Thompson Twins: Hold Me Now - On Solid Gold Countdown '84 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Thompson Twins: Hold Me Now - On Solid Gold Countdown '84 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"Hold Me Now" is a 1983 song by British band the Thompson Twins. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Alex Sadkin and the group's lead vocalist Tom Bailey. The song is a mid-tempo new wave song that uses a varied instrumentation, including keyboards, a xylophone, a piano and Latin percussion. It was released in November 1983 as the first single from their fourth studio album, Into the Gap.
Released in the United Kingdom in late 1983, the song peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart in November of that year. It was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 1983, becoming the band's biggest-selling single, and their first top five in that country. The song was released in the United States in February 1984. It also became the band's highest charting single there, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in May, remaining on the chart for 21 weeks. In addition, the song topped Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart for one week in April 1984.
"Emotionally, it was written as the result of some argument that was resolved between Alannah and myself", explained Tom Bailey in an August 2014 interview with Songfacts. "We actually decided, well, this is an interesting emotional subject. What it feels like to get back together again after separation and the kind of ideas that come up and the way that emotion and physicality somehow are brought together." According to Bailey, the song also "had a very strong idea" behind it and was written very quickly.
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Laura Branigan: Self Control On Solid Gold (1984) (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Laura Branigan: Self Control On Solid Gold (1984) (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"Self Control" is a song by Italian singer Raf, released in 1984. It was written by Giancarlo Bigazzi, Steve Piccolo and Raf, and arranged by Celso Valli. The track topped the charts in Italy and Switzerland, and started the explosion and dominance of Italo disco-style recordings in continental European charts during the 1980s.
That same year, "Self Control" was covered by American singer Laura Branigan, whose version reached No. 1 in countries such as Austria, Canada, Germany and Switzerland, as well as No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Both versions of the song were commercially successful across Europe during much of the summer of 1984, with Branigan's rendition becoming the most successful single of the year in Germany and Switzerland.
"Self Control" has become one of the defining songs of the 1980s, with a number of remakes recorded each year. Notable covers include Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin in 1993, a dance remake by Branigan in 2004, Royal Gigolos in 2005 and Danish dance group Infernal in 2006.
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The Delfonics - Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time (My Stereo Studio Sound Re-Edit)
The Delfonics - Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time (My Stereo Studio Sound Re-Edit)
"Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" is a song co-written by record producer Thom Bell and William Hart, lead singer of the American R&B/Soul vocal group the Delfonics. It was released by the group in 1969 on the Philly Groove record label and is regarded as a classic, winning a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
It is considered one of the most notable early Philly soul singles and typical of the genre, "Didn't I" is a slow love ballad, with layered strings, horns, and chromatic production.
Among the Delfonics' signature songs, "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" was a number 3 hit on the Billboard R&B singles chart, and number 10 on the Billboard pop chart in 1970. The song peaked at number 81 in Australia.
Overseas the song peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart in 1971.
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Huey Lewis & The News: I Want A New Drug - Solid Gold Countdown '84 (My Stereo Studio Sound Re-Edit)
Huey Lewis & The News: I Want A New Drug - Solid Gold Countdown '84 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"I Want a New Drug" is a song by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News from their third album Sports. It is its second single, following the top-ten hit "Heart and Soul" in January 1984. The single reached number six on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Dance Club Play chart. It is a love song wherein the word "drug" has an intentionally open-ended meaning for the listener's interpretation, and became one of the band's signature songs.
According to Lewis, he wrote the song in only a few minutes. He drove to his attorney's office and told him, "Bob, give me a pen and paper!" According to Lewis, the song is a love song, and the meaning of the word "drug" in the song was purposely open ended. "It's really a love song. It's not a pro-drug song; it's not really even an anti-drug song. The word drug sort of gets your attention. But I think in love relationships there's more than 'I want you' or 'I need you' kind of thing." Lewis believed the definition of love was very open to interpretation depending on the listener. "I think real love contains humor and anger and confusion, all of those things."
Three versions of the song were released. The album version has two extensive guitar solos, one in the middle of the song and the other as a fade out. The single edit eliminates the first solo (on their greatest hits album, the first solo is there but truncated) and has the band stop on a sustained chord which is allowed to fade out naturally.[citation needed] This is used in the music video and is parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic as "I Want a New Duck". A special dance mix reduces the instrumental, gives the song a more electronic feel, and extends the song to 5 minutes and 32 seconds. Lewis was heavily influenced by "Purple Haze" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience with the recording of the song and called the guitar riff at the end of the song a "tip of the hat" to Hendrix.
