REMEMBER WHEN - 15th MAY 1982

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1982
Week 20
WEEK ENDING 15TH MAY 1982

TOP 40 SINGLES

TW	.......	LW	.......		.......
1		8		Nicole		A Little Peace
2		1		Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder		Ebony And Ivory
3		3		PHD		I Won't Let You Down
4		4		Joan Jett & The Blackhearts		I Love Rock 'N' Roll
5		13		Scotland World Cup Squad		We Have A Dream
6		5		Bananarama with Funboy Three		Really Saying Something
7		14		Yazoo		Only You
8		2		England World Cup Squad		This Time (We'll Get It Right)
9		18		Hot Chocolate		Girl Crazy
10		17		Spandau Ballet		Instinction
11		27		Patrice Rushen		Forget Me Nots
12		34		Depeche Mode		The Meaning Of Love
13		15		Simple Minds		Promised You A Miracle
14		10		Haircut 100		Fantastic Day
15		32		Tight Fit		Fantasy Island
16		9		Shalamar		I Can Make You Feel Good
17		7		Pigbag		Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag
18		31		Junior		Mama Used To Say
19		30		Tottenham Hotspur F.A. Cup Final Squad		Tottenham Tottenham
20		12		Monsoon		Ever So Lonely
21		6		Bardo		One Step Further
22		21		Rocky Sharpe & The Replays		Shout Shout (Knock Yourself Out)
23		11		Shakin' Stevens		Shirley
24		39		Blondie		Island Of Lost Souls
25		16		Kim Wilde		View From A Bridge
26		NEW		ABC		The Look Of Love
27		23		Barry Manilow		Stay
28		19		Elton John		Blue Eyes
29		20		Dollar		Give Me Back My Heart
30		35		Associates		Club Country
31		25		Queen		Body Language
32		24		Shakatak		Night Birds
33		NEW		Iron Maiden		The Number Of The Beast
34		33		J Geils Band		Freeze Frame
35		NEW		Duran Duran		Hungry Like The Wolf
36		22		Chas And Dave		Ain't No Pleasing You
37		29		David Bowie		Cat People (Putting Out Fire)
38		NEW		Candi Staton		Suspicious Minds
39		40		Sharon Brown		I Specialise In Love
40		NEW		Fun Boy Three		The Telephone Always Rings

Nicole

A Little Peace

This was the German winner of the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest, "A Little Peace" by Nicole. It spent two weeks at number one, and was the 500th single to reach number one in the UK. I remember a follow up titled "Give Me More Time" that was on a Ktel compilation I bought called 'Chart Heat', but she never made the top 40 again. But, when channel surfing in the late 90s, I caught her performing on a German TV show, so she's still around.

Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder

Ebony And Ivory

Using the black and white keys of a piano to symbolise different races of people was a pretty neat idea at the time. Nothing complicated about this song at all and there didn't need to be. A well written and performed song which deserved it's three weeks on top.

Funny thing is, much of it was lost on people in my area of the world. This is because there were very few Black people in North Wales (hell, they don't even like the English, so how can you expect to find a black community there). But we did have one black friend who used to hang around with us, a great lad named Phidel. This song will always remind me of him.

PhD

I Won't Let You Down

This was their only hit, but a brilliant song, with an amusing video that peaked at number three. The vocalist on this hit was Jim Diamond who was to later have solo success with "I Should Have Known Better" & "Hi Ho Silver".

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

I Love Rock 'N' Roll

Joan Jett And The Blackhearts were having their first and only UK hit with "I Love Rock And Roll", and peaked at number four. This song was one that I'd heard many years before. The Arrows had two UK hits in 74/75, and someone thought that was good enough to give them their own TV show. They performed this song on that show (they could have performed it every week, I can't remember) which was broadcast weekly around 1976. On the strength of this hit, Joan and the boys were second on the bill when Queen played Elland Road Leeds at this time (can you believe Heart were bottom of the bill, behind Teardrop Explodes ?). They played the hit, Crimson And Clover, and a couple of Gary Glitter songs. I can't remember whether she sang any Suzi Quatro songs. I think she did, but that could be because she sounded so like Suzi, that they would have fitted in perfectly.

