Jade

Wow well done for the full house yesterday, Rollo 🥳 Round 1: 30 (didn't get: ELO, Suede) Round 2: 33 (didn't get: Gerry Rafferty, Heaven 17) 3-in-10: 2 (Harvest For The World, Twist And Shout) - next time I am determined to remember 'That Lady'

'Black Or White' is solid and I appreciate the message but there are more interesting moments in that crazily long Dangerous singles run for me, especially 'Who Is It' which is so underrated. I was only aware of the abridged version of the video for a long time, so didn't see the controversial crotch grabbing, window smashing scenes for years. I can see his intention, embodying the instincts of the panther, but also understand why people were turned off by the self indulgence. The morphing scenes stand up well though! 'Justified & Ancient' and 'Everybody In The Place' are two more fantastic #2s! So a shame they were blocked, but I do like 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives', so at least they weren't prevented by something awful. I agree with you that the context of Freddie's illness gives extra weight to the song.

I'm quite shoe that you never knew pleased to see Storm Queen in your top 10! Most electronic music I enjoy nowadays doesn't touch the charts but I have fond memories of a lot of dance music that did make the top 40 in 2013 and 2014, including this song, which topped my personal chart at the time and remains a great house tune. I was sick of Sam Smith in 2014 but they were off to a promising start with 'Latch' and 'La La La' indeed! I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed 'La La La' until it had a resurgence a couple of years ago due to TikTok, has aged really well. 'Roar' vs. 'Applause' week on this forum (in the iTunes thread at the time!!) was as messy as you'd expect. This is the first one in the top 10 that I don't care for so far, can see why it was so huge but it's a bit too safe for me and the message has been done to death; it's a particular rip-off of 'Brave' by Sara Bareilles. So, not terrible or anything, but doesn't excite me. I liked 'Dark Horse' more at the time although that hasn't aged as well as most of her Teenage Dream stuff.

No worries, I did slightly panic that I'd made a mistake so was relieved to double check it was indeed released in 1980 but was also happy to already learn that you were a fan of the song too. This is very true, anyway! Yeah, it's a masterpiece in my eyes, but a heavy one all the same. Pleased you approve of my #1 pick too 🩶 I'm intrigued to find out which songs you're referring to! We shall see if either appears. Both of those acts produced some of my favourite albums of the '80s so definitely good shouts! This decade was ridiculously competitive. I'm glad 'Fade to Grey' is well regarded enough on the forum to have made the top 10 in your #8s rate 🥳

maybe an Addison remix of 'Corsetry' would propel her above this zone?!

So close to a snap debut with Miley love that 'Metamorphia' is one of your Rebecca Black faves too, need a music video for it!

Jadakissnia have voted 💌

Congrats Jim on the emphatic victory and with such a long song at that!! Happy to see my bronze medal triumphing. Great results for my gold and silver from Brer and Julian as well, finishing in 6th and 7th. Insert 67 meme x Boyish down in the bottom 2 though?? mess I lowered my expectations for Static Dress after fearing they would fail to stand out in this field, so very pleased with 13th and four sets of top scores in the end. Thanks to those who supported it <3 Finally... muchas gracias uhsting for a great hosting job

Four sets of 12 so far is such a pleasant surprise! Glad you enjoyed '...hospice' so much Herbs and Jupiter, thank you. <3

So it was Julian behind my favourite thank you for an amazing discovery! Cheers Whoddy for the points also.

Surprise, I had an emo entry up my sleeve even before 'emogate' with the thread title!! This didn't stand out in the field as much as I hoped but it scratched the My Chemical Romance itch in my brain while actual MCR have left us hanging for 4 years x Thank you dhwe and Jaz for the 12s 🤩 plus Cody and Severin for the additional points.

My contender prediction being on the money if the scoreboard was to freeze right now *.* Wonderful entry btw, Jim!