The video echoes the song's origin, with Lewis waking up late, remembering he has a concert that night, and racing across San Francisco using his yellow convertible, the San Francisco ferry, and a chartered helicopter to get to the concert on time, sighting a woman twice on his way, and finding her in the front row at the concert. The woman is actress Signy Coleman, whose mother was a friend of Lewis's mother and also appears in the music video for "Heart and Soul". According to Lewis, one of the reasons the band agreed on doing the music video was to avoid a literal translation of the song and its lyrics. "The song [...] is not about drugs. It's a love song. The only way to avoid that was to sort of do 'a day in the life', which is what [the video] is."
When the theme song of the 1984 film Ghostbusters was released, Huey Lewis sued Ray Parker Jr. and Columbia Pictures for copyright infringement, claiming that Parker had stolen the melody from "I Want a New Drug". The three parties settled out of court. Details of the settlement (specifically, that Columbia paid Lewis a settlement) were confidential until 2001, when Lewis commented on the payment in an episode of VH1's Behind the Music. Parker subsequently sued Lewis for breaching confidentiality.
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Dan Hartman: I Can Dream About You - On Solid Gold Countdown '84 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Dan Hartman: I Can Dream About You - On Solid Gold Countdown '84 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"I Can Dream About You" is a song written and performed by American singer Dan Hartman on the soundtrack album of the film Streets of Fire. Released in 1984 as a single from the soundtrack, and included on Hartman's album I Can Dream About You, it reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
According to Daryl Hall, Hartman had initially written the song with Hall & Oates in mind, and offered the song to them to record as their own. Hall & Oates declined, as their new album was about to be released. Later in their career, however, they issued an album of covers called Our Kind of Soul, in 2004, on which they recorded their own version (with changed lyrics) of Hartman's song. When performing the song live in February 2005, Hall revealed before the performance:
"Here's a song that we did on the new album that we sort of did twenty years late. An old friend of ours, Dan Hartman, wrote this song. I remember back in the day he came up to me and said 'You know, I have this great song I wrote for you guys. It's you, you know? – you have to sing this song.' And unfortunately we had just finished an album, we couldn't put it on the album so I said sorry Dan. About six months later I was watching MTV and there it was, and it was a hit for him, God bless him. So here we are twenty years later, I hope he's hearing it, and I hope he enjoys it."
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Rick Springfield: Love Somebody - On Solid Gold Countdown '84 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Rick Springfield: Love Somebody - On Solid Gold Countdown '84 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"Love Somebody" a song by Rick Springfield was released in 1984 as the first single from his soundtrack album Hard to Hold. Cash Box said that the song demonstrates Springfield's improvement as a songwriter since he began his pop music career. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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The Pointer Sisters: Jump (For My Love) Solid Gold Countdown '84 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
The Pointer Sisters: Jump (For My Love) On Solid Gold Countdown '84 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"Jump (For My Love)" is an electro-pop song by American vocal group the Pointer Sisters, released on April 11, 1984, as the third single from their tenth studio album Break Out (1983). The song hit the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100, R&B, and Dance charts, and it was the best-selling American dance single of 1984, sold as a trio of songs including "I Need You" and "Automatic". The song features June Pointer on lead vocals and scored global chart success.
"Jump (For My Love)" features June Pointer on lead vocals. It was co-written by regular collaborators Marti Sharron, Gary Skardina, and Stephen Mitchell. Skardina and Mitchell were responsible for the chord progressions, melody, and arrangement while Sharron's focus was on the lyrics and melody. According to Sharron the instrumental track for the demo of "Jump" was completed before the lyrics: on first hearing the playback of the instrumental track in the studio (Marti Sharron quote:) "My partners and I...were so happy with the results we jumped up and down" which led to the song being called "Jump". Eventually it was titled "Jump (For My Love)". Sharron recalls phoning Richard Perry, who was producing the Pointer Sisters' upcoming album, and telling him: "I have the album's big hit" and - although Perry considered giving the song to Julio Iglesias, Perry being a contributing producer to the singer's 1100 Bel Air Place album - "Jump" did become the final song slated for the Pointer Sister's 1983 album release Break Out.
