The UK Top 40 Singles from 28.02.1981 (Part One)
This article originally appeared on D.C. Harrison's excellent blog, The Tedious World, last August. We have republished it as the concluding part of our twelve birthday celebrations. Enjoy!
Background
The idea for this article came from my debate article on the 80s, in which I made an attempt to defend that decade. As I have a copy of the NME from the day on which I was born (Marvin Gaye on the cover: excellent), I wondered how that week's singles chart might stand up now.
Have the 40 singles weathered the time in between well, or, like me, have they been battered by the harsh, eroding winds of time, leaving them looking crocked and knackered? Well – cue ‘Pick of the Pops’ music – let’s find out!
New Releases
Of interest to me are two debut singles: New Order's Ceremony and Heaven 17's (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang. Both were groups trying to step out of the shadows of previous incarnations, although ithe circumstances were extremely different. The Sheffield group managed it first by incorporating a funk bassline into their purely electro sound. Ceremony sounds like what it is – a group making a last statement of their past before moving on.
The Actual Chart
40. Kiki Dee: Star
Her ‘other’ hit, in my mind at least, and her only solo one. While she had top 20 hits before after her chart topping adventure with Elton, none of them seem to have lasted as much as this. It brings back memories of holidays at the Butlins camp in Ayr, a theme which I feel may return in this countdown.
Listening to it now, probably for the first time ever all the way through, it’s the kind of early 80s rock fare that would be taken to its conclusion in the US by the likes of Pat Benatar. It’s got a nice feel to it, but is essentially inconsequential, despite feeling like a bigger hit than it was (#13). The references to ‘video stars’ and the synth bubbles at the end date it nicely, though.
39. Kool and the Gang: Jones vs Jones/Summer Madness
I can remember finding out with surprise that Kool was not the singer I saw in the video for Celebrate, but the bassist. The follow up to their biggest hit is a double A-side featuring Summer Madness, a song from seven years prior, which, when I listen to it, is instantly memorable from Rocky.
It’s also the best song of the two. The ‘modern’ number is bland soul/funk by numbers; I’d be staggered if it has gotten any airplay in the last 20 years. It’s a divorce tale possibly inspired by the film Kramer vs. Kramer, but it’s incredibly forgettable and I’m surprised it made the top 20.
38. Adam and the Ants: Cartrouble
By this point, Antmania was well under way and re-issues of Ant's early material were doing the rounds. This was taken from the first album, Dirk Wears White Sox, recorded with Ants who would take Malcolm McLaren’s advice and fuck poor Adam off to form Bow Wow Wow.
Outside of the big hits, I’ve not heard much of the Ants, certainly not the more post-punk tinged numbers. This is a pretty good, actually: there are clues of what’s to come, but the ghost of punk is there in the guitars as Mr Goddard yelps about motorways. Worth a listen.
37. Gillan: Mutual Assured Destruction
Just the title alone dates it. Cold war paranoia, eh? How we all laughed at the time as we read our ‘Protect and Survive’ leaflets. Gillan, being fronted by Ian Gillan from Deep Purple, offer up their own thoughts on the subject in a style that Spinal Tap parodied beyond redemption. It’s not too much of a leap to imagine elaborate stage sets and explosions when Mr Gillan screams the high notes.
"Where I stand/I know just what they’re planning/I know they’re planning one big bang/They call it mutually assured destruction" – people, we owe our survival to ROCK with a MESSAGE such as this. Be grateful.
36. The Gap Band: Burn Rubber On Me
Probably the soundtrack to many a boy racer down Essex way in his new Golf GTi. This was a year after their Oops Upside Your Head success. Research shows their albums sold millions in the US, but I’d guess the name doesn’t say too much to many here.
It’s a nice enough number, despite the production – I’d imagine if it was played with a grittier funk sound, it would sound miles better. Not rubbish, by any means, but definitely one for the dancefloor, not the sofa.
35. Heatwave: Gangsters of the Groove
A group known to me for two reasons: firstly, they had an obscene amount of bad luck, with two members stabbed to death and a singer left paralysed by a car crash; secondly, their original creative force – Rod Temperton – went on to write some of the songs that made Michael Jackson the most famous person on the planet. For his role in that, I assume he lives on his own tropical island, sleeping on a bed of money.
