NO 70- 65 POINTS

 

Freedom Wham! (Voters: Fiesta- 18 points, Jimwatts- 27 points, Jason- 20 points)- No 1 for 3 weeks in October/ November 1984

 

 

Well those that love this song really do! 3 voters sent this top 70 and it is also the forum’s favourite Wham! chart topper!

 

NO 69- 65 POINTS

 

The Land Of Make Believe Bucks Fizz (Voters: King Rollo- 5 points, Jason- 12 points, Popchartfreak- 18 points, Last Dreamer- 30 points)- No 1 for 2 weeks in January 1982

 

 

And here’s Bucks Fizz’s most popular No 1, no surprise as it is probably their most played and revisited and is Last Dreamer’s favourite chart topper of the entire 80s.

 

NO 68- 65 POINTS

 

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother Hollies (Voters: JulianT- 14 points, Dot Branning- 7 points, Chez Wombat- 9 points, King Rollo- 16 points, Gooddelta- 19 points)- No 1 for 2 weeks in September/October 1988

 

 

It took a TV Commercial to get it to No 1 (Miller lite) after peaking at No 3 in 1969, giving them a second chart topper 23 years after their first.

 

really like the Hollies song and almost gave it points but it's more 60s than 80s

To be fair there weren't too many dance number 1 singles in the 80s, right?

precisely. and 80s dance music for the most part wasn’t as good as what would become of the genre later on. I didn’t even give any points to a couple of the songs you’ve qualified as dance.

Freedom is pure 60s revival as I said before, definitely Wham's best chorus and their best song imo.

 

Land of Make Believe is a nice sounding song.

I hate to lose 2 songs in the same day but that happened again.

Freedom is my fave Wham! single by a mile and I love that music video filmed in China. :wub:

Really thought The Land of Make Believe would have been top 50 in this list at least. :o Their other 2 number ones are kinda meh for me.

I didn't know that The Hollies song wasn't number 1 in the sixties. :o Amazing song but there's no 80s spirit in it of course.

I feel like key ingredients for not doing very well in these polls include being a cover but also:

- Not really being from the decade you were Number 1 in

- There having been a murderous cover of the song that topped the charts more recently

 

So given He Ain’t Heavy hits both those bullets I guess I couldn’t expect too much for it. I do think it’s the most beautifully soulful song.

So all the Bucks Fizz songs gone now :no:

 

Worth saying that after Making Your Mind Up, their next two singles had diminishing returns outside the Top 10. When Mike Nolan from the group heard Land of Make Believe, he didn't want to release it and thought it would finish the group. Needless to say it catapulted them back up the charts and they had a couple of years where they did really well before their success fell off the side of a cliff and they never really got it back - though they remained firm TV favourites and had one final hit in 1996 with New Beginning (after a coach crash, Jay quitting, and the search for her replacement).

 

Anyways... nice to see someone giving a Fizz song top marks... so hats off to Last Dreamer for that!!

Anyways... nice to see someone giving a Fizz song top marks... so hats off to Last Dreamer for that!!

 

"The Land of Make Believe" became only one song in the history of my retrospective chart, which was # 1 in three different versions, when Blogos Mergaites got # 1 with "Norim Buti Vaikais" (cover on Lithuanian language). The combined result is 21 weeks at # 1 (!!!) - nine for Bucks Fizz, seven for allSTARS* and five for Blogos Mergaites. Original was my "Song of the Year" from 1981 year, allSTARS* cover version is my favourite single from 2002.

 

I adore all three versions and gave very rare, but deserved 10 / 10 score.

 

 

 

 

George Michael is great, Bucks Fizz is fab, and The Hollies is also fab - but I didn't vote for it as it was 60's for me. If there was a 60's poll which included chart toppers from the 60's topping in later decades....it still wouldn't make my top 30, oops! But by that token, Bluebells Young At Heart should perhaps have been included in this poll...

The Land Of Make Believe is certainly Bucks Fizz's best number 1 but I think I prefer Now Those Days Are Gone and New Beginning (Mamba Seyra).

^^ On a similar theme, I wouldn't be sure about Freedom being the forum's favourite Wham! chart topper (think we'd have to wait for a 2020s poll for that), but it's mine anyway with its joyous infusion of 60s soul.

Would Heaven 17 ‘Temptation’ not be dance music?

I very nearly discounted the Hollies track from my votes due to it not really been an 80s track as i've kind of had that as a silent rule with all of these decade polls so far but I decided to break it because I think it's just such a great song.

The Land Of Make Believe is certainly Bucks Fizz's best number 1 but I think I prefer Now Those Days Are Gone and New Beginning (Mamba Seyra).

 

Good picks, Now Those Days is so lovely, and New beginnings is a great percussive-heavy romp!

NO 67- 66 POINTS

 

I Just Can't Stop Loving You Michael Jackson (Voter: Riser- 14 points, Bjork- 13 points, Shoat- 22 points, Jester- 17 points)- No 1 for 2 weeks in August 1987

 

 

Two down and 1 left or Jacko- famously this came without an official promo. Both Streisand and Houston were asked to do the duet with him but neither committed in the end with Siedah Garrett doing the honours though uncredited. Sheryl Crow provided the female parts on the "Bad" tour when she was his backing singer.

 

NO 66- 66 POINTS

 

Theme From S Express S Express (Voter: Doctor Blind- 13 points, Jackjones- 13 points, Colm- 5 points, Jason- 16 points, *Dandy- 10 points, Popchartfreak- 9 points)- No 1 for 2 weeks in April/ May 1988

 

 

With over 10 samples including an extensive use of Rose Royce’s “If it’s Love You’re After” this was one of the early acid chart toppers and the first in our rate to collect

Votes from six voters!

 

NO 65- 71 POINTS

 

Hand On Your Heart Kylie Minogue (Voter: AH Gold- 20 points, Jason- 8 points, ..Ready for it- 13 points, Gezza- 14 points, Last Dreamer- 16 points)- No 1 for 1 week in May 1989

 

 

Kylie’s second No 1 to leave the rate was later covered by Jose Gonzales. It’s the third highest in the rate to be produced by S/A/W.

 

love the MJ song but always feel like no one else does...

the OCC did credit Siedah Garrett:

 

5 New

I JUST CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU

MICHAEL JACKSON WITH SIEDAH GARRETT

EPIC 5 1