Click for links to Series 5, Series 4,  Series 3, Series 2, and Series 1 and a quick study of #2 songs

June does not have as many new additions as May. A number of those songs had pretty long runs at the top. Either way, I am happy to not have 28 new entries or whatever.

“Coming Up” by Paul McCartney (1980) – This was McCartney’s last number one song, this song actually had a pretty interesting history. It was released in the States as a single with a live version from Glasgow as the B-Side. Indeed, it was the live version of the song which got more radio airplay and traction. Indeed, putting the original single side by side with McCartney doing it live shows it. It’s a lot better as a live song – faster, more energetic – the vocal filtering in the record version just doesn’t work. (31 points)

SINGLE:

LIVE:

“Stars on 45 Medley” by Stars on 45 (1981) – Okay, last time I talked about Sheena Easton’s “Morning Train” as the strangest number one of the decade – I retract. This medley of old hits – a dance mix I presume – is the strangest. I am not sure if this is supposed to be a precursor to stuff like DJ Shadow or not, but it seems too clunky for that. It feels like a Wedding DJ performance as much as anything. The nice thing is that they play a lot of cool old songs. But come on – listening to it now, it is hard that it was a major single, let alone a #1. (24 points)

“Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper (1984) – There is a lot of real solid 80s markers here. The hairstyle, the story-video. This was the number one from Lauper’s She’s So Unusual album – and of course it’s a ballad. But – it’s a good one, an unusually well written one. Also – while Lauper had a distinctive look and seemed like a pop creation – she really can sing. (“I Drove All Night” from 1989 is my favorite example of this) This song decidedly holds up (37 points)

“The Reflex” by Duran Duran (1984) – Hoo boy. Duran Duran’s first #1 song – which made it I believe as a hyped “first single from a new album” thing which comes up quite a bit. There is nothing about this video or song that doesn’t seem dated and trapped in the 1980s. It reminds me of an amusing story Greg Proops told on his The Smartest Man in the World (which I recommend you avail yourself of) podcast about seeing them recently. Simon Le Bron, even at his advanced age is basically the same guy – including flashing his tongue to the audience – yuck! Of course bassist John Taylor seems to have stopped aging. What this is a long way of saying that while this is a fairly unremarkable Duran Duran song compared to others – it is quite the time capsule. (34 points)

“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears (1985) – Pretty clearly one of the best known songs of the decade. It has had a lot of staying power since – it was the theme to Dennis Miller Live for years. The Songs from the Big Chair album was a massive seller in 1985, and this is the more durable of the two number ones, although “Shout” is plenty good. (41 points)

“Heaven” by Bryan Adams (1985) – Oh, the heartstrings are tugged. This ballad (there is that word again) was the number one from Adams’ Reckless album. This is typical stuff – not terrible, but more terrible when you see how it opened up his career to much more atrocious stuff (see Robin Hood). (31 points)

“Live To Tell” by Madonna (1986) – Both featured on Madonna’s True Blue album and the film At Close Range, which starred her husband-at-the-time Sean Penn, listening to this now feels like constant droning. This is a long enough post – life is short. It did remind me that they were married though, and made a bad movie together.

“On My Own” by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald (1986) – Really, it is inconceivable that a song like this would even be a major release now – let alone a number one. LaBelle and McDonald were big names – but clearly more adult contemporary now, than the exceedingly young pop stars of now. They weren’t has-beens – but they both achieved fame in the 1970s. But here is a duet, recorded in different cities – with LaBelle’s distinctive voice and McDonald’s rather glorious beard. But there is not much distinctive otherwise. (25 points)

“You Keep Me Hanging On” by Kim Wilde (1987) – One of the very few British solo women to ever have a number one, Kim Wilde actually had a big international hit in 1981 with “Kids in America”, which is probably more famous now than this. Of course, this is a cover of The Supremes classic – one of the best Motown songs of them all. Of course, Wilde covers it in a frankly, very archetypally 1980s way. It is a corruption of a Motown classic – no doubt – but thankfully the song itself is good enough to pull this through. (29 points)

“Always” by Atlantic Starr (1987) – First of all, Atlantic Starr sounds like a tech startup – not an 80s R&B group. One thing that is interesting for the genre is the co-ed leads. Usually, now a slow jam would be a male singer covered in sweat singing something to try to get the ladies to feel his muscles. So in that vein, this is a much different sort of ballad. But – it’s another easy listening sort of ballad which was amazingly successful in the decade, and I am trying not to nod off here. This is a hard genre to score high for me – but this might actually be better than I am going to give it credit for, but sorry. (26 points)

