REMEMBER WHEN - 28TH NOVEMBER1981

TW	.......	LW	.......		.......
1		1		Queen & David Bowie		Under Pressure
2		3		Julio Iglesias		Begin The Beguine
3		9		Earth Wind And Fire		Let's Groove
4		4		Haircut 100		Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)
5		13		Soft Cell		Bedsitter
6		5		O.M.D.		Joan Of Arc
7		19		Diana Ross		Why Do Fools Fall In Love
8		7		Olivia Newton John		Physical
9		2		Police		Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
10		12		Pretenders		I Go To Sleep
11		8		Rod Stewart		Tonight I'm Yours
12		17		Modern Romance		Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey
13		6		Four Tops		When She Was My Girl
14		18		Kool And The Gang		Steppin' Out
15		37		Cliff Richard		Daddy's Home
16		11		Altered Images		Happy Birthday
17		10		Squeeze		Labelled With Love
18		23		Ultravox		The Voice
19		26		ABC		Tears Are Not Enough
20		17		Fureys And Davey Arthur		When You Were Sweet Sixteen
21		30		Fun Boy Three		The Lunatics (Have Taken Over The Asylum)
22		22		Tweets		Birdie Song
23		NEW		Toyah		Four More From Toyah
24		32		Kim Wilde		Cambodia
25		31		Jets		Yes Tonight Josephine
26		NEW		Godley And Creme		Wedding Bells
27		29		Trevor Walters		Love Me Tonight
28		38		Imagination		Flashback
29		15		Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin		It's My Party
30		35		Spandau Ballet		Paint Me Down
31		36		George Benson		Turn Your Love Around
32		33		Japan		Visions Of China
33		25		Rush		Tom Sawyer
34		16		Elvis Costello		Good Year For The Roses
35		20		B.A.Robertson & Maggie Bell		Hold Me
36		NEW		Bad Manners		Buona Sera (Don't Be Angry)
37		NEW		Duran Duran		My Own Way
38		24		Barry Manilow		Let's Hang On
39		NEW		Boney M		We Kill The World (Don't Kill The World)
40		21		Human League		Open Your Heart

I think I expected something better from a collaboration by two of my favourite acts. After all these two acts had been responsible for "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Ashes To Ashes", so naturally I expected the best song ever recorded to hit the top of the chart and stay there until the following Easter at the very least. The problem is all mine for having impossible expectations, as this was in fact a very good single that fully deserved it's two week stay at number one.
This song was the victim of one of the worst crimes in the history of music, when in 1990 Vanilla Ice not only copied/sampled it, but also had the audacity to spend four weeks at number one with a shower of sh*te entitled "Ice Ice Baby". Not only that, he denied that it sounds anything like "Under Pressure", something to do with a "ding" being in a different place.

At the time this entered the chart I was shocked to hear that Julio was CBS-Columbia Records' biggest selling artist in the World at that time (I'd never heard of the bloke !). After hearing it a few times, this single grew on me and I think it was yet another fully deserved number one single (whatever it all meant). Julio's success in the singles chart then tapered off with just the odd hit here and there, but I believe he still sells a colossal amount of albums now.
I don't like his son's music much though.

Ironic that the biggest hit in the career of Earth Wind And Fire should also be their last major hit. It even looked as though it was going to make number one at one point. But Julio and Queen/Bowie kept it at bay the following week and it then started it's chart decline. It peaked at number three on both sides of the Atlantic.

Like many others, Haircut 100/Nick Heyward were a victim of the 'Little Girl Syndrome'. Despite recording some great singles they would never be taken seriously, and once the teen fans had moved on to other heartthrobs, there was no-one left to buy their records. This was their first hit and it spent two weeks at number four at the peak of it's short chart run of just eight weeks.

Not to be confused with their later single "Maid Of Orleans (The Waltz Joan Of Arc)", this third top ten hit in a year for 'OMD' peaked at number four. If you're still not sure of the difference (as this single is often overlooked), this is the one that starts with the line "Little Catholic Girl Has Fallen In Love", and not "Joan Of Arc Had A Heart".

