I bought Eternal Flame, I Should Be So Lucky, I Think Were Alone Now and Heart singles at the time. I remember being upset about PSB"s being knocked off no.1 by S express!

I wasn't there at the time so can't be sure but for me Heart feels like one of those 'imperial phase No.1s' that some acts tend to have with songs that don't in hindsight really sound like chart toppers but where the artist is still at the top of their game commercially (a bit like Robbie's Radio, Dizzee Rascal's Dirtee Disco, All Saints' Bootie Call etc). PSB could probably have released almost anything immediately after Always On My Mind and gone top three.

 

Otherwise I'm not quite sure what was so special about it to have three weeks at No.1 when the singles they released after that, Domino Dancing and Left To My Own Devices, feel like much bigger classics in their canon to me. Quite surprising really that the former only peaked at No.7, must have been something of a shock at the time.

 

Shame to see Kylie miss the top 40 there but I wasn't necessarily expecting it to make it, a very cheesy song, but I adore it!

Really can't see how Heart would have worked for Madonna...

NO 40- 118 POINTS

 

The Power Of Love Frankie Goes To Hollywood (Voters: Steve201- 26 points, Donnahjaneymack- 28 points, King Rollo- 28 points, Colm- 10 points, Leonardo- 13 points, Popchartfreak- 13 points)- No 1 for 1 week in December 1984

 

 

Three of you put this in your top 5 and thankfully it lived up to its pre-publicity as “Frankie’s third No 1”. Second of their entries to leave the rate.

 

NO 39- 119 POINTS

 

Down Under Men At Work (Voter: West- 20 points, Jackjones- 22 points, Chez Wombat- 28 points, Danvember- 9 points, …Ready for it- 30 points, *Dandy- 1 point, Shoat- 9 points)- No 1 for 3 weeks in January/ February 1983

 

 

Introducing the word “Vegemite” to a British audience this was originally an Australian No 1 way back in 1981 before taking just over a year to make the top both here and in the US and is …Ready for it’s 30 pointer.

 

NO 38- 122 POINTS

 

Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) Soul II Soul (Voter: Doctor Blind- 25 points, Fiesta- 3 points, Dot Branning- 12 points, Steve201- 14 points, Danvember- 5 points, Colm- 14 points, n4yr- 27 points, *Dandy- 20 points, Shoat- 2 points)- No 1 for 4 weeks in June/ July 1989

 

 

Famously they never performed this on TOTP as the programme didn’t allow them to play it live (odd seeing as their earlier 89 hit “Keep on Movin” was performed live on the show- well the lead vocal was live at any rate). Anyway it became one of the sounds of that summer and is the forum’s third favourite chart topper of 1989.

 

All three of those are good, Power of Love is a very good ballad which has become associated with Christmas, Down Under is a sunny reggae influenced tune and Back to Life is the 90s coming early!

Oh dear. The quality is exiting.

Pity ‘The Power of Love’ didn’t get more voters overall or it could have been much higher as myself and a few others had it in their top 5, it’s an amazing song and the emotion that Holly Johnson songs it with makes it for me.

Holly Johnson was on the Christmas edition of the revived Never Mind The Buzzcocks last month and he performed The Power Of Love at the end of the show. I'm pleased to report he's still in great voice.

 

Down Under is the best one out of the other two.

those 3 are all fab, and Heart didn't sound like a "cos they're popular" hit at the time, it sounded fabulously soaring, had a brilliant video with Ian Mc as a vampire (which def helped sales) and was incredibly popular considering it was the 4th single off the album (and Rent had not been anywhere near as big, with the Dusty duet classic peaking at 2 as well) so it's long run at number one kind of suggests it got there on merit.

 

Domino dancing was a move to latin rhythms which played well in latin countries, but not so much the US and the UK, the former more because of the video (a bit too gay for MTV and the mid-west), the latter because latin-based music wasn't that big in 1988 until Gloria Estefan started making inroads into the charts. The video wasn't anywhere near the wide appeal of Heart, Neil & Chris weren't even in it that you'd notice, whereas the PSB film It Couldn't Happen here came out early 1988 and wouldnt have hurt either of the number one singles (Always On My Mind video is clips from the film) sales.