Though familiar with their big hit Boogie Nights, I was surprised to see a band so associated with the disco sound have a hit in 1981, although it is worth noting that this would be their last significant chart action. It’s harmless enough fluff, a final present from Temperton to this old band, and indeed it sounds like something Jackson would have rejected for Off The Wall. My guess would be that it was popular in discos in the less fashion-conscious corners of Britain.
34. Susan Fassbender: Twilight Café
The first artist so far where I have no idea whatsoever who they were. A quick check shows she came from Bradford and this was her only hit.
Unlike many one-hit wonders, this is actually really good. It’s very well put together and the chorus is fucking great. I’ve listened to it about three times on the bounce now, and it’s not wearing thin. I am a sucker for a good synth-pop ditty (though there’s guitar and bass in here too), and this qualifies as one of the best. The rest of the chart can throw any old shit at me now, it’s been worthwhile just for this. Excellent.
33. Yarbrough and Peoples: Don’t Stop The Music
No, I’ve never heard of them either. From the name, I half expected a kind of second division Ashford and Simpson. In a nice link, they were discovered by a member of the Gap Band and like them, would have just the one big hit here: this one. Music like this really hasn’t aged well. While songs like Twilight Café used synths to add charm, funk/R&B seemed to lose it’s way a bit, as the new fangled tools take away (for me) the basic purpose i.e. to make you dance. A robotic beat and plodding bassline added to an irritating melody make this very heavy going, and that’s before some ultra-irritating vocal effects. Someone liked it though, as it seems it’s been sampled by a fair few, including P Diddy and Alicia Keys. All I can think is that Yarbrough People sounds like a local newspaper in rural Yorkshire.
32. Adam and the Ants: Young Parisians
Yes, him/them again. Debut single from three years prior making somebody some easy money. Not really much of a song, the band shuffle along trying to sound vaguely French while Adam mumbles away. The only notable thing here is the thought of the teenybopping hordes buying this up and the shock on their faces when they realised it was nothing like Dog Eat Dog, for example.
31. Kelly Marie: Hot Love
Scots Disco Diva best known for her chart-topping Feels Like I’m In Love, which was written by the guy from Mungo Jerry and intended for Elvis Presley, I’ve just found out. Like many acts who enjoy a massive success out of nowhere, this is essentially an attempt to replicate the formula. The backing track sounds almost exactly the same, and I’m sure there are some lyrics copied over too. Bizarrely, there’s a instrumental solo that sounds like bagpipes blustering away (young Kelly was from north of Carlisle, after all). I do wonder who exactly was buying this kind of thing, but then I remember it’s always been the way. I’m sure if I listened to the top 40 of today, not much of it would be any better than this.
30. Spandau Ballet: The Freeze
Second single from leading lights of the New Romantic movement. For a band typically associated with synths and other electronic tricks, this is fairly guitar heavy, leaning towards the funk/soul influences they’d perfect on the Chant #1 hit later on, with a slight Bowie tint.
As a single, it’s nothing special and probably hit the top 20 on the back of media hype. More interesting is the video, which is worth it for cheap giggles at Tony Hadley’s stubble/shades/moody look and Gary Kemp trying to look all serious in a string vest.
29. The Teardrop Explodes: Reward
This is much more like it. I remember I heard this for the first time on some New Wave compilation album I picked up aged 14 or so. It’s possibly one of the most instant songs I’ve ever heard, the horn riff and Cope’s proclamation of “Bless my cotton socks, I’m in the news!” ensuring a love for the band that remains to this day.
Though they had better songs, this was their biggest hit by a mile and deservedly so: it’s the classic pop song in all respects. Part of it becoming such a big hit may have been a first appearance on Top of the Pops where Cope admitted he and one or two other band members were off their heads on LSD. Just a shame the band couldn’t keep it together to earn the status afforded to rivals Echo and the Bunnymen.
28. Cliff Richard: A Little In Love
I find it hard to think of Cliff without wondering if it would be funny if he really was a cliff, and the fascists kept trying to push him over. Also, I still remember the laughs of derision from my dad whenever a mention of him being "the British Elvis" was heard.