Scotland World Cup Squad

We Have A Dream

The Scotland World Cup Squad (featuring B.A. Robertson) peaked at number five with this. Very different for a football song as I recall (something about howling winds I think), but not one that comes easily to mind twenty years down the road. This was of course the year of the World Cup in Spain. For the record, England returned home unbeaten but not Champions, while Scotland were left dreaming again as they made their usual first round exit. Northern Ireland reached the second phase (beating Spain on the way), and their single failed to chart.

Bananarama with Fun Boy Three

Really Saying Something

I bought the twelve inch of this, but soon got fed up of it. It was a cover of a Motown recording by either Martha Reeves or the Marvelettes (can't recall which). If I remember correctly, the B side was called something like "Give Us Back Our Cheap Fares". It reached number five for them.

Yazoo

Only You

Yazoo hit number two with this debut hit. Yazoo were of course Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke. It was the first ever hit of Alison Moyet's career, but not so for Vince. Vince had been a member of Depeche Mode for their first two top forty hits ("New Life" & "Just Can't Get Enough"). For some 18 months, this song was associated with it's original hitmakers. But since December 1983, most would associate it with the Flying Pickets who took their a'capella version to number one.

England World Cup Squad

This Time (We'll Get It Right)

Early World Cup single, but the first from England since 1970 when "Back Home" had gone all the way to number one. On the other hand, some of the individuals in this squad had featured in the chart before. This includes some of the Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool contingent, as well as Kevin Keegan who'd had a solo hit in 1979. I think that this was actually billed as a double 'A' side with the re-write of an airline jingle "We'll Fly The Flag" on the flip. "This Time" was ok as far as football songs go, and it stopped just one place short of giving them another number one. As for the World Cup campaign, well, they didn't lose. They were knocked out of the competition at the second phase without being beaten (not even on penalties). There was a strange system in place for that tournament in which the second phase consisted of four groups of three teams. England drew both of those matches and so returned home undefeated.

Hot Chocolate

Girl Crazy

Hot Chocolate reached number seven with their first top twenty hit for almost two years. Again, their Top Of The Pops performance sticks in the mind. It was of course a typically cheeky performance from Errol and the boys in which they enlisted many girl dancers in varied stages of undress.

Spandau Ballet

Instinction

After a great start to their career with four top 20 hits including two top five with their first four releases, Spandau Ballet must have thought it was the beginning of the end when "Paint Me Down" had struggled to number 30, then "She Loved Like Diamond" failed to hit the top 40 at all. In what could have been a last ditch attempt by Chrysalis records, "Instinction" was the fourth single to be pulled from the 'Diamond' album. The gamble paid off as it soared to number ten and became the first of eleven consecutive top 20 hits for the band. Personally, I thought that it was very ordinary compared to what had been and what was to come.

Patrice Rushen

Forget Me Nots

Patrice Rushen made number eight with "Forget Me Nots". Patrice had released a big disco hit titled "Haven't You Heard" in 1980, but it had failed to cross over into the national chart. I preferred it to this one, but this was still quite good. Most of the younger music fans would have known "Forget Me Nots" from the sample that was featured in George Michael's huge 1996 hit "Fast Love" even before Will Smith decided that it would work for him too with "Men In Black". Regular readers will know what I'm thinking, so I'll refrain from commenting on that

Depeche Mode

The Meaning Of Love

Depeche Mode made number twelve with this. It was quite different to their previous singles, but the smallest of their hits so far. At this point I thought what they were doing was ok, but not enough to rush out and buy their latest album. But in the summer of 1997, I rediscovered this bands '80s work thanks to the recommendation of a friend called Shawn Champagne. I went out bought all the albums that I didn't already have in the space of a few weeks. Quite ironic though that I bought 'Black Celebration' containing the lyric "Princess Di is wearing a new dress" less than 12 hours before she died.

