REMEMBER WHEN - 24TH MAY 1980

1980
Week 21
WEEK ENDING 24TH MAY 1980

TOP 40 SINGLES

TW	LW
1	1	Johnny Logan	What's Another Year
2	6	Hot Chocolate	No Doubt About It
3	5	Michael Jackson	She's Out Of My Life
4	4	Beat	Mirror In The Bathroom
5	2	Dexy's Midnight Runners	Geno
6	23	Mash	Theme From Mash (Suicide Is Painless)
7	18	Roxy Music	Over You
8	7	Jimmy Ruffin	Hold On To My Love
9	8	Narada Michael Walden	I Shoulda Loved Ya
10	NEW	Gary Numan	We Are Glass
11	3	Paul McCartney	Coming Up
12	13	Nolans	Don't Make Waves
13	20	Whitesnake	Fool For Your Loving
14	11	Rodney Franklin	The Groove
15	10	David Essex	Silver Dream Machine
16	19	Kate Bush	Breathing
17	17	Average White Band	Let's Go Round Again
18	NEW	Specials	Rat Race / Rude Boys Outa Jail
19	25	Crown Heights Affair	You Gave Me Love
20	12	Motorhead	Golden Years (EP)
21	15	Sky	Tocatta
22	16	Bobby Thurston	Check Out The Groove
23	37	Jermaine Jackson	Let's Get Serious
24	24	Mystic Merlin	Just Can't Give You Up
25	NEW	Lipps Inc	Funky Town
26	33	Matchbox	Midnight Dynamos
27	30	Jona Lewie	You'll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties
28	40	Don McLean	Crying
29	9	Undertones	My Perfect Cousin
30	21	Cockney Rejects	The Greatest Cockney Rip Off
31	22	Ruts	Staring At The Rude Boys
32	39	UK Subs	Teenage
33	29	Bad Manners	Ne-Ne-Na-Na-Na-Na-Nu-Nu
34	NEW	Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway	Back Together Again
35	38	Junior Murvin	Police And Thieves
36	26	Four Bucketeers	The Bucket Of Water Song
37	14	Blondie	Call Me
38	27	Saxon	Wheels Of Steel
39	NEW	Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark	Messages
40	32	New Musik	This World Of Water

Johnny Logan

What's Another Year

This was the Eurovision Song Contest winner of 1980 and was the first of three consecutive years where the Eurovision winning song was to go on to top the UK charts. This was on top for (you've guessed it) two weeks. I have to admit that I like this song and it doesn't really sound like a typical Eurovision thing.

Hot Chocolate

No Doubt About It

Hot Chocolate had failed to make the top 40 at all in 1979 (they'd stopped just short a couple of times though) for the first year since they made their first appearance in 1970. "No Doubt About It" put them back in the picture with it's eventual number two placing. It was apparently written after vocalist 'Errol Brown' had an encounter with visitors from outer space. I'm only repeating what he said, besides I personally know someone who's also seen a UFO, so there :-P.

Michael Jackson

She's Out Of My Life

First things first, yes, it is a good song and deserved to reach number three. BUT, Michael's performance in the promo made me cringe. Were we really expected to believe that he was genuinely crying because of the song ?
It wasn't as if it would have been the first time he heard the song would it ?

Beat

Mirror In The Bathroom

Another song that reminds me of Saturday afternoons in the Duke Of Wellington pub. It's also (in my opinion) the best single that the Beat released. It reached number four, and a re-mix hit number 44 in 1996.

Dexy's Midnight Runners

Geno

Dexy's Midnight Runners had been to number 40 in February with their previous single "Dance Stance". This time they made it to the opposite end of the top 40 and spent two weeks there. A strange fact about 1980 is that 14 of the 24 number ones this year resided at the top for two weeks.

Mash

Theme From Mash (Suicide Is Painless)

I didn't like the film, I didn't like the TV show either, but this was alright. There didn't seem to be a good reason for releasing it as a single some ten years after the event, but it turned out to be a very wise decision. Two weeks after entering at number 23, it was spending the first of three weeks at number one.
But they were lying. I tried to cut my wrists with broken glass and it hurt. Explanation - I was drunk and on/off girlfriend Bridget wouldn't speak to me at a party, so I left and found some broken glass. YES, I still feel a bit of a dickhead when I think about that incident. It was three years later before I tried it for real.

Roxy Music

Over You

Adequate single from the 'Flesh And Blood' album. Best listened to in the summertime, reached number five.

Jimmy Ruffin

Hold On To My Love

Jimmy Ruffin was on the comeback trail with this Bee Gees produced, Robin Gibb/Blue Weaver written song. This first hit in six years reached number seven, but no further singles charted.
The women allways selected this on the Duke Jukebox.

