Madonna, I wonder what become of her :???:

I don’t mind New Moon on Monday. Union of the Snake was definitely a weak link in their run but I think New Moon was catchy enough and the vocal delivery in the verses in particular sounded like their take on something that David Bowie would have included on Let’s Dance the year before.

 

 

Also, is that really the single cover for Holiday? She clearly hadn’t found her style at that point if it was, it’s aesthetically so far removed from what I’d associate with her.

It was the original 1983 single cover. Lord knows why.

I just checked and I have one Holiday single and has a different cover, and it says UK, it has Lucky Star as b-side

the cover has a Madonna headshot picture

but not sure which of the many releases it is...

It had a different cover for the 85 reissue

18TH FEBRUARY

 

 

Nothing can touch them yet it would appear, Frankie Goes To Hollywood triumph for a fourth week with “Relax” which sold a very healthy 114,886 copies last week to bring the track’s total to over 600,000 and is now looking good to sell at least 750,000 before it drops out of the charts. “Radio Gaga” holds at No 2 this week on a reduced sale of 82,127 copies so it looks as though its challenge is now over, ordinarily it would be the Thompson Twins who would be favourite to topple FGTH next week as they surge 5-3 whilst registering a sales increase of 10% to 60,061. With a TOTP performance almost guaranteed this week they would be a firm favourite but with the album “Into The Gap” out now it could prove fatal to the single’s chance of being the next UK No 1 single.

 

 

 

Only 11 singles debuted inside the top 10 in 1983 and two of those were from The Style Council, now in 1984 they do it again with “My Ever Changing Moods” which crashes into the charts at No 8 (28,424). The group’s long awaited debut album “Cafe Bleu” finally sees the light of day next month and is popularly tipped to hit the top even though it will not feature all their hits to date. It becomes the third top 10 single from 5 releases for Weller’s new outfit.

 

 

 

First shown in the US back in the spring of 1983 “The Thorn Birds” was only recently shown on UK TV and prompted the release of the theme to the mini-series of the novel by Colleen McCullough and which starred Richard Chamberlain. Juan Martin is the Spanish Flamenco guitarist is the man behind the music and sees his creation fly 12-10 (25,483) as the series came to an end this week.

 

 

The other climber comes from Madonna who rides 7-6 (41,055) getting a slight sales bump from TOTP, but Duran Duran manage to only hold at No 9 (25,602) which they must consider a disappointment as it looks to become only their fifth single to miss the top 5. Heading down are Cyndi Lauper 3-4 (48,739), Matthew Wilder 4-5 (44,370) and Joe Fagin 6-7 (37,723).

 

 

 

1- RELAX- Frankie Goes To Hollywood (114,886)

2- RADIO GAGA- Queen (82,127)

3- DOCTOR DOCTOR- Thompson Twins (60,061)

4- GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN- Cyndi Lauper (48,739)

5- BREAK MY STRIDE- Matthew Wilder (44,370)

6- HOLIDAY- Madonna (41,055)

7- THAT’S LIVIN ALRIGHT- Joe Fagin (37,723)

8- MY EVER CHANGIN MOODS- Style Council (28,424)

9- NEW MOON ON MONDAY- Duran Duran (25,602)

10- LOVE THEME FROM “THE THORN BIRDS”- Juan Martin (25,483)

 

Whilst we are talking about artwork, that cover for Relax must be among the best ever. It's so striking whilst perfectly encapsulating the single.

Radio Gaga is my favourite Queen song and for some reason I never knew it had been kept off number 1 by Relax! I can’t deny that Relax was the more deserved number 1.

 

And it seems I am alone liking New Moon on Monday!

That Juan Martin song cost me a clean sweep at my first attempt at Ten To The Top, on the final question.

25TH FEBRUARY

 

 

Well it made it, and with relative ease, “Relax” tops the chart for a fifth week but its sales dropped 18% to 93,143, but for a song to be such a hit whilst being widely avoided by the normal media outlets is something of a testament to the strength of the track. They have confirmed that whilst they tackled the subject of sex for this release it’s politics that will be handled by their next release “Two Tribes” though as yet no release date has been given- who needs TOTP when you have press outrage!

 

 

Two records are chasing “Relax” though, The Thompson Twins hold at No 3 with “Doctor Doctor” which sold 66,606 and was doubtless defeated by the release of their own album as much as anything else but “Into The Gap” dutifully debuts at No 1 this week so I guess they won’t be complaining.

 

 

Alternatively FGTH are most likely to be caught by a record which was released 11 months ago in their native Germany, “99 Red Ballons” was originally entitled “99 Luftballoons” and topped the charts over there last March. The band and the lead singer share the name Nena (though the lead vocalists real name is Gabriele Susanne Kerner) and the German version of this track currently sits at No 3 in the US (historically a country less inclined to foreign tongue tracks than the UK even) but the re-recorded English version of the track expands 11-2 (74,409) and outsold FGTH on Saturday.

 

 

 

Further down the charts we welcome Rockwell, a guy you may not know though you’ll certainly recognise the voice on the chorus of “Somebody’s Watching Me” as that of a Michael Jackson. How did he end up on the record? Well if I tell you that Rockwell is the son of Motown founder Berry Gordy and a childhood friend of Jackson then it should become clear. Jermaine Jackson is also present on backing vocals as the song climbs 15-7 (38,250).

 

 

 

Once employed at the dole office Nik Kershaw is now swapped his benefit forms for the charts and hits the big time with “Wouldn’t It Be Good” as it accelerates 14-9 (36,261). His first single “I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” fizzled out at No 47 last year but proved only a minor blip to his pop career, for those who like the sound of the single Kershaw’s debut album is out in a fortnight.

