generally, and <i>The Reflex</i> specifically, is more or less the poster child for this phenomenon.<br />
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<b>Previous Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/musical-monday-against-all-odds-take.html">Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)</a></i> by Phil Collins</div>
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<b>Subsequent Musical Monday:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-lets-hear-it-for-boy-by.html">Let's Hear It for the Boy</a></i> by Denice Williams</div>
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<b>Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-time-after-time-by-cyndi.html">Time After Time</a></i> by Cyndi Lauper</div>
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<b>Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-when-doves-cry-by-prince.html">When Doves Cry</a></i> by Prince</div>
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<b>Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-time-after-time-by-cyndi.html">Time After Time</a></i> by Cyndi Lauper</div>
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<b>Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/05/musical-monday-dancing-in-dark-by-bruce.html">Dancing in the Dark</a></i> by <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/1970/06/musical-artist-springsteen-bruce.html">Bruce Springstein</a></div>
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<b>Previous #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/03/musical-monday-hello-by-lionel-richie.html">Hello</a></i> by Lionel Richie</div>
<div style="margin-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;">
<b>Subsequent #1 on the U.K. Chart:</b> <i><a href="https://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2021/04/musical-monday-wake-me-up-before-you-go.html">Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go</a></i> by Wham!</div>
<br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/billboard-hot-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/cash-box-top-100-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989</a><br />
<a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/uk-chart-1-singles-1980-1989.html">List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989</a><br />
<br />
Duran Duran <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-1980s-project.html">1980s Project</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/p/musical-monday.html">Musical Monday</a> <a href="http://dreamingaboutotherworlds.blogspot.com/">Home</a>Aaron Poundhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11747596648152141394noreply@blogger.com0