Despite being one of the last songs recorded for the album, "Jump (For My Love)" would be the first song on the album's song listing. It would be released as the album's third single, with the ballad "I Need You" being the first single, which continued the Pointer Sisters' presence at R&B radio. Automatic" eventually became the album's second single as it had enjoyed dance club airplay as an album cut and the record company wanted to capitalize on that. "Automatic" returned the Pointer Sisters to top ten after a three-year absence. "Jump..." became the most successful US single off of Break Out upon its release as the album's third single in April 1984. "Jump" ascended to a peak of #3 on both the US Hot 100 and R&B chart in Billboard magazine that July, with the song also charting on Billboard's adult contemporary chart at #11.
"Jump (For My Love)" would give the Pointer Sisters an international hit, charting in Belgium (#3 on the Flemish chart), West Germany (#20), Ireland (#2), the Netherlands (#9), New Zealand (#3), Switzerland (#13), and the UK (#6). In Australia, "Jump..." was issued as the lead single off Break Out in December 1983 and peaked at #79: reissued after "Automatic," it would reach an Australian chart peak of #8 in September 1984. "Jump" featured June Pointer on lead vocals and the international release was somewhat unique. The Australian single release featured as the B-side the Break Out song "Operator" with Anita Pointer on lead. In other territories, the sing's B-side was "Heart Beat", a song with Ruth Pointer on lead, and that was initially on the Pointer Sisters' previous album So Excited!. Released prior to the 1984 Summer Olympics, "Jump (For My Love)" featured footage of athletes competing in track and field events, as well as NBA stars Julius Erving and Magic Johnson.
The Pointer Sisters won the 1985 Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Jump...", and co-writer Stephen (Steve) Mitchell received his nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1985 for his musical performance as the principal musician on the song's recording. Although the group scored several Top 20 hits on the Hot 100, "Jump (For My Love)" is viewed as the signature song for the group.
At the 1985 ASCAP Pop Awards, "Jump (For My Love)" received "Most Performed Song" honors for songs in the ASCAP repertory during the 1984 ASCAP Survey Year.
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Air Supply: Even The Nights Are Better - On Solid Gold (1982) (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Air Supply: Even The Nights Are Better - On Solid Gold (1982) (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"Even the Nights Are Better" is a 1982 song by the British/Australian soft rock duo Air Supply, released on their seventh studio album Now and Forever (1982) as the album's first single. It first charted in the United States on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, where it spent four weeks at No. 1 in July and August. This was Air Supply's third song to reach the summit on this chart. It also reached No. 1 on the Canadian AC chart.
In September 1982, the song reached its peak position of No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group's seventh consecutive top five hit on the US pop chart. However the song is in the record books for how quickly it fell off the top 40. The song slipped to six. Then on the issue dated September 25th, 1982, the song fell to 42. It held the record for highest drop from the top 40 for thirty years.
In the United Kingdom, where the group did not enjoy the same amount of success as they did in Australia and the US, the song missed the top 40 by four places, reaching No. 44 on the UK Singles Chart. It is their second highest charting single in the UK, after their No. 11 hit with "All Out of Love" in 1980.
This song is written from the perspective of a man who had lost a significant other at the song's beginning, before the rest of the song's lyrics tell a much happier story from the singer's perspective of life with someone new, who had the same feelings of loneliness as the lyricist.
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Air Supply: The One That You Love - On Solid Gold - May 21, 1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Air Supply: The One That You Love - On Solid Gold - May 21, 1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"The One That You Love" is a song by British-Australian soft rock duo Air Supply, released as a single from their sixth studio album of the same name. It was written by member Graham Russell. The song reached No. 1 in the United States, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 25 July 1981 and remaining there for one week; it is the duo's only No. 1 hit. The song's lead vocals are sung by Russell Hitchcock.
"The One That You Love" also peaked at No. 2 for five weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart, behind "I Don't Need You" by Kenny Rogers.
Cash Box said "Australia's Air Supply leaps back onto the charts with the title track from its forthcoming follow-up LP. A grandiose, string-laden number, with Graham Russell's unmistakable vocals, this recaptures the urgent romanticism of 'Lost in Love' and 'All Out Of Love' with plaintive backup vocals." Record World described it as a "loving ballad that can't miss."
