785. Video - Jeff Lynne (1984)

 

 

I see that rock'n'roll and all those old time movies

They beam across the sky together in electric dreams

 

One of two songs that Jeff Lynne contributed to the soundtrack to 'Electric Dreams'. It was released as a single but didn't chart. It should have been a big hit,it's a light,catchy pop song. Instead,the big hit single from the film was 'Together In Electric Dreams' by Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder which is another song that narrowly failed to make my chart.

 

Electricity is amazing! Should have been a hit. With its use of the electronic hat hat cymbal beat (used in a lot of dance music) it sounds ahead of its time!

 

More familiar with Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force's Planet Rock, which was certainly an influential sounding song both for dance music and hip hop.

784. Since I Left You - The Avalanches (2000)

 

 

Since I left you

I found the world so new

Everyday

 

This always makes me feel good when I hear it. It's made up of many samples,the main one being 'Everyday' by Main Attraction from 1967. The video won the best video award at the 2001 MTV Europe Music Awards. The other top 20 hit they had,'Frontier Psychiatrist',which also has a brilliant video,was one of the 42 songs I had to leave out of my top 1000 when I chose too many.

 

 

 

783. Will You Stay Tonight - The Comsat Angels (1983)

 

 

Seconds turn to minutes

And the minutes turn to hours

How the time slips away

 

I suppose this could be described as being halfway between indie and pop. It's another 80s single not to make the top 40. I seem to be on a run of those in the last few days. The Comsat Angels were from Sheffield,this is the only song by them that I know.

 

 

 

782. The Invisible Man - Queen (1989)

 

 

Incredible how you can see right through me

 

The good thing about Queen having four songwriters is they can cover several different styles of music. This one was written by Roger Taylor. I like John Deacon's funky bass line. The four band members are all mentioned in the lyrics. Danniella Westbrook,who was then 15 years old,appears in the video.

 

 

 

781. Run - Snow Patrol (2003)

 

 

Light up,light up

As if you have a choice

Even if you cannot hear my voice

I'll be right beside you dear

 

And now one you will all know. An anthemic guitar ballad. Leona Lewis did a decent cover version but the original is undoubtedly the best.

 

780. This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us - Sparks (1974)

 

 

You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos

Elephants and tacky tigers

 

Sparks' best known song. It was held off the top of the top of the chart by the Rubettes' 'Sugar Baby Love'. The gunshot sounds were added at the last minute after they felt that the track was missing something.

 

779. The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore - The Walker Brothers (1966)

 

 

Loneliness is a cloak you wear

The dark shade of blue is always there

 

This was no.1 for four weeks. I like the typical late 60s production which includes a tambourine,tubular bells and a choir. It's actually a cover version of a song first recorded by Frankie Valli.

 

778. Once In A Lifetime - Talking Heads (1980)

 

 

You may ask yourself,what is that beautiful house?

You may ask yourself,where does that highway lead to?

 

Produced by Brian Eno,while this got to no.14 in the UK,it didn't make the top 100 in Talking Heads' native USA at all. It's one of those songs that is appreciated more now than it was at the time.

 

777. Street Spirit (Fade Out) - Radiohead (1995)

 

 

Rows of houses all bearing down on me

I can feel their blue hands touching me

 

The fifth single to be released from Radiohead's second album 'The Bends',this gave them their first top 5 single.

 

776. Mr Tugboat Hello - Sophie B Hawkins (1994)

 

 

Murder is vile and death is sweet

I have to smile at my defeat

 

A quirky song from the 'Whaler' album. Produced by Steve Lipson,the highlight is the two and a half minute coda which also closes the album.

 

775. The Silent Sun - Genesis (1968)

 

 

When snowflakes heal the ugly ground

Your beauty hides the joy I've found

 

I was wrong when I said the Idle Race song was the shortest on my chart. I forgot about this one which is only 2 minutes and 12 seconds long. I'm pretty certain that this won't be beaten. Before they turned to prog rock,Genesis wrote short songs to try to get a hit and this was their first single. It was produced by Jonathan King with the orchestral arrangements done by the splendidly named Arthur Greenslade. The song was included on their debut album 'From Genesis To Revelation' the following year.

 

This town Ain't big Enough For The Both Of Us, is imo, one of the best songs of the 70s, completely different!

 

Once In A Lifetime is great too, my favourite of Talking Heads' singles that I have heard.

Yes Snake,both of them are classics.

774. Both Sides Of The Story - Phil Collins (1993)

 

 

Here we are all gathered in what seems to be the centre of the storm

Neighbours once friendly now stand each side of the line that has been drawn

 

Phil Collins has endured quite a lot of flak over the years for his ballads but he has also written some fine songs like this one. It's from his fifth solo album 'Both Sides' which really was a solo album as he played every single instrument on it.

 

773. It Will Be A Good Day (The River) - Yes (1999)

 

 

Sometimes I forget

How mighty this Earth

Astounding winter skies

Truth is in birth

 

Jon Anderson's lyrics are always so positive. This is the second song on my chart from 'The Ladder',an album tinged with sadness. When the producer Bruce Fairbairn failed to turn up to the studio one day and didn't answer his calls,Anderson and someone else went round and broke into his apartment and found him dead in his bed.

 

772. O Superman - Laurie Anderson (1981)

 

 

This is the hand,the hand that takes

Here come the planes

They're American planes

Made in America

Smoking or non smoking?

 

When it came out,I found this song to be very annoying with the constant "Ha,ha,ha,ha" running through it. Over the years,I have come to appreciate it as a work of genius. It reached no.2,making it surely the most unlikely piece of music ever to get that high in the chart. I see that the single that prevented it from the no.1 spot is coming up in my countdown today. Laurie Anderson performed the song in New York a week after 9/11,giving a new meaning to some of the lyrics. This is the full eight minute version.

 

 

771. I Believe - Tears For Fears (1985)

 

 

I believe that if you knew just what these tears were for

They would just pour like every drop of rain

 

A sparse ballad from Tears For Fears excellent second album 'Songs From The Big Chair'.

 

770. It's My Party - Dave Stewart with Barbara Gaskin (1981)

 

 

Judy and Johnny just walked thru' the door

Like a queen with her king

Oh,what a birthday surprise

Judy's wearing his ring

 

So this is the single that prevented 'O Superman' from reaching no.1 in the first of its four weeks at the top of the chart. I like the intro and the production all the way through. In the video,the role of Johnny is played by Thomas Dolby. This was before his first hit single so very few watching on Top Of The Pops would have recognised him. 'It's My Party' was first recorded by The Chiffons in 1962 but the best known version is by Lesley Gore,a US no.1 the following year.

 

769. Oh Patti (Don't Feel Sorry For Loverboy) - Scritti Politti (1988)

 

 

Don't feel sorry for loverboy

He wants the world to love him

Then he goes and spoils it all for love

 

A top 20 hit for the Leeds group and it has to be the extended version chosen here to fully appreciate Miles Davis' trumpet solo and the backing vocals.