(I thought I'd do this again since activity on the boards has slowed down somewhat.)


1980 - Funkytown - Lipps, Inc.

1981 - Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (I know this song was on the last list, but it was a #1 hit for 9 weeks!)  :o

1982 - Ebony & Ivory - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (This song was #1 for 7 weeks!)

1983 - Flashdance...What A Feeling - Irene Cara

1984 - Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams

1985 - Everything She Wants - Wham!

1986 - Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer

1987 - With Or Without You - U2

1988 - One More Try - George Michael

1989 - Rock On - Michael Damian

* All information based on U.S. charts.


Any thoughts or comments?

1980 - Funkytown - Lipps, Inc. it's okay...

1981 - Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (I know this song was on the last list, but it was a #1 hit for 9 weeks!)  :o I think we've had enough comments on this song already  :D...

1982 - Ebony & Ivory - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (This song was #1 for 7 weeks!) great song

1983 - Flashdance...What A Feeling - Irene Cara another great song

1984 - Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams ANOTHER great song!   ;D

1985 - Everything She Wants - Wham! pretty good song

1986 - Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer I like it

1987 - With Or Without You - U2 Don't care for this song much, it's okay, like some of their other stuff better.

1988 - One More Try - George Michael not bad, one of the better songs off of "Faith"

1989 - Rock On - Michael Damian I can't think of this song at the moment...  ???  :-/

Most of these are great songs CF!

1980 - Funkytown - Lipps, Inc.  awesome!

1981 - Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (I know this song was on the last list, but it was a #1 hit for 9 weeks!) :-X

1982 - Ebony & Ivory - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (This song was #1 for 7 weeks!)  great song

1983 - Flashdance...What A Feeling - Irene Cara  i liked it much more when I was younger

1984 - Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams  cannot STAND this song!

1985 - Everything She Wants - Wham!  okay

1986 - Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer  nope, I have never liked any of his songs

1987 - With Or Without You - U2  good song, overplayed though

1988 - One More Try - George Michael  I love GM :D

1989 - Rock On - Michael Damian  Oh god no!  This song is awful!

1980 - Funkytown - Lipps, Inc.  5

1981 - Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (I know this song was on the last list, but it was a #1 hit for 9 weeks!)  (We've already talked about this one.)  

1982 - Ebony & Ivory - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (This song was #1 for 7 weeks!) (We've talked about this one, too.)

1983 - Flashdance...What A Feeling - Irene Cara  4

1984 - Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams  3

1985 - Everything She Wants - Wham!  3.5

1986 - Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer  2 (I got so tired of hearing him!)

1987 - With Or Without You - U2  4 (But I still prefer their earlier material.)

1988 - One More Try - George Michael  1

1989 - Rock On - Michael Damian  1

1980 - Funkytown - Lipps, Inc.  Disco's last dying breath

1981 - Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (I know this song was on the last list, but it was a #1 hit for 9 weeks!)  The keyboard open was ear-catching, like something I'd never heard before, a pre-cursor to new wave

1982 - Ebony & Ivory - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (This song was #1 for 7 weeks!) I expected greater things from two such artists

1983 - Flashdance...What A Feeling - Irene Cara who doesn't love a song that's one continuous crescendo?  After umpteen weeks in heavy rotation, I couldn't.

1984 - Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams ::)  marshmallow fluff.  This song makes me want to kill myself ("lovin' one-man show"?)

1985 - Everything She Wants - Wham!  So memorable I can't remember it.

1986 - Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer monotonous drum beat, tempo never changes.  YAWN...

1987 - With Or Without You - U2 Finally!  U2 gets the recognition they deserve.  Too bad this song (temporarily)burned me out on them.

1988 - One More Try - George Michael Vocal showcase.  Not a bad tune.

1989 - Rock On - Michael Damian  Fluke.  I demand a recount!

Hey, just for the sheer heck of it - would you care to take a look at ours?

Thought so...

1980 - Theme From MASH (Suicide Is Painless) - MASH

1981 - Stand And Deliver - Adam & The Ants

1982 - House Of Fun - Madness

1983 - Every Breath You Take - Police

1984 - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham

1985 - 19 - Paul Hardcastle

1986 - The Chicken Song - Spitting Image (don't ask..!)

1987 - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship

1988 - With A Little Help From My Friends - Wet Wet Wet

1989 - Ferry Cross The Mersey - Christians, Johnson, Marsden, Stock Aitken & Waterman and some bloke named McCartney...

Hm...like a lot of things, started off okay and gradually got worse!

Any from other parts of the globe?

1980 - Theme From MASH (Suicide Is Painless) - MASH eh, did nothing for me (neither did the show itself) ::)

1981 - Stand And Deliver - Adam & The Ants  awesome!!  I love this song & the video too :-*

1982 - House Of Fun - Madness  Madness was great!  Not one of their BEST songs, but a good one to say the least.

1983 - Every Breath You Take - Police  it's about a Stalker.....of course I love it ;)

1984 - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham  funny little song...I esp. loved the little tiny shorts they wore in the video (and if this didn't reak of GM's sexual preference back then......then I don't know how much more clear he could have been) ::)

1985 - 19 - Paul Hardcastle  AWESOME tune!  Loved this video as well.

1986 - The Chicken Song - Spitting Image (don't ask..!)  I have no clue ???

1987 - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship  UGH!  Awful!

1988 - With A Little Help From My Friends - Wet Wet Wet  I am assuming this is a cover?  If so, I liked the original

1989 - Ferry Cross The Mersey - Christians, Johnson, Marsden, Stock Aitken & Waterman and some bloke named McCartney...  huh? ???

