533. You Are The One - Mike + the Mechanics (1985)

 

 

Tears in the rain,as you wave at the plane

As it climbs through the clouds,to the sun

 

A ballad from their first album. Although there were two singers in the band,the lead vocal here is by guest singer John Kirby.

 

532. Save Me - Queen (1980)

 

 

The years of care and loyalty

Were nothing but a sham it seems

 

Queen's first single of the 80s,written by Brian May. It reached number 11. Some great vocals from Freddie Mercury here and a fine guitar solo from Brian.

 

531. 3rd Of June - Yello (1988)

 

 

Mr Toomy stopped his pinstripe suit outside a barber shop

Looked at his face,took off his jacket

Put it on the pavement,stepped on it

And started preaching like a monk from another world

 

A track from the Swiss duo's superb sixth album 'Flag'. I like the dramatic production on this song.

 

 

530. Another Brick In The Wall - Pink Floyd (1979)

 

 

We don't need no education

We don't need no thought control

No dark sarcasm in the classroom

Teachers leave them kids alone

 

The last number one single from the 70s. Pink Floyd didn't do singles but their producer thought it might be a hit and came up with the idea of the children's choir behind Roger Waters' back. Waters was pleased when he heard the finished song. The choir,from Islington Green School,received a lump sum of £1000 at the time but finally got their royalties in 2004. This video has 318 million views on youtube which is very high for a song from the 70s,proving it's still very popular today.

 

529. Pioneer Skies - The Chemical Brothers (2002)

 

 

A fantastic instrumental track from the Chemical Brothers' fourth album 'Come With Us'.

 

That Yello song sounds great and doesn't sound dated at all really! Their 1985 song 'Oh Yeah' I have heard before and defintiely sounds ahead of its time in production imo. 'The Race' is good too from them.

 

'Another Brick In The Wall' is great.

 

 

528. Woke From Dreaming - The Delgados (2002)

 

 

Just stop for a moment

Can we make this moment mine

 

The second appearance from the Delgados on my chart. Emma Pollock sings the vocal on this one. I like the part when the string section comes in at 2.30 and the outro that follows. The band are named after the cyclist Pedro Delgado and named their first two albums 'Domestiques' and 'Peleton',both of which are terms used in cycling.

 

527. Slipping Away - Dave Edmunds (1983)

 

 

You drive through the city with your head held high

And all I can do is watch you go by

 

Written and produced by Jeff Lynne with Richard Tandy on keyboards,this is a catchy pop song that should have charted higher than number 60. It made the top 40 in the US,giving Edmunds his first top 40 hit there since 1970's 'I Hear You Knocking'.

 

526. Heaven - Onetwo (2007)

 

 

Another song from the Claudia Brucken/Paul Humphreys collaboration. It's not on youtube or Spotify or anywhere else which makes my CD quite valuable.

 

 

525. I Hear You Now - Jon & Vangelis (1979)

 

 

And after all is said and done there's only us

We can make it right

 

A top 10 hit in 1980 from their first album 'Short Stories'. They made four albums in total which I have never heard. I only know this song and 'I'll Find My Way Home' which was further down my chart and also 'State Of Independence' which went on to be a top 20 hit for Donna Summer when she covered it. I should get round to listening to their albums on Spotify some time.

 

524. Goodnight Saigon - Billy Joel (1982)

 

 

And it was dark

So dark at night

And we held on to each other

Like brother to brother

We promised our mothers we'd write

 

A seven minute song about American soldiers in Vietnam. Having watched the ten part documentary series about the war on BBC4 last year,I understand the lyrics of this song a bit more now. It really was a pointless war. In the UK,this was part of a double A side single with 'Leave A Tender Moment Alone' which got most of the airplay so it's not one of his best known songs. I only became aware of it in the last few years.

 

523. Pale Shelter - Tears For Fears (1983)

 

 

When you don't give me love

You give me pale shelter

 

The first version of this song was a flop in 1982 but after 'Mad World' and 'Change' were both hits,it was re-recorded and gave Tears For Fears their third consecutive top 5 single.

 

Pale Shelter is brilliant! :music: Probably my favourite Tears For Fears song, although Mad World, Change and Everybody Wants To Rule The World are all great.

 

The style of that Jon and Vangelis song does remind me of the Rah Band song 'Clouds Across The Moon' you sent to the Shoutbox Song Contest! :D Good song. 'I'll Find My Way Home' is great too. Vangelis seems to have made songs in the more chilled form of synthpop.

Edited May 11, 20187 yr by The Snake 🐍

522. Ever So Lonely - Monsoon (1982)

 

 

Be my friend

Be my friend

Be my friend tonight

 

All these years I thought she was singing "leave my friend,leave my friend,leave my friend alone". I think this could be the first Indian sounding song to be a top 20 single in the UK. The Indian instrumentation makes it sound as if it could have been recorded yesterday. Singer Sheila Chandra was only 16 at the time. She had to retire from singing in 2010 after being diagnosed with burning mouth syndrome. She can no longer even speak without being in pain. Jakatta's remix of 'Ever So Lonely' reached number 8 in 2001.

 

521. The Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver - Elbow (2008)

 

 

The ticker tape tangles my feet

As I search for a face that I know

 

Only Elbow would think of writing a song about a tower crane driver. Guy Garvey's vocals in the second half of this track are very powerful.

 

I discovered the Jakatta remix of Ever So Lonely a while ago but the original only recently. Both are very good!

 

 

I've just listened to Jakatta's version now. I'm not sure if I've heard it before. Quite good,but only half as good as the original.

520. Calling All Stations - Genesis (1997)

 

 

I remember all the moments that I've wasted in my life

All the things I was always gonna do

 

The second and final Genesis song in my chart with Ray Wilson on lead vocals. He sings it very well and I like Mike Rutherford's guitar sound on the intro. The fade out at the end is the worst fade out of any song that I can think of. Ray is singing his heart out and he gets cut off in his prime.

 

519. 4 Ever 2 Gether - ABC (1982)

 

 

I stuck a marriage proposal

In the waste disposal

If that's the trash aesthetic

I'd suggest that we forget it

 

From the classic 'The Lexicon Of Love' album. Trevor Horn's production here is excellent,aided by his Art Of Noise friends Anne Dudley,Gary Langan and JJ Jeczalik.

 

518. Madam Butterfly (Un Bel Di Vedremo) - Malcolm McLaren (1984)

 

 

Freaking out he's come to get me

My feet are stuck but just won't let me

Run to him do I dare?

 

Malcolm McLaren's fusion of opera and R&B. There's so much going on here with Malcolm's narration,the lead vocal,the backing vocals and the opera singer. This got to number 13. What was good about the 80s is that innovative,unusual songs like this one could be top 20 hits.