Enola Gay

 

I've got the RSD version of the single from a few years ago as I really wanted a 12" version of the main track - I didn't realise at the time that they had made it especially for the single and that originally there wasn't an extended version available. Soft Cell did something similar for Tainted Love not so long ago too, albeit obviously there was the main 12" that segued into Where Did Our Love Go at the time.

This thread is going a bit fast for me, not many tracks I know elsewhere in the top 40 though but Air Supply - All Out of Love is a well known cheesy but good #11 hit

 

And a #16 hit for Kate Bush

 

 

I prefer 'Ne-Na-Nu-Nu' from Bad Manners. 'Lip Up Fatty' is more well known I think than its chart placing suggests.

 

Enola Gay <3 amazing single from OMD

 

Indeed, very depressing subject matter but very good song.

Edited May 4, 20241 yr by TheSnake

from recent songs that missed the top 10 I love this one, Lynx-You're lying

 

'Enola Gay' is a classic.

 

I do like 'Woman In Love' as well.

8TH NOVEMBER

 

 

"Guilty" finally topples the Police over on the album charts this week and whilst it isn't halting the still expanding "Woman In Love" at the top (sales again up to 119,000) it is certainly preventing the single exploding at retail, it still gives Streisand the No 1 single and the double!

 

 

It isn't necessarily over for Status Quo as they maintain No 2 with a still improving tally of 80,000, they are well clear of Bad Manners who lift 5-3 to complete the top 3 with 66,000 sales as they finally fought off the highest new track in the top 10 by around 100 copies.

 

 

All eyes must be on the two records below Bad Manners though, Adam & The Ants are the brain child of lead singer Adam Ant and writer partner Marco Pirroni and of course have had some press recently thanks to altercations with Malcolm McLaren after he lured away Ant's former band to create Bow Wow Wow, who aside from giving us the first cassingle have failed to set the charts alight so far. Not so for "Dog Eat Dog" which leaps 13-4 (66,000) this week to allow some room for Adam Ant to gloat.

 

 

 

Blondie also return and grab themselves another top 10 debut, the third act to debut twice in the top 10 this year- the full list is

 

ATOMIC- Blondie (No 3)

GOING UNDERGROUND/ DREAMS OF CHILDREN- The Jam (No 1)

WE ARE GLASS- Gary Numan (No 10)

THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL- Abba (No 9)

ASHES TO ASHES- David Bowie (No 4)

START- The Jam (No 3)

I DIE: YOU DIE- Gary Numan (No 8)

DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO ME- The Police (No 1)

 

"The Tide Is High" debuts at No 5 today on sales of 63,000, it's a cover of a 1967 Paragons track which bombed just about everywhere but could well deliver the band a third UK No 1 single this year, it's also the lead single from the band's "Autoamerican" album which will be released here in three weeks time.

 

 

 

Another release, another visual treat for Bowie fans, as "Fashion" powers 20-8 (44,000) in just its second week and given that proximity in sales as discussed earlier the fall out next week should be interesting, parent album "Scary Monsters and Super Creeps" remains in the top 20 where it has been for the last 7 weeks.

 

 

The other 4 tracks are all falling, Matchbox 4-6 (52,000), Odyssey 6-7 (50,000), OMD 8-9 (44,000) and Ottawan 3-10 (42,000)

 

 

1- WOMAN IN LOVE- Barbra Streisand (119,000)

2- WHAT YOU’RE PROPOSING- Status Quo (80,000)

3- SPECIAL BREW- Bad Manners (66,000)

4- DOG EAT DOG- Adam & The Ants (66,000)

5- THE TIDE IS HIGH- Blondie (63,000)

6- WHEN YOU ASK ABOUT LOVE- Matchbox (52,000)

7- IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A WAY OUT- Odyssey (50,000)

8- FASHION- David Bowie (44,000)

9- ENOLA GAY- O.M.D (44,000)

10- D.I.S.C.O- Ottawan (42,000)

 

Fashion is another good New Romantic influencing track from David Bowie.

 

The Adam and the Ants track is interesting certainly with the beat and not very poppy sounding.

I think that November 1980, with the arrival of OMD and Adam & The Ants, marks the real beginning of the 80s for me!

rooting for Blondie to grab the #1 next week, The Tide is High is such a classic

 

never got Adam & The Ants, wanna like them, but this does very little for me

 

the Bowie song is not really a classic

“On theeeee dance floor” Way to stretch out that syllable, David!

“On theeeee dance floor” Way to stretch out that syllable, David!

Iconic delivery, I always look forward to that line.

 

'Fashion' is quite possibly David Bowie's last truly classic song at least until the 2010s for me (as I've mentioned before, I'm not quite so enamoured by his #1s in the coming years). Blondie could do no wrong at this point, even their cover versions were great.