“Head to Toe” by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam (1987) – Ah, this is more like it. I was about to fall asleep after the run of ballads before this. Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam was a freestyle band who had a couple of number ones in 1987, this being the first. In aesthetic, pacing, and hook – this is clearly something which is a time capsule from the mid 80s. Seriously, I’m talking about right down to the solid mulletude sported all around, including the afro-style ones. This is the sort of song which is hard to resist – even as I can call it trifle. (34 points)

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” by Whitney Houston (1987) – As the first single from Whitney Houston’s follow-up to her star making debut, this song did not really even have to be good to get to the top of the charts. (indeed, later is a terrific example of this) As you can discern from this series – I cannot discuss Whitney rationally. The songs are trifle – and she largely did not write them. And I have given thumbs down to songs like this before – but the performer really matters. Seriously (to paraphrase Bill Simmons), when you watch shows like American Idol or The Voice or any other extrusion, basically television has a subgenre dedicated essentially to finding Whitney Houston again. (36 points)

“Together Forever” by Rick Astley (1988) – The non-RickRoll of Astley’s two trips to the top of the chart, I actually like this song better. I remember it being one of the preset sequences on a keyboard we owned when I was a kid, and indeed the hook is really really catchy. The heavy production and heaping spoonfulls of bells and keyboards is very typical of some of the really successful Britpop of the decade, whether it be this stuff or Swing Out Sister, and stuff like that. Everything about this – the video with the overexposed filter, so they look even pastier than in real life – takes me back. It is an immensely charming, very dated piece. (37 points)

“Foolish Beat” by Debbie Gibson (1988) – Bless her heart, Debbie Gibson did write her own songs, which put her above Tiffany in the “mall pop” battle which took place in 1987-88 when they both burst on the scene. “Could’ve Been” by Tiffany was one of the worst #1 songs of the decade. And of course, for Gibson – it took … wait for it … a soppy ballad to get her first #1. But this is decidedly better than Tiffany, and as a self-written expression of teenage mopiness, I give some credit. It’s not especially simpering considering – which is a relief. Extra credit for the prominent sax solo, which really is something you don’t get anymore. (30 points)

“Rock On” by Michael Damian (1989) – A cover of David Essex’s 1973 hit, one of the worst pop songs of the 1970s, Michael Damian – who if I recall correctly, was on a soap opera at the time – delivers a cover which, while awful, is probably about as good as you can do with this song. That said, Essex had the excuse of doing the song first, where it might have been considered experimental. Either way, this song being made to service Dream A Little Dream, the terrible two Coreys film, is all too appropriate. (20 points)

“Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler (1989) – This is one of those songs which I have to grudgingly acknowledge is well written, from a Bert Bachrach “hitmaker” sort of perspective. The song’s shelf life has been considerable – probably fairly. But, come on now. It is simpering, soppy, everything else – that it is a fairly good example of it is not enough for me to revisit this for my pleasure. (23 points)

“I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)” by New Kids on the Block (1989) – Oh dear. I guess we’d have to wrestle with this at some point. I have friends who attended their concert a couple of years ago (?) – still getting fired up, moaning for their favorite kid (probably somewhat hipster ironically, but still). The nostalgia is powerful – and certainly the stuff in 1989 came out right at the beginning of my time of being aware of this stuff. But I did not really like this much at the time. (I will have to confess to other songs though) But of course, this is the sort of boy band manufactured ballad to get – well, in Tom Jones, it would have involved having lingerie thrown at them. NKOTB was a legitimate phenomenon then of course, and this was their first #1 – and the first single to prominently feature Jordan Knight’s high voice. I’m not sure if that is a plus. (26 points)

“Satisfied” by Richard Marx (1989) – The first single from Richard Marx’s (at the time) long-awaited follow up to his very successful debut – this song did not have to be good to hit the top. There are a ton of parts from the “80s song parts” store – the guitar solo in particular. This song has not really aged well for me – although the guitar riff is catchier than I perceived when I listened to it again. But the sound – especially with the subtle organ in the back is pretty dated. At the same time, there is enough silly here, especially in the video – the mullet, the heavy bag at the beginning, Marx’s attempts to look hard – that to give some “good-bad-video” points. (32 points)

The score now, with half a year of #1s?  Of course, we have the rest of the summer to go – and I know (and you can probably identify) some songs which are pretty clearly going to hit pretty darn high here.