1980s TOP 10 RECAP #01 Visage - 'Fade to Grey' (1980) #02 Joy Division - 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' (1980) #03 New Order - 'Blue Monday' (1983) #04 Ultravox - 'Vienna' (1980) #05 The Jam - 'Going Underground' (1980) #06 Prince and the Revolution - 'When Doves Cry' (1984) #07 Frankie Goes To Hollywood - 'Two Tribes' (1984) #08 Pet Shop Boys - 'West End Girls' (1985) #09 The Primitives - 'Crash' (1988) #10 ABBA - 'Lay All Your Love On Me' (1980) Honourable mentions: 'Lullaby' by The Cure was the final song I cut which was particularly gutting as Disintegration is one of my favourite '80s albums, 'Where Is My Mind?' by Pixies also came very close, same with 'How Soon Is Now?' by The Smiths, would've loved to include some Adam and the Ants too as Kings of the Wild Frontier is another favourite album of the '80s, loads of other synth classics - especially 'Don't You Want Me' by The Human League and OMD's 'Enola Gay', Kim Wilde's 'Cambodia', Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' and 'Smooth Criminal', 'Ghost Town' by The Specials, 'Golden Brown' by The Stranglers, 'Cities In Dust' by Siouxsie and the Banshees, 'Here Comes the Rain Again' by Eurythmics, Mike Oldfield's 'Moonlight Shadow', the more obscure 'Cccan't You See' by Vicious Pink that I unleashed in the inaugural retro song contest on here, plus many many more including some artists who will instead turn up in the 1990s... Time for another short break so see you at the weekend for the nineties 🫶 please let me know what you thought of the 1980s countdown!

1980s #02 Joy Division - 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' (1980) #01 Visage - 'Fade to Grey' (1980) The 1980s portion of my countdown ends by going right back to the start, as both of my top 2 were released in 1980! I have an immense love for post-punk music, which hasn't been explored too much yet, but I'm making up for that now with an absolute classic in that field, 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'. This is Joy Division's finest moment for me although I do adore their Unknown Pleasures album from the late 1970s too. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' was written about lead singer Ian Curtis' marital problems with wife Deborah Woodruff, as they were growing apart, while he also became interested in journalist and music producer Annik Honoré. Curtis also touches on his struggles with epilepsy in the third verse, commenting that "there's a taste in my mouth, as desperation takes hold". 23-year-old Curtis was grappling with these issues, in addition to worsening mood swings, depression and anxiety. It all became too much and he tragically took his own life, giving additional emotional weight to this song from the perspective of a man seriously bogged down by his mental health. The words 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' are inscribed on his grave. Curtis' haunting vocal performance, in addition to all of that context, makes this a pretty unique and gut wrenching experience. I cling on to every pained word. In addition to Curtis, the rest of the band - Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris, also add a lot to the experience with the instrumental. Hook provides a timeless bass riff, Morris' drums are relentless and Sumner contributes some atmospheric keyboard and guitar work too. The components all come together perfectly; I have only grown more fond over time. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' had a profound effect on Roland Orzabal from Tears For Fears too, who was inspired to write more introspective, personal songs. This track was released as a standalone single one month after Curtis' suicide. The band managed to film a promotional video in the weeks before he was no longer with us. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' peaked at #13 in the U.K. during 1980, although returned to the top 20 again in both 1983 and 1995, funnily enough reaching a high of #19 during both of those re-releases. Curtis' death spelled the end for Joy Division, who regrouped as New Order, but this band's legacy lives on - including on this very forum, where our anonymous Indie, Rock & Alt song contest goes by the name of Unknown Pleasures. 🖤 ... Coming out on top is a track that feels tailor-made for my taste in music! Visage join The Ronettes and Kraftwerk in the hall of fame as 'Fade to Grey' is my favourite song of the '80s. Incredibly, my top 4 is made up of groups that share members! I already explored the Joy Division and New Order story, but Ultravox and Visage also share Midge Ure and Billy Currie. There is also overlap between my '70s and '80s top 2s, as Tubeway Army member Chris Payne has a songwriting credit on 'Fade to Grey'! 'Fade to Grey' originally existed as an instrumental track. This was created by the aforementioned Billy Currie and Chris Payne during soundchecks on Gary Numan's 1979 tour. Numan was a huge Ultravox fan. Payne was the mastermind behind the bassline while Currie was responsible for the rest of the production. Midge Ure loved the music and was one track short of 10 for Visage's eponymous debut album, so asked Currie for this tune and subsequently wrote the lyrics for 'Fade to Grey', which completed the track list. This became the second single from Visage. Steve Strange, lead singer of Visage, was an important figure in the New Romantics movement due to his role as a host at the Blitz Club, with a 'weird and wonderful only' policy so strict that even Mick Jagger was once turned down by him. David Bowie was interested in the club and even invited Strange to be in the music video for the excellent 'Ashes to Ashes'. Strange is absolutely striking in the music video for this song, directed by Godley & Creme, as he appears wearing heavy, colourful make-up. He is also joined by friend Julia Fodor who mimes along to the female part in the song. Strange's vocals are pretty cold and deadpan as he takes on the role of an isolated man, whose life has gradually been drained of its vibrancy. The female, French vocals add a sophisticated contrast and are performed by Brigitte Arendt, then girlfriend of Rusty Egan, also a member of Visage and DJ from the Blitz Club days. These French vocals initially say "devenir gris" which translates to "turn grey". The more substantial female passages are merely the English verses translated into French. The production of the song also lured me in - with its icy, droning synths, keyboards and drums all creating a dark atmosphere. The synthesised strings are another melancholic layer but also double up as a more romantic feature, much like the French vocals. It all feels very mysterious, hypnotic and like the future. There's also quite an introverted appeal for me in addition to all of that synth and string glory. My one complaint is that this song is in dire need of a remaster on streaming platforms as it always sounds so quiet in my playlists! 'Fade to Grey' was Visage's biggest hit as it peaked at #8 in 1980. I've always loved this song but it was the #8s rate in the U.K. chart forum on here that recently reminded me how great it is, unsurprisingly receiving my top marks in that competition.