The 1980-82 period was a good one for Diana. The preceding four years had not produced a top twenty single for her, but suddenly she never seemed to be away from the chart. This was her first single on 'Capitol Records' having just left 'Motown', and in reaching number four became the third highest charting single of her solo career. It was of course a cover of the 'Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers' number one from 1956 that had also been a hit for Alma Cogan. In the US chart it peaked at number seven.

This spent Ten weeks at number one in the States, but had to settle for number seven over here. On this track and particularly the video, Olivia seemed to be trying to portray some kind of sexy image. Instead she came across as being about as exciting as February. The song itself was one that drilled into the mind, wouldn't go away and made you feel like cutting your ears off to avoid hearing it again. I can't begin to imagine how much our American friends suffered. The rest of the album was quite good though (my sister bought it).

In reaching number one for one week, this single peaked one place higher than the much superior "Invisible Sun". It was taken from the disappointing 'Ghost In The Machine' album and it almost seemed as though they were deliberately trying to make a happy song in direct contrast to most of their previous offerings. In America it peaked at number three

Rod's chart positions had been disappointing during the previous three years, but he returned to chart form with this magnificent number eight peaking single. It was accompanied by a 'Look everyone's having fun' video, a video that had a fair few mentions in national newspapers before it was even broadcast on TV.

This was their first top ten hit since "Simple Game" had reached number three in 1971. It also peaked at number three and was their first hit for 'Casablanca Records'. I thought that it was similar not only in title but also in sound, to the O'Jays hit "Use Ta Be My Girl" from 1978. Over in the States it peaked at number eleven.

This single had flopped when recorded by 'Jermaine Jackson' in 1973, just as it had when recorded by 'Shep And The Limelites' 12 years before that (though both hit the US top ten). So it hardly had the pedigree to become a hit by Cliff or anyone else. But it was an enormous hit that was only kept from the top by the 'Human League' during it's four week stay at number two.

Cute little Claire and her band had the second single with the title "Happy Birthday" to peak at number two in 1981. This one spent thrice as long as Stevie Wonder's one week and was the biggest hit that the band ever had. They had an image that was geared towards appealing to children which was unfortunate as their music not only got classier later on in their career, but they had a fantastic 'punky' single titled "Dead Pop Stars" released before this one. It was a Siouxsie & The Banshees type of song, but that wasn't too surprising, as the band were protoges of Steve Severin. John Peel was also a huge fan.
Claire is now a presenter on Satellite channel 'VH1' and is as childishly cute as she always was.

A change of style for Squeeze with a song that wouldn't have seemed out of place on CMT (A country music TV channel that's popular in the States, but wasn't over here). It was their first top ten hit in over two years ( reached number four), and was also their last. It was to be another six years before they even made the top twenty again

After the slight disappointment of "The Thin Wall", this was Ultravox back on form. This second of two singles from the 'Rage In Eden' album was their fifth top 40 hit of the year, but unfortunately only stayed on the chart for six weeks and peaked at number 16. For me this was the best out of the five hits, but most would disagree and choose "Vienna".

I love ABC, and even like their three 1997 flopped singles more than I do most of the big hits from that year. But, there are two ABC singles that I detest, and this first hit is one of those two. To me, it was nothing more than a terrible noise in the same vein as the hits by the 'Associates' that would shortly follow. Still, I didn't have to suffer it for long as it climbed no higher than number 19 and spent just six weeks in the 40.
The other one I dislike is "That Was Then, This Is Now", also known as the "Apple Crumble Song".

I even surprised myself in liking this single. The Fureys were an Irish folk group and I believe (but I'm not certain) that Davey is Scottish. It spent two weeks at number 14 and although they didn't have any further hits, they paved the way for 'Foster and Allen' to have a few hits with the same style of music.

This first hit for the former members of the 'Specials' peaked at number twenty. The title of course referred to the ruling Conservative Part. If they were to have reformed and re-recorded this song in the late '90s, they could call it "A Slightly Different Set Of Lunatics Have Now Kicked The Other Lunatics Into Touch".

If you know someone who bought the 1997 hit "Tubthumping" by 'Chumbawamba', look at their parents (or maybe their older brother/sister). You are now looking at someone who probably bought this single, helping it to spend two weeks at number two and a total of twenty weeks in the top 40. They probably spent their Summer holiday in Spain that year and did the stupid dance to this record every night of their holiday. They probably woke up every morning and spent time practicing the said dance, so that they would be sure of getting it right that evening. They probably spent the following six months forcing people to view their holiday snaps. They probably got nowhere in life.