Narada Michael Walden

I Shoulda Loved Ya

Narada Michael Walden was having his second top 40 hit of the year, and climbed to number eight with "I Shoulda Loved Ya". Personally I preferred his previous single "Tonight I'm Alright".
He would have to wait eight years for his next hit. He was still kept busy with a lot of production work for other artists throughout that time.

Gary Numan

We Are Glass

The last Gary Numan single to make the top five, and the last one from him that I rushed out and bought in the week of release. Upon entering at number ten, it looked like a future number one, but it stalled at number five the following week.

Paul McCartney

Coming Up

Paul McCartney was having his biggest hit since the 1977 number one "Mull Of Kintyre". Surprisingly, despite climbing from number 62 to number 7, and then climbing to two, it progressed no further. The B side of this single was a live version of the A side and was released as the A side in the States, where it climbed to number one. Note that Paul was now solo and not going under the banner of 'Wings'.
It has been reported that this song prompted John Lennon to return to recording as Paul had finally "done something good".

Nolans

Don't Make Waves

This was the third of the eight top 40 hits enjoyed by the Nolans. "Don't Make Waves" reached number 12, but wasn't a patch on "I'm In The Mood For Dancing"

Whitesnake

Fool For Your Loving

Whitesnake were making their top 40 debut with this, and it peaked at number 13 . This sounded not unlike the recent Rainbow hit "All Night Long". I wonder why this was so :>
In a Record Mirror interview at the time, Whitesnake leader "David Coverdale" said something along the lines of "If I ever see Ritchie Blackmore (Rainbow) again, I'll kick his head in".
I mentioned this to Rainbow fan Martin Roberts (one day older than me) in the Vaults pub one Saturday afternoon. He replied that Rainbow were better than Whitesnake. No, I didn't get it either.

Rodney Franklin

The Groove

Rodney Franklin won the battle of the 'Groove' records when his single "The Groove" peaked at number seven. If my memory isn't playing tricks, this single was connected to a short lived dance craze called 'The Freeze' (as was the Bobby Thurston single).

David Essex

Silver Dream Machine

David Essex was back with his first top ten hit in almost two years with the title song from his latest movie "Silver Dream Racer". This one peaked at number four. These days David seems to concentrate solely on cover versions, his recent albums being collections of such. If only David was a skinhead with a few scars on his face and spoke about his music being his 'art', instead of being a happy pretty loveable chappy, then he may still have been having hits today.

Kate Bush

Breathing

This was Kate's first new material in 18 months and I found it slightly disappointing. It reached number 16.

Average White Band

Let's Go Round Again

Average White Band were in the top 40 for the first time in Four years. "Let's go Round Again" got as high as number 12, then they vanished again. This song was later a hit all over again when recorded by 'Louise' in 1997.

Specials

Rat Race / Rude Boys Outa Jail

The fourth hit single for the Specials, and one that was involved in a chart battle with Gary Numan's "We Are Glass" in it's first week of release. Fifteen years or so later, these two singles would have entered the chart in the top two positions. But in 1980, debuts inside the top twenty weren't too commonplace, let alone the top five. While Gary entered at number ten, this entered at a respectable number 18. But the contest was deemed a draw as this matched the eventual number five peak of Mr Numan's single.

Crown Heights Affair

You Gave Me Love

And this was another of those great disco singles sounded good on the radio, great in the clubs and made you feel happy. It reached number ten.
This song was sampled by Utah Saints on "Believe In Me" in 1993 (I liked that too).

Motorhead

Golden Years (EP)

Motorhead entered at their highest chart position to date (#23) with "Golden Years EP", and they rose to number eight the following week before falling. The lead track was "Dead Men Tell No Tales". I've never been a buyer of Motorhead albums, but have liked a few of their singles. So when they toured in the Spring of '82, I went along to Deeside Leisure Centre to see them (ticket cost 4 pounds). The support bands, 'Tank' & 'Raven' were quite good (I think 'Budgie' were on too), but apart from the familiar songs Motorhead were just an endless barrage of noise. I spent most of their set in the refreshment area.

Sky

Tocatta

Sky were a band of mainly ex session men. The band included Classical Guitarist John Williams,Bassman Herbie Flowers and Guitarist Kevin Peek. They fused Classical music with rock, and this number five peaking track was their only hit single. They had four top ten albums though, including the number one "Sky 2".

Bobby Thurston

Check Out The Groove

Bobby Thurston was having his only hit with the number ten peaking "Check Out The Groove". A popular song in discos, but nothing too special about it otherwise.

Jermaine Jackson

Let's Get Serious

One of the biggest disco singles of a great year for disco. It sounded great on the radio, and magnificent in the clubs, especially the 12 inch. It beat anything by Michael that year hands down. Reached number eight.

Mystic Merlin

Just Can't Give You Up

This was just another of those disco songs that happened to be there and that was it. It sounds ok now, but I'd probably have a different opinion if I was hearing it everyday. It reached number 20.