#70 on Spotify today!

Switching to Emma Bunton, her sophomore era was so much better for me

Hype! Will throw A Place To Bury Strangers into the ring as a contender

An act was eliminated from each category in round 1 during the first series but I think it was different last time due to the impostors twist

01 Damien Rice - 9 Crimes 02 Gary Numan - We Are Glass 03 Calvin Harris - Feel So Close (Radio Edit) 04 Lewis Capaldi - Hold Me While You Wait 05 Sam Smith - Diamonds 06 Roosevelt - Luna 07 Sam Fender - Chin Up 08 Darin - Lovekiller 09 Bladee - Cartier’god Icedancer (Intermission) 10 Tom Grennan - Found What I've Been Looking For 11 HRVY & Malú Trevejo - Hasta Luego 12 Mackenzy Mackay - Want You For Life '9 Crimes' was my favourite discovery across all three rounds, stunning! ❤️

A few oddities cropping up but I do admire that instrumentals could thrive to this extent! Shame about the Trump association these days but 'YMCA' is my favourite musically since I last commented.

01 Fontaines D.C. - A Lucid Dream 02 Depeche Mode - See You 03 iamamiwhoami - play 04 New Order - Ruined in a Day 05 Ultravox - Sleepwalk 06 M83 - Oblivion (feat. Susanne Sundfør) 07 Bananarama - Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) 08 Vengaboys - We Like to Party! (The Vengabus) 09 Texas - When We Are Together 10 Sade - The Sweetest Taboo 11 Years & Years - Take Shelter 12 Dead or Alive - Misty Circles AND YOU'RE PROWLING THE TRACK LIKE A CAT ON THE BACK OF A CHAAAAAIR 🎸 I wasn't sure what was going to top this group for me but 'A Lucid Dream' was sounding particularly electric today! That top 5 is so good - living for how much dark, '80s synth music is in this edition. Apologies to those towards the bottom as I didn't dislike anything in this group.

Well done for the 39 score in round 2 yesterday, Rollo! Jumping back in today: Round 1: 33 (didn't get: Squeeze members) Round 2: 33 (didn't get: Neil Sedaka) 3-in-10: 3 (Karma Chameleon, Church of the Poison Mind, The War Song)

01 Dido - White Flag 02 Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love 03 MARINA - Bubblegum Bitch 04 Zara Larsson - Love Me Land 05 Leona Lewis - Better in Time (Single Mix) 06 Robyn - Talk to Me 07 Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Music Gets the Best of Me 08 Adele - Hello 09 Agnes - Selfmade 10 Tove Lo - Influence (feat. Wiz Khalifa) 11 Milica Pavlović - Ona nosi Pradu 12 Jessie Ware - Sauna That top 3... 😍 a strong start from this category.

Attempted a top 25 as well: 01 Slayyyter - WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA 02 Mandy, Indiana - URGH 03 Olivia Rodrigo - you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love 04 TOMORA - COME CLOSER 05 Fcukers - Ö 06 Charli xcx - Music, Fashion, Film 07 Gorillaz - The Mountain 08 Phoebe Bridgers - Lost Weekend 09 Charli xcx - Wuthering Heights 10 hemlocke springs - the apple tree under the sea 11 Cannelle - CINNA 12 Kelela - New Avatar 13 Ariana Grande - petal 14 Overmono - Pure Devotion 15 CFCF - L.U.V. 16 Mitski - Nothing's About to Happen to Me 17 Eartheater - Heavenly Body: If I'm The Bottle You're The Message 18 Vioflesh - Melancolia 19 Grace Ives - Girlfriend 20 James Blake - Trying Times 21 Cobrah - Torn 22 deary - Birding 23 mary in the junkyard - Role Model Hermit 24 The Twilight Sad - It's The Long Goodbye 25 ADULT. - Kissing Luck Goodbye

Pleased to see 'hate that i made you love me' was certified Gold this week!