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Hall & Oates: You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling - May 21, 1983 (My 'Stereo Studio Sound' Re-Edit)
Hall & Oates: You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling - May 21, 1983 (My 'Stereo Studio Sound' Re-Edit)
In 1980, the American musical duo Hall & Oates recorded a cover version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" for their ninth studio album Voices. Their version of the song was produced by the duo and included a sparse arrangement contrasting with the lavish Righteous Brothers original version. It was the second non-original song Hall & Oates had ever recorded. According to Oates, this was the last song recorded for the album, as it had been deemed complete with the other ten tracks. However, Hall and Oates felt that there was "something missing" from the album. Then they came across the Righteous Brothers' version of the song on a jukebox machine while going out to get food and they decided to cover it. They went back to the studio, cut it in a period of four hours, and placed on the album.
The track was issued on RCA Records as the album's second single after the original "How Does It Feel to Be Back" peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. The November peak of No. 12 on the Hot 100 chart made "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" the first Hall & Oates single to ascend higher than No. 18 since the number one hit "Rich Girl" in the spring of 1977. "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" also reached No. 15 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, on the Radio & Records Airplay chart the song debuted at No. 30 on the September 26, 1980, issue, after seven weeks it reached and peaked at No. 4 staying there for one week, the song stayed on the top 10 of the chart for six weeks and remained on it for thirteen. It also reached No. 55 in the UK Singles Chart.
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Sheena Easton: For Your Eyes Only - On Solid Gold - May 21, 1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Sheena Easton: For Your Eyes Only - On Solid Gold - May 21, 1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"For Your Eyes Only" is the theme to the 12th James Bond movie of the same name, written by Bill Conti and Mick Leeson, and performed by Scottish singer Sheena Easton. The song reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number eight on the UK Singles Chart. It was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards in 1982.
Conti – who was also responsible for the film's score – had originally written the song thinking about Donna Summer or Dusty Springfield, singers he thought "fit the Bond style". Film studio United Artists suggested Sheena Easton, an up-and-coming singer who had recently scored a No.1 hit in America with "Morning Train". Conti heard Easton's debut album Take My Time and felt unimpressed but decided to work with her in the song after meeting Easton in person.
Leeson's lyrics originally used "for your eyes only" only as the final line, as the lyricist felt he could only use the phrase as a conclusion. After credit sequence artist Maurice Binder complained about having to synchronize the unveiling of the title with it being said in the theme song, Conti decided to work with Leeson to write lyrics that opened with "for your eyes only". The US band Blondie had previously been asked to write the title song but it was rejected in favor of Conti's by the Bond producers. (Blondie's recording of a completely different song, also called "For Your Eyes Only", appeared on their 1982 album The Hunter).
Easton is the only artist (to date) to be seen singing the theme song to a Bond movie during its opening titles, as Maurice Binder liked Easton's appearance and decided to add her to the credits. Her seductive appearance in these clips was, according to Roger Moore, more sexy than any of the Bond girls, although Easton herself states that the filming process was very un-glamorous. In particular, Binder had to attach Easton to a chair so she would be immobile during a take where the camera zooms on the singer's lips.
This was one of the few Bond themes not to have a contribution by John Barry. The song was produced by Christopher Neil, who was Easton's regular producer at the time.
The song was released as a single in June 1981, at the same time as the film's launch. It became a worldwide hit, reaching the top ten in the UK, number 1 in the Netherlands and top five in the US. It remains one of Easton's biggest hits and is included on compilation soundtrack albums.
Record World said that Easton's vocal shows "overwhelming vocal range and power."
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Jefferson Starship: Jane - On American Bandstand - March 19, 1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Jefferson Starship: Jane - On American Bandstand - March 19, 1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"Jane" is a song by American rock band Jefferson Starship, released on their 1979 album Freedom at Point Zero. The song peaked on the US Billboard Hot 100 at No. 14 and spent three weeks at No. 6 on the Cash Box Top 100. In Canada, the song peaked at No. 13. Billboard Magazine described "Jane" as "a fiery track paced by stinging guitars and some burning rhythm work." Cash Box described it as "an explosive rocker, with slashing guitars." Record World called it a "driving rocker" and praised Mickey Thomas' vocals. GQ in 2015 said it was a "perfect, complex, trash-gem work of art."