^

Madonna had a 'latin rhythms' UK number 1 hit in 1987 though. La Isla Bonita of course. :P

NO 37- 125 POINTS

 

Pump Up The Volume M/A/R/R/S (Voter: Doctor Blind- 22 points, Dircadirca- 8 points, AH Gold- 26 points, Danvember- 20 points, n4yr- 15 points, Jason- 26 points, Popchartfreak- 8 points)- No 1 for 2 weeks in October 1987

 

 

Probably cheated out of a week at No 1 by a lawsuit but it made it eventually to become one of the first dance No 1’s (as we understand it now).

 

NO 36- 138 POINTS

 

Orinoco Flow Enya (Voter: Jade- 3 points, Steve201- 18 points, Riser- 16 points, Donnahjaneymack-17 points, Chez Wombat- 13 points, Dircadirca-10 points, …Ready for it- 26 points, Shoat- 29 points. Gooddelta- 6 points)- No 1 for 3 weeks in October/November 1988

 

 

And now for the first “new age” chart topper as it was termed. Unusual for the time and still beautiful, this is our second favourite chart topper of 1988!

 

NO 35- 143 POINTS

 

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now Starship (Voter: Dot Branning- 26 points, Jackjones- 25 points, Donnahjaneymack- 5 points, Chez Wombat- 2 points, n4yr- 8 points, Nina West- 3 points, Jason- 3 points, Gooddelta- 26 points, …Ready for it- 22 points, Shoat- 1 point, Jester- 22 points)- No 1 for 4 weeks in May 1987

 

 

A new rate record of 11 voters gave this points with five of you placing it in your top 10’s for the decade.

 

Pump Up The Volume is definitely one of the best dance songs of the 80s.

Also love that Eric B And Rakim's Paid In Full that samples Pump Up The Volume (and also an iconic Israeli female singer) and reached #15 in November 1987. :wub:

 

Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now is welcome in the cheesy guilty pleasure category. :cheer:

Edited January 20, 20223 yr by Jason

those 3 are all fab, and Heart didn't sound like a "cos they're popular" hit at the time, it sounded fabulously soaring, had a brilliant video with Ian Mc as a vampire (which def helped sales) and was incredibly popular considering it was the 4th single off the album (and Rent had not been anywhere near as big, with the Dusty duet classic peaking at 2 as well) so it's long run at number one kind of suggests it got there on merit.

 

Domino dancing was a move to latin rhythms which played well in latin countries, but not so much the US and the UK, the former more because of the video (a bit too gay for MTV and the mid-west), the latter because latin-based music wasn't that big in 1988 until Gloria Estefan started making inroads into the charts. The video wasn't anywhere near the wide appeal of Heart, Neil & Chris weren't even in it that you'd notice, whereas the PSB film It Couldn't Happen here came out early 1988 and wouldnt have hurt either of the number one singles (Always On My Mind video is clips from the film) sales.

 

Interesting to hear, thanks. All I have to go on is the very differing chart runs for those singles and the fact that Heart is now regularly left off PSB tour setlists, so it's interesting to see how the situation was perceived at the time.

 

I only saw It Couldn't Happen Here for the first time a couple of years ago when it was released on DVD, it's completely mad in a very endearing way but at least gave me some context to the Always On My Mind video (I never realised it was part of a film until I watched it!)

Edited January 20, 20223 yr by gooddelta

Starship and especially We Built This City have been criticized for being a bit too commercial compared to Jefferson Airplane the precursor group to them in the 60s. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now I think is a better song to We Built This City though, a good ballad.

 

Surprised Pump Up The Volume wasn't higher on his list, a very good track and one of those songs which ushered in a new music era.

Edited January 20, 20223 yr by AuldSnakeJaw

NO 36- 132 POINTS

 

Orinoco Flow Enya (Voter: Jade- 3 points, Steve201- 18 points, Riser- 16 points, Donnahjaneymack-17 points, Chez Wombat- 13 points, Dircadirca-10 points, …Ready for it- 26 points, Shoat- 29 points)- No 1 for 3 weeks in October/November 1988

 

 

And now for the first “new age” chart topper as it was termed. Unusual for the time and still beautiful, this is our second favourite chart topper of 1988!

 

 

It won't change its position but I gave this 6 points too, lovely song although I prefer others from later on in her career even more, like Anywhere Is.

 

Also, Starship I probably like more because it was the No.1 when I was born! But it suits my later music taste well. Big, anthemic and cheesy!

Edited January 20, 20223 yr by gooddelta

Im surprised I didn't vote for Enya, love Orinoco Flow and have been quite a fan of hers thru the years and own many of her albums

I almost voted for Starship, think I kicked it out of my list at the very last minute