	Song	Artist
1	West End Girls	Pet Shop Boys
2	Kiss	Prince
3	With or Without You	U2
4	Beat It	Michael Jackson
5	Billie Jean	Michael Jackson
6	Rock With You	Michael Jackson
7	Father Figure	George Michael
8	Jump	Van Halen
9	Livin on a Prayer	Bon Jovi
10	Down Under	Men At Work
11	Faith	George Michael
12	How Will I Know	Whitney Houston
13	Like a Virgin	Madonna
14	The Tide Is High	Blondie
15	Centerfold	J Geils Band
16	(I Just) Died in Your Arms	Cutting Crew
17	Don’t You (Forget About Me)	Simple Minds
18	We Are the World	USA For Africa
19	Like A Prayer	Madonna
20	Greatest Love of All	Whitney Houston
21	Everybody Wants to Rule The World	Tears For Fears
22	Rapture	Blondie
23	Man in the Mirror	Michael Jackson
24	Careless Whisper	Wham featuring George Michael
25	Footloose	Kenny Loggins
26	Walk Like an Egyptian	Bangles
27	Karma Chameleon	Culture Club
28	I Love Rock and Roll	Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
29	Celebration	Kool and the Gang
30	So Emotional	Whitney Houston
31	Two Hearts	Phil Collins
32	Need You Tonight	INXS
33	Call Me	Blondie
34	Let’s Dance	David Bowie
35	Never Gonna Give You Up	Rick Astley
36	Together Forever	Rick Astley
37	Time After Time	Cyndi Lauper
38	Every Rose Has Its Thorn	Poison
39	My Prerogative	Bobby Brown
40	Got My Mind Set on You	George Harrison
41	Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car	Billy Ocean
42	Addicted to Love	Robert Palmer
43	Owner of a Lonely Heart	Yes
44	I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)	Whitney Houston
45	Forever Your Girl	Paula Abdul
46	Maneater	Darryl Hall and John Oates
47	Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2	Pink Floyd
48	Rock Me Amadeus	Falco
49	Chariots of Fire	Vangelis
50	Open Your Heart	Madonna
51	One More Try	George Michael
52	Wishing Well	Terrence Trent D’Arby
53	The Way You Make Me Feel	Michael Jackson
54	Say, Say, Say	Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
55	9 to 5	Dolly Parton
56	Straight Up	Paula Abdul
57	The Look	Roxette
58	Head to Toe	Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
59	The Reflex	Duran Duran
60	I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)	Aretha Franklin and George Michael
61	Flashdance … What a Feeling	Irene Cara
62	That’s What Friends Are For	Dionne Warwick
63	Physical	Olivia Newton John
64	I Can’t Go For That	Hall and Oates
65	I’ll Be There For You	Bon Jovi
66	Crazy Little Thing Called Love	Queen
67	Everything She Wants	Wham
68	Africa	Toto
69	Satisfied	Richard Marx
70	Coming Up	Paul McCartney
71	Come on Eileen	Dexy’s Midnight Runners
72	These Dreams	Heart
73	Anything For You	Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine
74	Heaven	Bryan Adams
75	Ebony and Ivory	Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder
76	The Living Years	Mike and the Mechanics
77	At This Moment	Billy Vera and the Beaters
78	Bette Davis Eyes	Kim Carnes
79	Foolish Beat	Debbie Gibson
80	She Drives Me Crazy	Fine Young Cannibals
81	Eternal Flame	The Bangles
82	Kyrie	Mr. Mister
83	Shake You Down	Gregory Abbott
84	You Keep Me Hangin On	Kim Wilde
85	Kiss Is On My List	Hall and Oates
86	Funkytown	Lipps, Inc
87	Let’s Hear It for the Boy	DeNiece Williams
88	Keep on Loving You	REO Speedwagon
89	Hello	Lionel Richie
90	I Love a Rainy Night	Eddie Rabbitt
91	Live to Tell	Madonna
92	I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)	New Kids on the Block
93	Lost in Your Eyes	Debbie Gibson
94	Say You, Say Me	Lionel Richie
95	Always	Atlantic Starr
96	Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now	Starship
97	(Just Like) Starting Over	John Lennon
98	On My Own	Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald
99	Crazy for You	Madonna
100	Seasons Change	Expose
101	Can’t Fight This Feeling	REO Speedwagon
102	One More Night	Phil Collins
103	I Want to Know What Love Is	Foreigner
104	Stars on 45 Medley	Stars on 45
105	Escape (The Pina Colada Song)	Rupert Holmes
106	Wind Beneath My Wings	Bette Midler
107	Sara	Starship
108	Lean on Me	Club Nouveau
109	Baby, Come to Me	Patti Austin and James Ingram
110	Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)	Phil Collins
111	Where Do Broken Hearts Go	Whitney Houston
112	Could’ve Been	Tiffany
113	Do That To Me One More Time	Captain and Tennille
114	Jacob’s Ladder	Huey Lewis and the News
115	Morning Train (Nine to Five)	Sheena Easton
116	When I’m With You	Sheriff
117	Rock On	Michael Damian
118	Please Don’t Go	KC and the Sunshine Band