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Michael Martin Murphey: What's Forever For - 1982 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Michael Martin Murphey: What's Forever For - 1982 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"What's Forever For"
Song by England Dan & John Ford Coley
from the album Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive
Released March 1979
Recorded October 1978
Genre Power pop
Length 3:25
Label Big Tree
Songwriter(s) Rafe Van Hoy
Producer(s) Kyle Lehning
"What's Forever For"
Single by Michael Martin Murphey
from the album Michael Martin Murphey
B-side "Crystal"
Released June 14, 1982
Recorded August 31, 1981
Genre Country, soft rock
Length 2:52
Label Liberty 1466
Songwriter(s) Rafe Van Hoy
Producer(s) Jim Ed Norman
Michael Martin Murphey singles chronology
"The Two-Step Is Easy"
(1982) "What's Forever For"
(1982) "Still Taking Chances"
(1983)
"What's Forever For" is a song written by Rafe Van Hoy and first recorded by England Dan & John Ford Coley on their 1979 album Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive.
The song saw its biggest success when it was recorded by American country music artist Michael Martin Murphey. It was released in June 1982 as the second single from his album, Michael Martin Murphey. The song was Murphey's first of two number ones on the country chart. The single went to number one for one week and spent 16 weeks in the country top 40. On the Hot 100, "What's Forever For" was his final top 40 hit, peaking at number 19.
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John Waite: Missing You - On Solid Gold - September 1984 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
John Waite: Missing You - On Solid Gold - September 1984 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"Missing You" is a song co-written and recorded by English musician John Waite. It was released in June 1984 as the lead single from his second album, No Brakes (1984). It reached number one on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks and on the Hot 100, as well as number 9 on the UK Singles Chart. "Missing You" was the only record in 1984 to spend only a single week at the top of the Hot 100. The song was nominated for the 1985 Best Pop Vocal Performance Male Grammy Award.
Waite re-recorded the song with country/bluegrass artist Alison Krauss which appeared on her album A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection, and released it to country music radio in 2007. The re-recording peaked at number 34 on Hot Country Songs. The original recording has been featured in the films, Selena (1997) and Warm Bodies (2013), the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and the TV series Miami Vice (episode, "Heart of Darkness", originally aired September 28, 1984), as well as in the comedy sitcom Rules of Engagement, in a scene at the diner where there is a flashback of Timmy's and Russell's best moments together (season 7, episode "A Wee Problem", originally aired on May 6, 2013). It also appears in the film 22 Jump Street (2014) during the montage where main characters Schmidt and Jenko begin to miss each other after going their separate ways following a fight.
Waite's record label was convinced they had enough songs for the No Brakes album, but he felt it lacked a hit single. He went to a songwriter's house in LA, who showed him a guitar melody on a cassette tape. Waite listened to the melody once through, and the second time, improvised the entire first verse, 'B' section, and "missing you" section without stopping. Waite said the song was about three women in his life: he was getting divorced, and he was thinking of an old love interest from when he first moved to New York City as well as a current love interest. He said, "I was singing about New York, and distance, the caving in of my marriage, and the options that I had. It was bittersweet – it was about the end of my marriage and the beginning of something new. Although, when I was singing 'I ain't missing you', it was denial too." He had to convince the record label to spend $5,000 to record one last single—this one—for the album.
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Stevie Wonder: I Just Called To Say I Love You - Solid Gold – '85 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Stevie Wonder: I Just Called To Say I Love You - Solid Gold – 1985 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"I Just Called to Say I Love You" is a ballad written, produced, and performed by American R&B singer and songwriter Stevie Wonder. It was a major international hit, and remains Wonder's best-selling single to date, having topped a record 19 charts.
The song was the lead single from the 1984 soundtrack album The Woman in Red, along with two other songs by Wonder, and scored number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks from October 13 to October 27, 1984. It also became his tenth number-one on the R&B chart, and his fourth on the adult contemporary chart; it spent three weeks at the top of both charts, and for the same weeks as on the Hot 100. The song also became Wonder's only solo UK number-one success, staying at the top for six weeks, in the process also becoming Motown Records' biggest-selling single in the UK, a distinction it still held as of 2018. In addition, the song won both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song also received three nominations at the 27th Grammy Awards for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
The song's lyrics have Wonder surprising his love interest with an unexpected telephone call. Throughout the song, Wonder lists events in a yearly calendar that might prompt someone to call a loved one. Yet he explains no special annual event such as New Year's Day or Halloween spurred the call. He simply wants to tell her he loves her from the bottom of his heart. Cash Box described the song as "a tender and romantic love letter which captures the ever-present and Wondrous feeling of love and optimism."
There was a dispute among Wonder, his former writing partner Lee Garrett, and Lloyd Chiate as to who actually wrote the song. Chiate claimed in a lawsuit that he and Garrett wrote the song years before its 1984 release. However, a jury ultimately sided with Wonder.
