MFD Not-So-Random Five #20

In which I select five songs from 1976-1985 based on an arbitrary theme. (Not to be confused with this blog's Random Five feature, a different exercise in arbitrariness). Today's theme: 1985 singles that just missed the Billboard Top 40.

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1. "To Live and Die in L.A." by Wang Chung (peaked at #41)
   This movie theme fared better on the Rock charts, peaking at #21, and previously on this blog where it was named the 26th best single of 1985. Ominous and driving, this dense dance tune perfectly captures the mood of the film (disclaimer: I've only seen the first 30 minutes of the movie).


2. "We Close Our Eyes" by Go West (peaked at #41)
   This dance track peaked at #5 on the dance chart and #15 on my 85 of '85 list. What a synth hook! That thing hits you in the face about 7 seconds in. Lots of over-produced synth hits, pads, and effects throughout - the producer (Gary Stevenson) was having fun trying to be Trevor Horn. All this over a driving, danceable, eighth note beat. And then we get a nice bridge that goes right back into that sweet synth hook.


3. "You Wear It Well" by El DeBarge with DeBarge (peaked at #46)
   The third single from the Rhythm of the Night album. That synth chord progression at the intro and then things go up a notch in the pre-chorus. Guitar solo from Jesse Johnson of The Time. While it didn't make the Top 40, it did top the Billboard Dance chart and peaked at #7 R&B. Sounds like something from a club scene in an episode of Miami Vice, but instead was relegated to The Facts of Life with a disinterested George Clooney:
   
   


4. "Black Cars" by Gino Vannelli (peaked at #42)
   I had always thought of Vannelli as a soft rocker and then I heard this tune. It peaked at #34 rock and #15 dance, while I placed it at #50 for the year. Lots of guitar and synth hooks and while the drum sound dates it a bit, there's no denying this thing is danceable. Speaking of dancing, in the summer of 1985, I was home from college working during the day and trying to enjoy my nights. One night, I was hanging out with a high school buddy (who I'll call Brent) when he got a phone call from another friend (who I'll call Steve) inviting us to a party where we were promised the presence of girls. Lots of girls. What 19-year-old boy could refuse? Brent and I traveled to some local apartments where we met Steve. As luck would have it, we were the only 3 males in a sea of females. I soon found out why - we were at a bachelorette party and Steve was the "entertainment." When he started dancing/stripping, I got uncomfortable and left. The song Steve chose to dance to? Gino Vannelli's Black Cars.


5. "20/20" by George Benson (peaked at #48)
   In which Benson tries his best to sound like Al Jarreau. In other words, this was squarely in my wheelhouse in 1985. Fairly generic with a DMX drum machine, saved at the end with a vocalized guitar solo from Benson. It was good enough to peak at #15 R&B and #15 AC while placing at #82 for the year for me.

AT40, May 26, 1984 [Part 1 of 4]

Let's travel back and take a look at the American Top 40 episode for May 26, 1984 track by track.

Your humble blogger's high school campus, ca. 1984.
It is scheduled for demolition next summer.

I didn't choose this episode at random. I graduated high school on the evening of May 25, 1984 (more on that here), stayed up most of the night at the beach (and other places) with friends, then spent the next day at Astroworld riding rides before seeing Billy Idol in concert that evening. After that, I most likely slept for the entirety of Sunday, so odds are very poor that I heard this episode when it originally aired.

While he wasn't present at my high school graduation (to my knowledge), Casey Kasem took the weekend off and did not host AT40 on this date. Filling in was "permanent sub" at the time, Charlie Van Dyke. During the 1980's, Van Dyke hosted the show a record 31 times. At the time, Van Dyke was working for KTAR in Phoenix.

Charlie Van Dyke

As was the custom back then, Charlie starts the show by counting down the top three songs from the preceding week. He only mentions last week's number 3 tune, "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins, over the introduction to the #2 song, "Let's Hear It For The Boy" by Deniece Williams. Next, Charlie plays last week's #1: "Hello" by Lionel Richie.  (Spoiler alert: "Hello" had been at #1 for two weeks at this point, but wouldn't make it to three.) Then it's on with the countdown:

#40: "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)" by Icicle Works. The first of four debuts this week, Charlie intros this group by stating they are from Liverpool, England, as are acts such as Gerry and The Pacemakers, A Flock of Seagulls, and The Beatles. This only reached #37 in 4 weeks in the Top 40. Shoulda been a bigger hit. AT40 uses a less familiar (too me at least) version of the tune.

