MFD Random Five #42

In which I click the shuffle icon on the iTunes app and listen to the first five songs that pop up from the years 1976-85.

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1. "Green Flower Street" by Donald Fagen (1982, Warner Bros.)
   The Nightfly is such a classic album and one of my all-time favorites. So much so that it certainly deserves its own post on this blog. In any case, this is the second tune on said album and has fun groove, great bridge, obscure lyrics, and a fantastic solo turn from Larry Carlton.


2. "One Step Over the Borderline" by Peter Allen (1980, A&M)
   From the wiki:

   Bi-Coastal is the sixth studio album released in 1980 by Australian singer and songwriter Peter Allen. [sic] The album is Allen's most successful and was produced by David Foster who also wrote many of its songs.  The album has become a classic with lovers of west coast pop music not because of the songs but for the use of musicians like Toto, Steve Lukather, Jay Graydon and others.

   I don't think Allen released six studio albums in 1980, but that's beside the point. Foster's hand is all over this song - just check out the bridge about two minutes in. And Graydon is evident from the get-go. I didn't come to this song/album until very recently and I'm not happy about the fact that I didn't find it when it was originally released.


3. "I'm Ready" by Bryan Adams (1983, A&M)
   Not released as a single, this Foreigner knock-off led side two of my Cuts Like a Knife cassette as I drove to and from my job at the local Burger King in 1983. Adams later released an "unplugged" version of this tune - I'm not at all interested in that one, but I dig this one.


4. "8th Avenue Shuffle" by The Doobie Brothers (1976, Warner Bros.)
   Deep cut from Takin' It to the Streets written by Patrick Simmons. Immediately identifiable as a Doobies tune, it's acceptable as far as filler goes, but it isn't a shuffle.


5. "Brass in Pocket" by The Pretenders (1980, Sire)
   A soft rock tune on an otherwise raucous debut album. Chrissy's lyrics show an extreme confidence and so help me I believe every word. Deserved a higher chart peak than #14, but a great way to end a shuffle. And now I'll grab The Nightfly and Pretenders CDs from the shelves for play during the morning commute. I suggest you do the same. 

1985 - The Golden Age of Soundtracks?

In 1985, 27 singles reached the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Of those 27, one-third came directly from movie or TV soundtracks.  That's 9 soundtrack singles and there's not even any Kenny Loggins on this list!!

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		"Crazy for You" Madonna #1 for one week, May 11  from the movie Vision Quest
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" Simple Minds #1 for one week, May 18 from the movie The Breakfast Club
		"Heaven" Bryan Adams #1 for two weeks, June 22-29 from the movie A Night in Heaven
"A View to a Kill" Duran Duran #1 for two weeks, July 13-20 from the movie A View to a Kill.
		"The Power of Love" Huey Lewis & the News #1 for two weeks, August 24-31 from the movie Back to the Future
"St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)" John Parr #1 for two weeks, September 7-14 from the movie St. Elmo's Fire
		"Miami Vice Theme" Jan Hammer #1 for one week, November 9 from the TV series Miami Vice
"Separate Lives" Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin #1 for one week, November 30 from the movie White Nights
		"Say You, Say Me" Lionel Richie #1 for four weeks, December 21, 1985 - January 11, 1986 from the movie White Nights

Interesting that the cover for the "Say You, Say Me" single states that it is the title song from White Nights.  Wha?  Wouldn't the title song be titled "White Nights"?  There I go nitpicking again.  Regardless of the song title, "Say You, Say Me" won the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 58th Academy Awards.

For the record, I don't like all of these, just the ones by Madonna, Simple Minds, Huey Lewis, and Jan Hammer.  I've never seen Vision Quest, A Night In Heaven, or White Nights.  Should I bother?

Other soundtrack hits from 1985 that didn't make the top spot include:

• "You Belong to the City" by Glenn Frey from Miami Vice  (peaked at #2)
• "The Heat is On" by Glenn Frey (#2), "Axel F" by Harold Faltermeyer (#3), and "Neutron Dance" by The Pointer Sisters (#6) from Beverly Hills Cop. 
• "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" by Billy Ocean from The Jewel of the Nile (#2)
• "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" by Tina Turner from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (#2)
• "Rhythm of the Night" by DeBarge from The Last Dragon (#3)
• "No More Lonely Nights" by Paul McCartney from Give My Regards to Broad Street (#6)
• "Spies Like Us" by Paul McCartney from Spies Like Us (#7)
• "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" by Cyndi Lauper from The Goonies (#10)
• "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire" by David Foster from St. Elmo's Fire (#15)
• "To Live and Die in L.A." by Wang Chung from To Live and Die in L.A. (#41)
• "Into the Groove" by Madonna from Desperately Seeking Susan (surprisingly never released as a single)

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