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Kajagoogoo: Too Shy - On Top Of The POPS – 1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Kajagoogoo: Too Shy - On Top Of The POPS – 1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"Too Shy" is a song written and recorded by English band Kajagoogoo, released in January 1983. The first single from their debut album White Feathers, the song was an immediate hit and reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. It was also very successful in other European countries and Japan, spending five weeks at number one in Germany, also reaching number one in Belgium and Ireland, as well as reaching number two in France and Switzerland, and number four in Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands.
Assisted by heavy rotation on MTV, the song later became a success in the United States, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Too Shy" is Kajagoogoo's only significant hit in the US, where the band is widely regarded as a one-hit wonder. In the UK, however, Kajagoogoo had further hits, including two more top 10 singles: "Ooh to Be Ah" and "Big Apple", both in 1983.
"Too Shy" was written by Kajagoogoo and produced by Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes and Colin Thurston, the latter of whom had produced Duran Duran's first two albums. In 2006, "Too Shy" was ranked number 27 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's and number 9 on VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s.
The music video directed by Simon Milne, cast model Carolyn Espley (later wife of Dennis Miller) as a waitress cleaning up a nightclub at the end of the night. As the band performs the song on the club stage, she has visions of dancers from different eras populating the dance floor.
The song was an immediate hit, topping the UK Singles Chart for two weeks. It was also very successful in other European countries, spending five weeks at number one in Germany, and reaching number two in Switzerland, and number four in Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands. The song was also a top 10 hit in the United States during the summer of 1983.
The 12" maxi single's B-side, "Take Another View", a non-album track, often performed live, was included on the 2004 re-issue of White Feathers, which contained several bonus tracks, including the instrumental version of "Too Shy", originally featured on the B-sides of both the 7" and 12" singles.
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Cyndi Lauper: All Through the Night - On Solid Gold – 1985 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Cyndi Lauper: All Through the Night - On Solid Gold – 1985 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
All Through the Night" is a song by American singer Cyndi Lauper. It is off her first album, She's So Unusual. It is a synthpop song written by Jules Shear and produced by Rick Chertoff. This was the only single by Lauper released worldwide which did not have a music video. It peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It became her fourth top-five song in the United States.The song received mostly positive reviews from critics. It was released in September 1984 in the United States.
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Kool & The Gang: Cherish - On Solid Gold - 1985 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Kool & The Gang: Cherish - On Solid Gold - 1985 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit) w/intro by: Dionne Warwick & Eddie Rabbit.
"Cherish" is a song by American R&B band Kool & the Gang, released in May 1985. It was the third single released from the band's sixteenth studio album, Emergency. It was certified Gold by the RIAA and held the number 1 position on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart for six weeks running. It would ultimately rank as the biggest Adult Contemporary chart hit of the 1980s.
The song is a romantic ballad that proved to be extremely popular when it was released and has since been a wedding song staple of sorts.
The song was composed in the key of Bâ™ minor, though the chorus shifts to Dâ™ major (the relative major of Bâ™ minor).
There are several different mixes of "Cherish". The original album version (length: 4:47) begins with the sound of a wave crashing on the beach followed by a (solely) keyboard intro. The entire first verse is sung without drums and percussion, which do not begin until the first chorus.
The single (and video) version of "Cherish" (length: 3:58) adds additional "beach" effects at the beginning and combines an acoustic guitar with the original keyboard introduction. Additional drumming, which this time starts immediately after J.T. Taylor begins singing the first verse, is also added throughout the song. Whereas the chorus is repeated (sung twice) after the first verse in the album version, it is only sung one time on the single; several bars of music are also cut from the outro.
There is also an extended 12-inch version of "Cherish" (length: 5:43) which includes the same flourishes that were added to the single/video version of the tune, plus saxophone parts during various sections of the song (introduction, bridge, etc.), including a whole additional sax interlude after the first chorus.
Furthermore, there is an edited mix of this 12-inch version (length: 4:22), where the bridge that appears in all of the other versions of the song is replaced by the same saxophone interlude that is included in the full 12-inch version.
"Cherish" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 1985, remaining in the runner-up position for three weeks, behind "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits. It was a number-one hit on both the R&B and adult contemporary charts in the US, spending one week atop the R&B chart and six weeks atop the AC chart. In the UK, the song reached number four on the UK Singles Chart and remained there for three weeks.