Simple Minds

Promised You A Miracle

After years of trying, Simple Minds were finally having their first hit with the exciting "Promised You A Miracle" and peaked at number 13. The other two 1982 singles from them were also good, but afterwards they tried to sound like U2 (and became quite boring save for the occasional single).

Haircut 100

Fantastic Day

Not as strong as "Love Plus One", but still good catchy pop music all the same. It reached number nine.

Tight Fit

Fantasy Island

A peak of number five for Tight Fit with "Fantasy Island". Strange how just as the popularity of Abba was finally diminishing, that one of the most airplayed songs of that summer sounded just like them. Tight Fit were comprised of male model type 'Steve Grant' and two young women who were more physically attractive than the Abba women. They looked to have a great career ahead of them. They had previously hit with two medleys in 1981 (probably not sang by them on the actual record, but session musicians). It was surprising when they hit again in early 82 with a cover of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", even more so when they hit number one with it. There were again rumours about whether it was them at all, the biggest being that Steve didn't do the vocals. "Fantasy Island" was the only one without such rumours, but it stood up on it's own as a brilliant pop record. Sadly, it was to be their last hit, as the follow up "Secret Heart" stalled at number 41 three months later. I don't know what happened to the women, but the last I heard of Steve Grant, he was the live in lover of Eartha Kitt (she must have liked his cha cha heels ! )

Shalamar

I Can Make You Feel Good

They could do just that with their snappy disco records. But I didn't find this as good as most of the other singles they'd released during the previous five years. Yet,this was the first of four to make the top ten in just over 12 months and reached number seven. A lot of the credit for this has to be given to their Top Of The Pops appearances in which Jeffrey Daniel showed off his dancing to a massive TV audience at what must have been the summit of TOTP's popularity. Only long running soap Coronation Street was watched by more people.

Pigbag

Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag

I don't know why it was called that, but it was a brassy instrumental that seemed to capture the imagination of the public and reached number three. A cover by Perfecto Allstarz was renamed "Reach Out" and hit number six in 1995.

Junior

Mama Used To Say

Junior peaked at number seven with another one of those heavily airplayed singles of that summer. In fact, "Mama Used To Say" received a lot of airplay for a number of years afterwards. I particularly remember Radio One's Steve Wright still playing it quite regularly in 1984. Well, I suppose it was a good track after all.

Tottenham Hotspur F.A. Cup Final Squad

Tottenham Tottenham

Hate the club, hate their records, especially hate the fact that the cheating sods went and won the cup again in 1991. I like Arsenal winning the league because it upsets this lot. Number 19.

Rocky Sharpe & The Replays

Shout Shout (Knock Yourself Out)

Rocky Sharpe And The Replays were having their third and last hit. Their songs were not gifted with the best of lyrics. Their biggest hit held the immortal line "I know a girl, her name is Rama Lama Ding Dong" ! This one was called (and repeatedly sung) "Shout Shout Knock Yourself Out !" To be taken at face value, a fun song, reached number 19.

Monsoon

Ever So Lonely

Nice Eastern influenced thing set to an eighties dance beat that may have been described as fairly original by some. But I couldn't help thinking about the Beatles 'Eastern' music when I listened to it. By sheer coincidence, Monsoon later covered the Beatles song "Tomorrow Never Knows", but "Ever So Lonely" was their only hit reaching number 12.

In early 2002, the singer Sheila (something) appeared on what we used to commonly refer to as a cover version, but it's difficult to distinguish the difference between a cover version, a song containing a sample of another song, A re-recording and a song that just happens to sound like another. Anyway, I think that whatever it was made the top ten and Sheila appeared on the once great TOTP.