 

 

 

Very recently a US No 2 hit (held off by Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon” in fact) Kool & The Gang now have their fifth top 10 here with the double A-Side “Joanna/ Tonight”. The group have had a very consistent career since their first hit back in 1979 racking up 14 hits on the trot, all but one making the top 40 with their current single rocketing 26-10 (34,833).

 

 

The Style Council fly 8-5 (41,463) but still can’t quite overcome Queen who drop 2-4 (64,158), also dropping are Matthew Wilder 5-6 (39,083) and Cyndi Lauper 4-8 (36,856).

 

 

 

1- RELAX- Frankie Goes To Hollywood (93,143)

2- 99 RED BALLOONS- Nena (74,409)

3- DOCTOR DOCTOR- Thompson Twins (66,606)

4- RADIO GAGA- Queen (64,158)

5- MY EVER CHANGIN MOODS- Style Council (41,463)

6- BREAK MY STRIDE- Matthew Wilder (39,083)

7- SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME- Rockwell (38,250)

8- GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN- Cyndi Lauper (36,856)

9- WOULDN’T IT BE GOOD- Nik Kershaw (36,261)

10- JOANNA/ TONIGHT- Kool & The Gang (34,833)

 

I loved Nik Kershaw and his fingerless gloves :D

That latest top 10 is particularly full of great songs, lots in there that would still be well remembered today. Thompson Twins is probably the one I'm least familiar with, just had a quick listen to it and it's not ringing any bells at all with me.

That's a great top 10. The songs by Style Council, Matthew Wilder and Kool & The Gang are the only ones I wouldn't want to listen to.

oh loved 99 Red Balloons, one of the first singles I bought as a kid

'Wouldn't It Be Good' is very American 80s soft rock, a very good song.

 

'Somebody's Watchin Me' is now associated with Halloween but at the time was simply intended as a good dancefloor song.

 

'99 Red Balloons' is certainly iconic.

 

'My Ever Changing Moods' is a good early hit from the sophisti-pop era

Edited May 29, 20232 yr by TheSnake

When did this sophisti-jazzy-pop sound start? cos I know there was Carmel, Sade, and later bands like Swing Out Sister

or Johnny Hates Jazz, but who were the first? ABC maybe?

Wouldn't It Be Good is still one of my fave songs ever. Nik Kershaw looked a bit awkward on the TOTP stage though.

 

99 Red Balloons is also an enduring fave of mine

 

 

'99 Red Balloons' :wub: an classic for me. There were some really strong chart toppers in 1984 I found as I had VH1 on when I was on holiday in 04 and Nena's especially stood out.

 

'Wouldn't It Be Good' was great as well.

3RD MARCH

 

 

Well the UK has a new No 1 single in the form of Nena’s “99 Red Balloons” which climbs 2-1 on a sturdy if unspectacular tally of 98,566 but should be bumped up nicely next week after some good old TOTP exposure. There had never been a German act who had a UK No 1 single until just 2 years ago but when the duck was broken they came thick and fast with Kraftwerk, Nicole, and the Goombay Dance Band all hitting the top within 15 weeks of each other during 1982. Now Nena is added to the country’s tally, it also rises to No 2 in the US in its German version where it is held off by Van Halen.

 

 

That all means bad news for Frankie Goes To Hollywood who drop back to No 2 with 83,011 copies sold last week to raise its haul to 805,800 which is no bad tally for a track which is effectively banned.

 

 

The Billy Joel revival also continues unabashed, just 6 months ago he was without a top 10 hit to his name but “Uptown Girl” changed all that as it shot to No 1 for five weeks selling 800,000 copies to date, and was followed by “Tell Her About It” into the top sellers. Now the title track from his “Innocent Man” album moves 12-8 (35,394) to become a third top 10 hit for him, the album is also his biggest seller already yet the current single comes without a promo video, an increasingly unusual occurrence in this day and age.

 

 

 

Taking some inspiration from the Andrew Young hymn “There Is A Happy Land” Slade’s latest single “Run Runaway” gives them back to back to top 10 singles for the first time in 10 years. The promo is shot in Eastnor Castle in Ledbury in case you wondered and this week shoots 19-10 (33,184).

 

 

Two to watch next week are Kool & The Gang (10-3, 58,616) and Nik Kershaw (9-4, 55,131) for the former it now becomes only their second top 3 single after 1981’s “Get Down On It” also made the No 3 spot.

 

Rockwell also moves in the right direction 7-6 (53,737) but all may struggle without TOTP exposure this week. Moving down are Thompson Twins 3-5 (54,774), Queen 4-7 (41,004) and Style Council 5-9 (35,054)

 

 

 

1- 99 RED BALLONS- Nena (98,566)

2- RELAX- Frankie Goes To Hollywood (83,011)

3- JOANNA/ TONIGHT- Kool & The Gang (58,616)

4- WOULDN’T IT BE GOOD- Nik Kershaw (55,131)

5- DOCTOR DOCTOR- Thompson Twins (54,774)

6- SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME- Rockwell (53,737)

7- RADIO GAGA- Queen (41,004)

8- AN INNOCENT MAN- Billy Joel (35,394)

9- MY EVER CHANGIN MOODS- Style Council (35,054)

10- RUN RUNAWAY- Slade (33,184)

 

Good to see Run Runaway in the Top 10. My fave Slade song.

 

One of the things I really like about this thread it seeing the old sleeves that used to sit in those cube boxes you could buy from Woolworths and WHSmiths to keep your singles in.