Heh! Heh! I had a feeling some of our US friends wouldn't have known some of the tunes that were prising our wallets open all them years ago...

...so just for the record...

The MASH tune was the theme from the 1970 movie (and also the hugely popular TV series, although different arrangement). It hit the top here not because of the show, but because some enterprising DJ (Noel Edmonds, I think) kept playing the thing to death on his show - for some reason, people kept asking for it to be played week in week out, and the record was re-issued due to demand. Highly depressing words, tho' - it was covered (and charted) by those Welsh funsters The Manic Street Preachers in 1992.

OK, now this is gonna be difficult..."Spitting Image" was a very popular satire show on UK TV in the 1980's. It used puppets rather than actual performers (bear with me!) There would always be a musical slot on the programme every week and this song was one of them...it was a parody of the stuff that used to be subjected to the British public by Black Lace (I said this was going to be difficult!) - along the lines of "Agadoo" (blank looks all round) - it contained that immortal couplet "Hold a chicken in the air, stick a deckchair up your nose..." (quizzical looks- I think I'd better move on...!)

Wet Wet Wet's butchering of the Ringo classic came about as a charity thing organised by Childline (an organisation battling child abuse). The idea was to get "modern day" acts to each perform a song from Sgt Pepper - and an album (Sgt Pepper Knew My Father) was duly issued and headed straight for the bargain bins! I think this concept was tried earlier in the late 70's when The Bee Gees/Peter Frampton et al done the dirty deed, and the whole project met a similar fate...

Lastly, "Ferry Cross The Mersey" (earlier popularised by Gerry & The Pacemakers) was another charity effort - this time assisting people involved in the Hillsborough tragedy in which over 100 people lost their lives. Probably a noble idea at the time, it's rarely heard these days. All the acts I listed (with the exception of Stock, Aitken & Waterman) were Liverpudlian in origin...Liverpool were one of the teams in the football cup semi-final when the tragedy (mostly involving Liverpool fans) took place...

And whilst here, I think it's only fair I should pass one or two comments on CF's list, which I managed to hijack!

"Funkytown" was great - big hit here too...apparently written in 15 minutes! Didn't care much for the Pseudo Echo cover...

"Bette Davis Eyes" I liked! Only two weeks in our top ten, but Top Of The Pops used to do a US chart-topper slot, and of course, it was there week after week after week.....no wonder some of you are so against it!

"Ebony & Ivory" - hm, good sentiment, but a very weak-ish song. The video showed Paul & Stevie appearing together, but their performances were recorded separately then magically "stitched together"...

"Flashdance..." - another big song here. Okay-ish in its way, tho' not as good as Irene's other belter, "Fame"...

"Let's Hear It For The Boy" - big here too...once again, good for its time, though I wouldn't make it a priority to listen to now...

"Everything She Wants" was stapled to the back of "Last Christmas" over here...which would've duly been at the top in Christmas 1984 had it not been for Band Aid...after Christmas the radio stations played this side instead...good song

"Addicted To Love" - jury's still out on this one...OK, I suppose - played to death when I was holidaying in Corfu that year...mainly sold due to "that" video...

"With Or Without You" - didn't really care much for this (sorry!)

"One More Try" - nor this...mind you, I think everyone had bought the album by this point...

"Rock On" - I have it on good authority that Mr Damian was/is an actor...we were having the same problem in 1989 with Kylie and Jason! Of course, I know the song - big hit for David Essex in the '70's (another actor!) - but I've not had the "pleasure" of hearing this version, yet....!

Surprising what sells from country to country...

All the best!

Hi again !

1980 - Funkytown - Lipps, Inc.  

1981 - Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (I know this song was on the last list, but it was a #1 hit for 9 weeks!)    Pass/Fail  ;D

1982 - Ebony & Ivory - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (This song was #1 for 7 weeks!)  groan, pass, just

1983 - Flashdance...What A Feeling - Irene Cara  Pass

1984 - Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams  Fail

1985 - Everything She Wants - Wham!  Fail

1986 - Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer  Pass

1987 - With Or Without You - U2  Big Pass

1988 - One More Try - George Michael  U/K

1989 - Rock On - Michael Damian  FAIL - Gimme David Essex !  ;D

1980 - Theme From MASH (Suicide Is Painless) - MASH  ?

1981 - Stand And Deliver - Adam & The Ants  ?

1982 - House Of Fun - Madness  ?

1983 - Every Breath You Take - Police  Great!

1984 - Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go - Wham  Okay.

1985 - 19 - Paul Hardcastle  Very good!

1986 - The Chicken Song - Spitting Image (don't ask..!)  ?

1987 - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship  So-so.

1988 - With A Little Help From My Friends - Wet Wet Wet  ?

1989 - Ferry Cross The Mersey - Christians, Johnson, Marsden, Stock Aitken & Waterman and some bloke named McCartney...  ?


Sorry Paul, I was not familiar with many of these!  :-[

1980 - Funkytown - Lipps, Inc. WHY?!?

1981 - Bette Davis Eyes - Kim Carnes (I know this song was on the last list, but it was a #1 hit for 9 weeks!)  :o OMG, THIS ONE is annoying...

1982 - Ebony & Ivory - Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (This song was #1 for 7 weeks!)Hate it!!!

1983 - Flashdance...What A Feeling - Irene Cara
Great! Wonderful for dancing!
1984 - Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams
Don't know it
1985 - Everything She Wants - Wham!
Nice
1986 - Addicted To Love - Robert Palmer
Again - WHY?!?
1987 - With Or Without You - U2
Great song!
1988 - One More Try - George Michael
Don't know
1989 - Rock On - Michael Damian
Don't know