Lipps Inc

Funky Town

This single doesn't seem to be held in very high regard these days. I still like it myself and think that it was a deserved number two smash, very typical of the era. But, there was an awful cover of it by Pseudo Echo that reached number eight in 1987.

Matchbox

Midnite Dynamos

They claimed to be the "Midnite Dynamos". Can't think of a much better place for them, than dangerously close to the spokes of the back wheel of a bike. It reached number 14, but they did get better after this one.

Jona Lewie

You'll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties

I don't know whether I should call this number 16 peaking hit a novelty record or not. It was bearable anyway. It was also the first time that many will have seen Kirsty MacColl on Top Of The Pops as she was one of Jona's backing singers. I don't know whether she was on the actual recording though.
Kirsty and the other girl backing singer used to do a funny dance about two thirds of the way through the song. Steven Jones used to take great delight in persuading me to do it after a few pints as it played on the Vaults jukebox (maybe that was the real reason for the "Mash" thing).

Don McLean

Crying

Excellent cover of the Roy Orbison minor hit from 1961, but I did get fed up of it after a while. It spent three weeks at number one.

Undertones

My Perfect Cousin

The Undertones were having their biggest ever hit with the number nine peaking "My Perfect Cousin". As many will know, John Peel was a very big fan of this band. I thought that to be quite unusual considering how lightweight I considered the band to be (not that I think there's anything wrong with being lightweight), but hey John liked Sheena Easton too !
A unique thing about this particular song was the fact that the 'Human League' were mentioned in the lyrics even though they had only made their top 75 debut this very week with the "Holiday 80" double single, which would fail to reach the top 40.

Cockney Rejects

The Greatest Cockney Rip Off

The Cockney Rejects growled about "The Greatest Cockney Rip Off" as they climbed to number 21. I think I got it, they were ripping off Sham 69 weren't they ?
Bloody awful anyway.

Ruts

Staring At The Rude Boys

The Ruts were having the last of their three hits in the 79/80 period. "Staring At The Rude Boys" peaked at number 22 and wasn't a bad song at all.

UK Subs

Teenage

Yes, they were still around. This ws the fifth time in less than a year that the UK Subs had a single peak in the lower half of the forty (#32 this time). I don't remember how this goes, but I'm almost certain I liked it. I think it's time that I bought that UK Subs compilation CD.

Bad Manners

Ne-Ne-Na-Na-Na-Na-Nu-Nu

Bad Manners were having the first of nine top 40 hits they would have over a two year period, and peaked at number 28. It was predominantly an instrumental track with ne-ne etc. repeated many times by a bald fat bloke, complete rubbish really.

Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway

Back Together Again

This was Roberta's first top ten hit since "Killing Me Softly With His Song" had reached number six in 1973. It was Donny's only UK hit ever, but he hadn't lived to enjoy it. It was one of the sounds of that summer and peaked at number three.
Inner City reached number 49 with their cover of this in 1993.

Junior Murvin

Police And Thieves

I wasn't very keen on the version that the Clash did on their debut album. I liked this even less. It reached number 23.

Four Bucketheads

The Bucket Of Water Song

Put Chris Tarrant, Sally James, John Gorman (of the Scaffold), and Bob Carolgees (with Spit The Dog) together, and you're hardly likely to come up with "Nights In White Satin" are you ?
Most novelty singles such as "Agadoo", "Y Viva Espania", "The Birdie Song", etc whether we like them or not, are excellent songs in their given field, and we can understand how they became such big hits. But this wasn't very good in any field and it's difficult to understand why it was even released, let alone reach number 26.
And yes Chris, that is my final answer.

Blondie

Call Me

This was their second number one of the year and fourth in total. This one only stayed on top for a week, but managed six weeks in the USA. It was produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder, and taken from the soundtrack of the awful film 'American Gigolo. They would complete their hat trick for the year in November.

Saxon

Wheels Of Steel

Saxon were one of the 'New Wave' of metal bands and were having their very first hit, with the number 20 peaking "Wheels Of Steel". The identically titled album wasn't bad either.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

Messages

The first hit for a band that would continue to chart right to the end of the following decade. Great name for a band, and a great debut hit (even though they did better it a few times). It reached number 13.
Twenty years later vocalist Andy McCluskey was the man behind girl group 'Atomic Kitten'.

New Musik

This World Of Water

New Musik were having the second of their three top 40 hits this year, but this one only reached number 31, a far cry from the number 13 peak of their previous hit "Living By Numbers". I preferred this one myself.

Disclaimer All comments concerning the quality of the songs in this and any other chart, are purely my opinion and not a statement of fact. I believe that we are all equal when it comes to deciding what makes a good song. I do not believe that good songs have to be serious or dull. I am of the opinion that if a single sells many copies, then many people like it, so it must be good whether I like it or not. Good music is everything YOU like, and it's also everything I like.

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Email: nige@innotts.co.uk

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