A great man once said “I've been driving in my car, it's not quite a Jaguar, I bought it in primrose hill from a bloke from Brazil, it was made in fifty-nine in a factory by the Tyne”. Very moving words and… we'll get back to that later. Now it's time for us to do something we haven't done in ages, which is the old charts review. As always, let's start with the UK Top 10 songs on a week like this one, 28 years ago… if you reverse that figure it will be 82, which is exactly the year we are talking about here – good on you. At number 10 it was Sir Cliff Richard, long before he was knighted, with the song “The Only Way Out”. Surprisingly, on that track he explained that “the only way out is the only way in”. Very confusing. Could you please show him the exit door? It's the second one on the right. Speaking of “second”, in 1967 Motown legends Smokey Robinson and the Miracles had a big hit with a number called “I Second that Emotion” and 15 years later the British band Japan was at number nine with a cover of that same song. Ironically, Japan's singer David Sylvian also worked with Japanese musician, composer and music producer Ryuichi Sakamoto! “Stool Pigeon” in slang means an informer who works for the police. Yes, some people would sell their mothers to get something in return. American group Kid Creole & the Coconuts scandalised that unpleasant backstabber at eight. An informer is definitely not a shy person, unlike the young man British trio Bananarama sang about, claiming that he is a “Shy Boy”. The three girls discussed his character at number seven. One place higher it was yes, yes, yes. No, no, no, I don't mean I approve of what you're doing by giving you a triple yes, but since yes in Russian means “da” so “Da Da Da” means “Yes Yes Yes”. Let's postpone the translation lesson now because I have to tell you that the three “das” song was performed by Trio – a German group! This sounds more like the United Nations – a German trio, having a hit with a Russian title in the UK this very same track is still used in commercials everywhere. Some things start with a punch, a fight, or maybe a kick and others are more sentimental, as British band Hot Chocolate explained. This love affair was special because “It Started With A Kiss”… but then it ended miserably – at the end singer Errol Brown kept shouting at the girl who kissed him “you don't remember me, do you?”. She walked away as he stood with his band at number five. Maybe she even drove away with the British band Madness, who showed off singing “Driving in My Car”. So the car took Madness to number four and now you know where the opening bars at the beginning of this article came from! No one should regret losing a girl like that. If I were in Hot Chocolate's place I would never scream “Don't Go”… but Yazoo did and begging got them to number three. Yazoo of course was a brilliant British pop duo consisting of Alison Moyet and Vince Clark. Did I say “brilliant”? OK, I'll say it again about the number two track – Irene Cara's “Fame”. This has got to be one of the best songs EVER. Taken from a TV hit sitcom, based on the movie with the same name, in which Irene starred, this track won the Best Original Song Academy Award when it was first released. I'll go get some sleep now and I'll resume this conversation later. Good night. Zzzzzzzzzz. That's me snoring! Good morning... I woke up and “Come on Eileen” was on the radio. This song wasn't only on top of the chart 28 years ago, but it was also the best selling single of the year. In addition to this, it was recorded by what is arguably the act with the longest name – Dexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express Featuring Kevin Rowland. Is this their name or their address? In case it's an address, it must have been in Great Britain, because this act is British. Another country that gave us good songs that year was the US of A, where you would have found American band REO Speedwagon at 10, if you were 28 years early, singing “Keep the Fire Burnin'”. Fire? In that weather? I'll try to escape the heat by spending sometime at one of The Motels, which is also the name of the American band that was at nine with “Only the Lonely”. This has nothing to do with Roy Orbison's hit with the same name. It's eight – number eight and it might also be eight o'clock. In the summer we sometimes get a cool breeze during the day, but Australian band Air Supply assured us that “Even the Nights Are Better”. Judging by the band's name, its members should know better about the weather. I've known you for a long time and I know that “you were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I met you” and British band the Human League confirmed it on the number seven song “Don't You Want Me?”. So you didn't work as a waitress? OK, I apologise, although it's very “Hard to Say I'm Sorry”. Chicago felt the same way on the number six song. By the way, this track was brilliantly covered 15 years later by fellow American group Az Yet and one of their remixes featured the singing of Chicago's Peter Cetera on the song's bridge. Nowadays you can do almost anything in a studio. It's like magic. Just say “Abracadabra” and you might find yourself at number five with American act Steve Miller Band. It's time for me to act just like Bananarama's man – I'll play the “Shy Boy”. British-American band Fleetwood Mac asked me for a very embarrassing favor by saying “Hold Me”!!! OK, I don't mind holding the two beautiful ladies… As for the guys, I'll pass. I had to run away from number four, because turning down Fleetwood Mac's offer hurts so bad, although American rocker John Cougar claimed it “Hurts So Good”, at three! One notch higher was “Rosanna” by American band Toto. Rumor has it that the song was written about actress Rosanna Arquette, who was previously in a relationship with Toto's keyboardist Steve Porcaro. Now I have to go and win a match to become the World Champion. First I have to beat Rocky, so I'll work out to the sound of another American rock band, called Survivor, as they sing “Eye of the Tiger”. This chart topper was of course taken from “Rocky III” soundtrack and was also especially written for that movie upon Sylvester Stallone's request. Ironically, it was rumored that he wanted to use a song by Queen and when he couldn't he settled for “Eye of the Tiger”, which became a monster hit. A great man once said "send me your emails” to: [email protected]