Bardo

One Step Further

Serial 'Eurovision Song Contest' haters would naturally not have a good word to say about this one. But it wasn't bad as these things go, and the echo effect near the end was a nice touch. They were a male and female duo, and she had previously been a member of Prima Donna, who had represented the UK in the 1980 Euro Song Contest only finishing seventh. But it quickly reached number two in the chart before dropping like a hot brick. It spent just six weeks in the chart, an extraordinary short spell for a number two peaking single.

Shakin' Stevens

Shirley

I thouht "Oh Julie" was bad, but this was even worse. I had an initial fear that it would give Shaky a fourth number one, especially when it jumped from it's number 22 debut position to number six. But it then surprisingly dropped to number eleven and only spent a total of five weeks in the forty.

Blondie

Island Of Lost Souls

WHY ????????????

Almost 18 months waiting for a Blondie single and we get this one. It was really bad and the video was embarrassing to watch (why would any woman wear red tights while strolling around a sunny island , much less an international sex symbol ?).

It was their last new top twenty hit for almost 17 years and peaked at number 11. It was taken from the album 'The Hunter'. Although I wouldn't class it as the best album by Blondie, the rest of it was certainly very under-rated. However, it was to prove their last album until 1999

Kim Wilde

View From A Bridge

Great hook to this one, and Kim was finally letting us have a good look at her legs in the video. So a number one looked quite possible. But despite it's early promise, it became her lowest charting single to dat by stalling at number 16. But it was four and a half years later before she charted higher.

ABC

The Look Of Love

With this number four peaking single, ABC were having their third and biggest ever hit. Like Madness and Adam Ant, ABC had realised the power of the Music promo, and used it to good effect. But this would have been a big hit even without the promo, it was perfect pop. Pity that it took them so long to come up with another album anywhere near as good as 'The Lexican Of Love'
That was certainly their best album, but 15 years later they were still around, and released their best album since 'The Lexican Of Love" in 'Skyscraping'.

Barry Manilow

Stay

I'm not one of these people who slag off Barry Manilow for no reason. In fact, most of what he's done is quite enjoyable when in an easy listening mood. But I have to say that I wasn't very keen on this one, neither the studio or live version. It peaked at number 23.

Elton John

Blue Eyes

Another one that I didn't find particularly exciting, another plodder. But it did give Elton his first major hit in over three years by reaching number eight.

Dollar

Give Me Back My Heart

Change of tempo from Dollar and a job well done, another great single. It was the third of their singles to peak at their highest ever position of number four, and their last top ten hit for almost six years.

Associates

Club Country

The Associates peakedat number 13 with this second hit. It wasn't as big as their first "Party Fears Two", but it was still pretty impressive for a band with Billy McKenzie as a vocalist. Incidentally, when commenting on "Party Fears Two", I claimed that Billy couldn't sing. I was wrong, I had forgotten about 1985's "Take Me To The Girl", his vocals were excellent on that track.

While I don't like the song "Country Club" (almost makes me physically sick actually), the title does give me a 'good feeling'. Between 1980 & 1982 I used to frequent a certain nightclub. I can't remember the name of the club, but it was in the countryside, a long way from anywhere. Some called it the 'Erbistock Club' (because that's where it was), but most of us called it 'The Country Club'. It was just like (most of) the music of the time, GREAT.

Queen

Body Language

Queen carrying on with what they touched on 1980's 'The Game' album with a very dance orientated album 'Hot Space'. I wasn't too sure about it at the time, but as time has progressed, the album has aged well. I find it highly enjoyable today. This was the first single, it received mixed reviews, the video was banned and it only made number 25. The beginning of this track was not unlike the beginning of Change's 1980 hit "Searching". While the B side was not unlike John Lennon's "Love". Though it was titled "Life Is Real (Song For Lennon)".

Shakatak

Night Birds

Another extremely pleasant tune that eventually became enhanced by the vocals of Jill Sawyard and the other UK Slut. They all sounded the same of course, but that didn't seem to be a problem when it came to Shakatak. If it charted again now, it would be a breath of fresh air. Number Nine peak.