Cliff was on a roll at the time, scoring top 20 hits for fun in the US, though this would be his last. Like most of his songs, it’s bland to the point of being transparent – when he coos “I need you so”, he sounds about as convincing as the Pope advertising Durex. It’s all wrapped in a MOR package that shows off its commercial appeal; you can imagine middle aged couples from Arkansas to Aylesbury smiling contently at each other as it plays on the radio.
27. Blondie: Rapture
Not my favourite Blondie song by a long shot. Viewing it alongside the other significant rock/rap crossover song of the time, the Clash’s The Magnificent Seven (released a couple of months later), it seems fairly lumbering. Debbie Harry’s nonsense lyrics may have had a kookiness, but next to Strummer railing against capitalist systems and consumerism, there’s no comparison. Where it does win over is the commercial stakes: this sold by the bucket load and doubtlessly introduced a lot of people to an emerging musical genre. So, kudos for that if nothing else, and it’s worth adding Debbie looks fab on the cover, as always.
26. Toyah: Four from Toyah EP
First hit for the Brummie screamer, who I remember having a weird crush on about 12 years ago. It’s a Mystery is the one that got the airplay. What does strike me is that she sounds like a more mainstream Siouxese Sioux, but the actual band are more workmanlike than the innovative Banshees. I would wager that its hit status owes a lot to Toyah’s image values than any songwriting skills. It plods along in second gear, while you wait for something to kick on. Which it never does, obviously.
25. Passions: I’m In Love With a German Film Star
Great title, great song. Another one-hit wonder, but this deserves better status than that label would suggest. The guitars sound fucking light years ahead of the time, Barbara Gogan sings about a guy she “once saw in a movie” in detached tones. Really, in a just world this would have made #1. Not even making the top 20? Fuck off, the British public. Go listen to this song now, if you haven’t heard it before.
24. Talking Heads: Once In a Lifetime
While their countrymen weren’t too keen on Remain In Light, it proved to be a breakthrough here, cracking the top 20. It was also my introduction to the band: I remember seeing the video on VH1 as a 15-year-old and being taken by David Byrne’s dancing and the high anxiety in his voice as he wailed "how did I get here?" It works on its simplicity, like a lot of their songs, and it’s all about Byrne. Questioning the American dream (nice house, nice car) and going on about water on the moon, Byrne manages to keep it together long enough to see the song out. Top notch song from a top notch album.
23. John Lennon: Imagine
John Winston had only been expired for a couple of months or so at this point and the sentimentality for his death hadn’t gone away just yet (as we shall see more later). I don’t feel I need to write anything about Imagine – for good or bad, it’s all been said before.
22. Beggar & Co: Somebody (Help Me Out)
It seems funk was enjoying a peak in the charts at this time. This is the British variety from a band perhaps better known for providing the horn section on several hits for other acts, notably the aforementioned Chant #1 for Spandau Ballet. The main touchstone here, influence wise, seems to be Earth, Wind and Fire. Unlike the numbers elsewhere in the chart, the bass rocks pretty well. The vocals do little but chant slogans in a sub-James Brown way, and the horns avoid that wretched 80s sound that would plague many a record. Not the best of its type, but compared to what we’ve seen so far, a vast improvement.
21. The Jam: That’s Entertainment
It’s hard for me to remain impartial, given how much I love the run of Jam singles from Down The Tube Station at Midnight to their concluding Beat Surrender. They’re a huge part of the soundtrack to my life aged 15-20 and this song (along with A Town Called Malice) is one I return to the most, perhaps because it more or less sums up the mood of being the age Weller was at the time.
This was also helped by a period in my mid 20s when I was living in “a freezing cold flat with damp on the wall”, although I would wager the man himself (being in a hit making band of four years by this point) never had to sleep on a sofa bed in his jacket just to keep warm. Cue violins.
For all that, he does sound like he means it and by keeping Buckler and Foxton’s contributions to a minimum produces a superior Jam acoustic moment to English Rose. That it was the only single by the Jam from David Watts onwards (13 singles, by my count) not to crack the top 20, due it being an import, shows just how huge they were at the time.
Click here to read part two, featuring D.C's reflections on the the Top 20.
6 May, 2011 - 05:56 — D.C. Harrison