'Fashion' is amazing - just so clever and multi layered earworm. He was on fire this year!

 

I've never been that keen on Adam and the Ants - 'Prince Charming' was their best one.

 

Odyssey's 'If You're Looking for a way out' is really beautiful sad ballad which reminds me of Rose Royce. Songs which are about acceptance about the partner doesn't feel the same way and letting them go are always the saddest - see 'Say Something' :(

 

OMD are a fantastic band, one of my favourite of all time - 'Enola Gay' is great, although I think other candidates coming in the next couple of years deserve to be their signature song.

 

Blondie's 'The Tide is High' is a catchy gem although a step down from 'Atomic' (let's face it everything is though). Weirdly, the Atomic Kitten cover is their biggest streamed hit on Spotify, eclipsing even 'Whole Again'.

'Prince Charming' is my fave of theirs too!

 

'The Tide Is High' is of course a great!

Fashion is my favourite of the new ones this week

 

Happy to see the arrival of Adam & the Ants too, not long to wait now until we get to their best songs

The Nolans track is their best record to date, loved Bad Manners, huge fun, went to see them in 1981 in Lincoln and wrote a review that got printed in Record Mirror. Buster was chucking pints of beer over the front rows of the audience so I kept my distance from the po-going masses. OMD, I was mad on Messages, marginally less on Enola Gay but they were on course to be one of my top bands of the 80's, Adam & The Ants were also huge fun (if I'm over-using the word, it's only in contrast to current charts where the word "fun" being applied to anything in the top 40 is a rarity vs 1980 where 70% of the top 10 could easily apply it). Bowie is a great riffing monster of a track, still sounds great in a club. The Tide Is High may not be peak Blondie, but it gave writer royalties to the reggae original and yes it's fun!

15TH NOVEMBER

 

 

Blondie score their third chart topper of 1980 to make them the most successful act of the year. "The Tide Is High" advances 5-1 on a sale of 110,000 and in doing so the band become the first act since ABBA in 1976 to score a hat trick of chart toppers in a calendar year, album "Autoamerican" is just a fortnight away and must be fancied to debut at the top too!

 

 

 

A TV star for over a decade already Dennis Waterman struck it big in "The Sweeney" and despite a poorly received first series he now finds himself in another hit role as Terry McCann in "Minder". The theme "I Could be So Good For You" powers 19-4 (53,000) and next week should tell us whether this will challenge Blondie or not, it's co-penned by his wife Patricia and is the first single by Waterman.

 

 

 

From a TV Star who has become a singer to a musical star who has turned her hand to pop, one time Michael Jackson girlfriend Stephanie Mills failed to lift any UK hits from her first three albums but album 4 finally throws up a hit in "Never Knew Love Like This Before" which jumps 18-9 (46,000).

 

 

Two songs climb within the top 10, David Bowie 8-6 (48,000) and OMD 9-8 (47,000) both with increased sales, Bad Manners hold at No 3 for another week but a lose a little sales to 63,000 and are still a long way off Barbra Streisand who may slip a place to No 2 but she still sold 100,000 copies to bring her total to 504,000 copies.

 

The rest of the top 10 all tumble, Status Quo 2-5 (49,000), Adam & The Ants debut at No 4 on the album charts with their second album but the single falls 4-7 (48,000) and Odyssey hurtle 7-10 (42,000).

 

1- THE TIDE IS HIGH- Blondie (110,000)

2- WOMAN IN LOVE- Barbra Streisand (100,000)

3- SPECIAL BREW- Bad Manners (63,000)

4- I COULD BE SO GOOD FOR YOU- Dennis Waterman (53,000)

5- WHAT YOU’RE PROPOSING- Status Quo (49,000)

6- FASHION- David Bowie (48,000)

7- DOG EAT DOG- Adam & The Ants (48,000)

8- ENOLA GAY- O.M.D (47,000)

9- I NEVER KNEW A LOVE LIKE THIS BEFORE- Stephanie Mills (46,000)

10- IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A WAY OUT- Odyssey (42,000)

 

yay a much better #1 and 3 in a row for Blondie!

Dennis Waterman singing the “theme tooon” - it’s actually pretty catchy - much better effort than his duet with George Cole!

Oops fell a bit behind, all caught up and my favourites are unsurprisingly 'Enola Gay' and 'Dog Eat Dog' :wub: there are indeed better Adam and the Ants singles on the way but I still think this was a pretty striking start to their top 40 career. That cheery OMD synth riff is such a classic and an effective juxtaposition against the heavy subject matter.

 

Edit: oh somehow missed 'Fashion', that is also fab *.*

I really like the Dennis Waterman track although 'Minder' is so not my thing. It's really catchy and uplifting. Stephanie Mills is a nice track too!

Write the theme tune, sing the theme tune