Iron Maiden

The Number Of The Beast

Iron Maiden had come a long way since they first hit with "Running Free" in early 1980. Original vocalist ' Paul Di'Anno' had left the band to form 'Lone Wolf' at the end of 1981. His replacement was ex 'Sampson' vocalist 'Bruce Dickinson', and a top ten hit had immediately followed in early '82 with "Run To The Hills". This title track to their latest album peaked at number 18.

J Geils Band

Freeze Frame

I much preferred this to their biggest hit, the number three peaking "Centrefold". But not many others seemed to feel the same as it crashed after reaching number 27. The video was hardly one to draw attention this time though, it was just a bit of jumping around and splashing paint.

Duran Duran

Hungry Like The Wolf

"Hungry Like The Wolf" peaked at number five. It was their fifth hit, but the 'Real' beginning of their megastardom. Before this release, they had reached varied positions in the chart, high and low. From this single onwards, they were big time and the album from which it came ('Rio') was one of the biggest albums of the 80's.

Chas And Dave

Ain't No Pleasing You

There was actually, this was quite pleasant on the ears, especially after the way most of their previous efforts had assaulted my ears. You can imagine someone singing it in a pub (very badly), but it wasn't like their previous East End singalong ditties. A deserved number two hit.

David Bowie

Cat People (Putting Out Fire)

Just five weeks after the debut of his previous hit "Baal's Hymn", David entered the chart with this theme from the remake of "Cat People". It was of course on a different record label (MCA), but there was no danger of Bowie overkill anyway. While the previous hit had only reached 29 and spent only three weeks in the 40, this one spent five weeks on the chart reaching number 26. He did a different version of this song for the 'Let's Dance' album the following year, but it wasn't as good as this one.

Candi Staton

Suspicious Minds

Candi Staton was having her first hit for five years with a cover of the Elvis hit "Suspicious Minds" and peaked at number 31. Candi would have to wait nine years for her next hit, and that would be a remix of her own 1986 recording, "You Got The Love" (followed by another remix of the same song in 1997). If you want to hear her at her best, check out her 70's albums.

There was another good cover of this song released during 1982. It was by Gary Glitter and featured on the British Electric Foundation's 'Music Of Quality And Distinction' album. This album was more or less Heaven 17 with guest vocalists doing cover versions. The Paula Yates cover of "These Boots Are Made For Walking" is probably best forgotten, but Paul Jones' "There's A Ghost In My House", Tina Turner's "Ball Of Confusion", Bernie Nolan's "You Keep Me Hanging On", and Glen Gregory's "Perfect Day" are well worth a listen. Many would also like Billy Mackenzie's "Secret Life Of Arabia" & "It's Over".

Sharon Brown

I Specialise In Love

Slightly above average disco hit which peaked at 38 in the first of it's three weeks on the top 40. A remix reached number 62 in 1994.

Fun Boy Three

The Telephone Always Rins

The Fun Boy Three never seemed to be out of the top 40 during the first three quarters of 1982. This week saw no exception as "The Telephone Always Rings" was on it's way to number 17. As this single dropped out, the next one was on it's way

In the top 50 this week, but failing to reach the top 40.

Foreigner

Urgent

Very patchy band and I find it the rule rather than the exception that their best output was the songs that became major British hits (which is rarely the case with other AOR bands). This is apparently one of their classics, but it had two chances over here. In 1981 it struggled to number 54, and this time out, it hit a number 45 peak. Did nothing for me.

Don Mclean

Castles In The Air

Sometime in the late '70s, I bought Don's "Vincent" single, and back then I always played the B side at least once. On this occasion, I preferred the B side, a track titled "Castles In The Air". So I was quite pleased when it was released as an A side in 1982. Wasn't a hit though, only made number 47.

Exploited

Attack

They seemed to think that silly hair was a good substitute for talent. Number 50 and bye bye forever.

Some MP3s

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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