Four tunes dropped from the Top 40 this week:

• "A Fine Fine Day" by Tony Carey (dropping from 33 to 54)
• "White Horse" by Laid Back (26 to 51)
• "Miss Me Blind" by Culture Club (25 to 52)
• "Tonight" by Kool & The Gang (20 to 49)

#39: "Magic" by The Cars. The second of the four debuts, this would go on to peak at #12 on July 7.  I only liked two songs from the Heartbeat City album - "Hello Again" and this song. It's a great tune for driving around with the windows down. To be honest, I was driving a 1973 Ford Maverick with no A/C at the time, so windows up wasn't really an option. We'll hear from The Cars again a little later in the countdown.

#38: "Dance Hall Days" by Wang Chung. Another debut. Charlie states this is the group's second Top 40 hit and you could knock me over with a feather because I have no memory of "Don't Let Go" charting. I always liked this song when it came on the radio, especially the mysterious way the vocals were put way down in the mix. However, I wouldn't pick up the album until 2013. My mistake. This single would spend 10 weeks in the Top 40, peaking at #16.

"American Top 40 is heard in the 50 states and around the world on great radio stations like:"

• WKXY - Sarasota Florida
• KSTC - Sterling, Colorado
• Armed Forces Radio

#37: "No More Words" by Berlin. The biggest dropper in the countdown, falling 13 spots. I liked this one enough not to switch the radio station when it came on, but not enough to buy a copy. I still haven't heard the entire Love Life album.

#36: "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce Springsteen. Not only debuting in the Top 40, this song debuts in the Hot 100 this week here at #36. Guest host Charlie Van Doren tells the oft-repeated story of Springsteen appearing on the covers of Time and Newsweek magazines in October 1975. 

Bruce released this single and suddenly all us new wavers were Springsteen fans. "Hey! You can dance to this thing!" This tune would later spend four weeks at #2, being kept out of the top spot by "The Reflex" and "When Doves Cry."

Note: this week would start an incredible 97 week run of singles on the Billboard Hot 100 from the Born in the USA album:

click chart to enlarge

"Coming up: a story about a modern version of the most famous haircut in history."

#35: "Love Will Show Us How" by Christine McVie. If I had been paying attention in 1984, I would have found somebody with a copy of this album and dubbed a cassette tape. The singles, this one included, are catchy as hell.

#34: "Modern Day Delilah" by Van Stephenson. Charlie recaps the biblical tale of Sampson and Delilah briefly before playing this tune, which I have no memory of hearing in 1984 and maybe only a few times since, including today. It spent 10 weeks on the chart, peaking at #22.

#33: "Eyes Without a Face" by Billy Idol. Did I mention I saw Billy Idol in concert on May 26, 1984? I thought I might have. The song is good, but the bridge/guitar solo is great (and terribly truncated for this AT40). It was Idol's first top 10 tune, peaking at #4 during it's 14 week chart run. It brings back memories of a school band trip we took to Southern California not long after graduation. It never rained while we were there.

Your humble blogger performing at Disneyland, June 1984

#32: "My Ever Changing Moods" by The Style Council. Proving that Culture Club didn't have a monopoly on Motown-derived tunes. I dig it but, like the aforementioned "Modern Day Delilah," this didn't get much airplay in the Houston market. The group's only Top 40 hit, this single spent 6 weeks on AT40, peaking at #29.

--end of hour one--

#31: "It's My Life" by Talk Talk. "It's My Life" is not only my favorite Talk Talk song, it's one of my favorite songs of the '80s. Unfortunately, it's also the group's only US Top 40 single. I liked it from the get-go and bought the album not long after hearing this single for the first time. It peaked here at #31 in only 6 weeks in the Top 40. You know what I going to say about that: too low and too few.

Billboard, May 26, 1984, p. 60

More to come...