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Limahl w/Beth Andersen: The NeverEnding Story - Solid Gold - 1985 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Limahl w/Beth Andersen: The NeverEnding Story - On Solid Gold - February 3, 1985 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"Never Ending Story" is the title song from the English version of the 1984 film The NeverEnding Story. It was produced and composed by Italian musician Giorgio Moroder and performed by English pop singer Limahl. He released two versions of the song, one in English and one in French. The English version featured vocals by Beth Andersen, and the French version, titled L'Histoire Sans Fin, featured vocals by Ann Calvert. It was a success in many countries, reaching No. 1 in both Norway and Sweden, No. 2 in Austria, West Germany and Italy, No. 4 in the UK, No. 6 in Australia and No. 6 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
The song was composed by Giorgio Moroder with lyrics by Keith Forsey, though it (and other electronic pop elements of the soundtrack) is not present in the German version of the film, which features Klaus Doldinger's score exclusively.
Beth Andersen recorded her words in the USA separately from Limahl's. Andersen does not appear in the music video; frequent Limahl back-up singer Mandy Newton lip-syncs Andersen's part.
In the final episode of the third season of Stranger Things, set in 1985, "Never Ending Story" is sung by Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and his long-distance girlfriend Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo) as a way to reconnect after not seeing each other for some time. Following the season's release on July 4, 2019, interest in "The NeverEnding Story" surged; viewership of the original music video had increased by 800% within a few days according to YouTube, while Spotify reported an 825% increase in stream requests for the song. Limahl expressed gratitude towards Netflix for this; while he had not watched the series, he was told of the song's inclusion by his nephews and watched clips of the duet. Limahl had previously found a similar increase in his past work when the network used his band Kajagoogoo's song "Too Shy" in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch
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Starship: We Built This City - On Solid Gold – 1985 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Starship: We Built This City - On Solid Gold – 1985 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"We Built This City" is a 1985 song by American rock band Starship, the debut single from the album Knee Deep in the Hoopla. It was written by English musicians Martin Page and Bernie Taupin, who were both living in Los Angeles at the time, and was originally intended as a lament against the closure of many of that city's live music clubs.
The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside the United States, "We Built This City" topped the charts in Australia and Canada, peaked inside the top 10 of the charts in Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland, the top 20 on the charts in Belgium, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and the top 30 of the charts in Austria and the Netherlands.
The song has gained significant scorn, both for the inscrutability of its lyrics (notably the line "Marconi plays the mamba"), and for the contrast between the song's anti-corporate message and its polished, "corporate rock" sound. It topped a 2011 Rolling Stone poll of worst songs of the 1980s by a wide margin, and the magazines Blender and GQ both called it the worst song of all time.
Song cowriters Martin Page and Bernie Taupin have stated that the song is about the decline of live-performance clubs in Los Angeles during the 1980s. The lyrics are structured as a plea to corporate interests who are shutting down rock music clubs ("We just want to dance here/ Someone stole the stage") because the corporations are concerned only with profits and respectability ("Too many runaways"), and have forgotten that rock music was what first brought people to the city ("Don't you remember? We built this city on rock and roll!").
Though the song was originally written about Los Angeles, the Starship rendition references San Francisco (the hometown of both Starship and its predecessors, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship) with a spoken-word interlude in which a radio DJ states, "I'm looking out over that Golden Gate Bridge". However, the DJ then says, "Here's your favorite radio station in your favorite radio city, the city by the bay, the city that rocks, the city that never sleeps", stressing the universality of the message: while "the city by the bay" is a nickname for San Francisco, the other two phrases are not, and "The City That Never Sleeps" is a well-known nickname for New York City. Capitalizing on the ambiguity, several radio stations added descriptions of their own local areas when they broadcast the song or added their own ident in its place.
The album's title, Knee Deep in the Hoopla, is taken from a lyric in the first verse of this song.
The song was engineered by producer Bill Bottrell, written by Bernie Taupin, Martin Page, Dennis Lambert and Peter Wolf and arranged by Bottrell and Jasun Martz. The song was based on a demo by Page and Taupin with a darker feel and based on how clubs were dying in Los Angeles, leaving live performers without work. Wolf reworked the song's arrangement with a more upbeat tone.
The song features Mickey Thomas and Grace Slick sharing lead vocals. MTV executive and former DJ Les Garland provided the DJ voice-over during the song's bridge. Additionally, some radio stations, with the help of jingle company JAM Creative Productions, inserted their own opening lines to promote their stations.