After three good top ten hits Toyah came up with this single, with the featured track being the poor "Good Morning Universe". It rose to number 14 the week after entering at 23, but climbed no higher. As it transpired it was also Toyah's last top twenty hit, and she is now a presenter on 'VH1' as well as being a regular guest on Quiz shows. She also presents a sex guide show.

Kevin Godley and Lol Creme had left '10CC' in 1976 and as well as pursuing a not too successful recording career, had a parallel career as very successful video directors. In September of 1981 they had a shock number three hit with "Under Your Thumb", and it was that much of a shock that they had ironically not produced a video for it. This time around they had a video, and it helped the song to number seven during a nine week chart run.

Many bands release uptempo tracks as their first two singles followed by a slow smoochy song for the third. Imagination did things the opposite way around. After having hits with "Body Talk" and "In And Out Of Love", they ventured into disco territory for their third hit. It reached number 16 and spent 10 weeks inside the 40.

A cover of the Leslie Gore number nine from 1963, this version went all the way to number one and spent four weeks on top. It was very different to the original, and was recorded in the style that the lyrics suggested. The lyrics depict someone being very upset about their current situation, yet the original was sang as though the singer was the happiest girl in the world. So yes, this cover is one of those rarities that I consider to be much superior to the original.

George had released a couple of classic disco singles in 1980 ("Give Me The Night" & "Love X Love"), but this was one of the 'production line' efforts that was starting to become all too evident as the '80s kicked in. Happily, it only got a little more than it deserved and peaked at number 29. In the US, it peaked at number five.

After the wonderful "Spirit Of Radio" had become a top twenty hit in 1980, much had been expected of Rush. Instead, when they finally got around to releasing another single, "Vital Signs", it had failed to enter the top 40. They followed that with this live version of "Tom Sawyer" from their 'Exit...Stage Left' live album. The original version had appeared on the disappointing 'Moving Pictures' album (just as "Vital Signs" had), but this live treatment was enough to give them a number 25 hit.

This song had originally reached number three for 'P J Proby' in 1964. B.A. Robertson resurrected his flagging career by recruiting former 'Stone The Crows' singer 'Maggie Bell' to sing a duetting cover. It reached number 11, but it was only a short reprieve for B.A., as this was his last ever week in the 40.

This was Bad Manners' eighth consecutive top 40 hit, and they had all come since March 1980. The run was about to end though, as this very weak single could only climb to number 34, and then the follow up didn't chart at all. There was one further hit in the Summer of '82, but that was with a song that appealed to children more than die-hard fans (did Bad Manners have die hard fans ?).

The Fourth hit of the year for Duran Duran wasn't as instantly appealing as the previous three, and could only climb as high as number 14. They needn't have worried though, as they were about to have ten consecutive top ten hits and become one of the top bands of the decade. A different version of this track appeared on their album 'Rio', but it was inferior to the single version.

The 'Four Seasons' and 'Johnny Johnson And The Bandwagon' had both had hits with this song in the '60s. Then 'Darts' had their very last hit with this song in 1980 when they took it to number 11. Now just 18 months later, Barry Manilow had his biggest hit in six years as he took it to number 12. Mildly entertaining video too.

One of the outstanding singles of the decade for me. Unfortunately as it had been recorded by unfashionable Boney M, it had no chance of being the massive hit it deserved to be. Instead, it spent three weeks in the chart peaking at number 39. The B. side of the 12 inch boasted a great megamix/medley thing of all their hits.

This was the third single from the 'Dare' album. It peaked at number six, and at the time was my favourite Human League single. I particulary liked the piano notes at the end of the lines in the chorus. And, there just happened to be a piano in the lounge of the Legion, so when this song came on the jukebox, well, you can guess the rest. I was told to stop it or get out !

It wasn't Helen at her best, but was still a good song, and it appeared on quite a number of compilation albums during the '80s. Her only major hit here had been the number five peaking "Angie Baby" in early 1975. This was the only other single by her to get anywhere in Music Week's listings. It reached number 43 and spent eight weeks in the top 75. I wonder what happened to her afterwards.

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.