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Michael Sembello: Maniac - On American Bandstand - 9/10/1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Michael Sembello: Maniac - On American Bandstand - 9/10/1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit) w/Dick Clark Interview.
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Crowded House: Don't Dream It's Over - On Solid Gold – 1987 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Crowded House: Don't Dream It's Over - On Solid Gold – 1987 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by Australian rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand front man Neil Finn and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from the album.
"Don't Dream It's Over" became the band's biggest international hit, reaching No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in April 1987. The song reached No. 1 in Canada and in Finn's native New Zealand, while in Australia, it peaked at No. 8. In continental Europe, it reached No. 6 in Norway, No. 27 in the Netherlands, No. 13 in Germany, and No. 25 in the United Kingdom. At the 1986 Countdown Australian Music Awards the song was nominated for three awards, winning Best Video.
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The Romantics: Talking in Your Sleep - On Solid Gold - 1984 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
The Romantics: Talking in Your Sleep - On Solid Gold - 1984 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"Talking in Your Sleep" is a song by American rock band the Romantics. Released in September 1983, It became the band's most successful single in the US, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1984. The song would have a release two months later in Australia and New Zealand, a release later that year in Japan, and in January 1984 in the UK. It failed to chart in both countries. It became a UK hit in August that year for British group Bucks Fizz. The song is in natural minor.
It appeared on the Romantics' 1983 album In Heat and was the Romantics' biggest chart hit, garnering substantial radio airplay and a million in US 45 RPM single sales.[citation needed] Nemperor Records also released an extended 12" dance mix, which was timed at 5:56.
The song reached No. 3 – where it held for three weeks – on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1984. It also went to No. 1 on the Dance/Disco Top 80 chart, as well as hitting No. 2 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart.
The song's music video, directed by Bob Dyke, was widely aired at the time on MTV and elsewhere. It featured the band performing while surrounded by standing, but seemingly sleeping, women who were dressed in lingerie, pajamas, and other sleepwear.
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Culture Club: Church Of The Poison Mind - On Solid Gold – 1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Culture Club: Church Of The Poison Mind - On Solid Gold – 1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
"Church of the Poison Mind" is a 1983 hit single by the British new wave band Culture Club. It was released as the lead single from their second, and most successful, album Color by Numbers.
The song reached #2 in the United Kingdom, being kept out of the top spot by David Bowie's "Let's Dance". It was also the band's fourth Top 10 hit in Canada and the United States. In America, it was still climbing the charts when "Karma Chameleon" was released as a single. This prompted Epic Records to release "Karma" ahead of schedule.
"Church of the Poison Mind" actually reached its peak position the same week "Karma Chameleon" debuted on the US charts. In many countries its B-side was the heavily percussive street song "Man Shake" and in some others, such as the United States, it was the song "Mystery Boy". Both songs were on the 12-inch single in many countries, except Canada, where it was issued with an extended version of previous hit "I'll Tumble 4 Ya".
Helen Terry sang backing vocals on the song. AllMusic critic Stewart Mason stated that her "fiery performance of the chorus is a pop-song masterstroke."[3] Fellow Allmusic critic Jose J. Promis agreed that her performance "really brought the house down." Mason regarded the song as a tribute to the songs written by Holland–Dozier–Holland for Motown in the 1960s. It was ranked at number 8 among the top ten "Tracks of the Year" for 1983 by NME. In 2017, it was ranked as the number one Culture Club song by Billboard.
In an interview with Rolling Stone in June 1984, Bob Dylan, when asked if he belonged to any church, joked that he adhered to the "Church of the Poison Mind".
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Bette Midler: Beast Of Burden - On Solid Gold – 1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
Bette Midler: Beast Of Burden - On Solid Gold – 1983 (My "Stereo Studio Sound" Re-Edit)
In 1984, the song was covered by Bette Midler. Her version, which reached No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100, modified several lines of lyric (for example, changing "Pretty, pretty, girls" to "my little sister is a pretty, pretty girl"). The track appeared on Midler's No Frills album.
Cash Box said that "Midler appropriately switches from sensitive to sassy vocal delivery" and that "the production is faithful to the original."
A music video was made for this version that started out with Midler and Mick Jagger talking in her dressing room before she comes out and performs the song with him on stage. As the song ends someone throws a pie at Jagger, and Midler laughs at it until she gets hit with a pie herself. The video ends with a picture of both of them covered in pie in a newspaper with the headline "Just desserts".
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