1983
Week 11
WEEK ENDING 12TH MARCH 1983

TOP 40 SINGLES

TW ..... LW ......   ......  
1   2   Bonnie Tyler   Total Eclipse Of The Heart
2   1   Michael Jackson   Billie Jean
3   5   Eurythmics   Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
4   12   Forrest   Rock The Boat
5   4   Toto   Africa
6   3   Kajagoogoo   Too Shy
7   21   Bananarama   Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
8   8   Madness   Tomorrow's Just Another Day
9   9   Thompson Twins   Love On Your Side
10   6   Musical Youth   Never Gonna Give You Up
11   18   Patti Austin & James Ingram   Baby Come To Me
12   15   Spandau Ballet   Communication
13   10   Fun Boy Three   Tunnel Of Love
14   19   Phil Everly & Cliff Richard   She Means Nothing To Me
15   13   Depeche Mode   Get The Balance Right
16   7   Tears For Fears   Change
17   17   Icehouse   Hey Little Girl
18   28   Modern Romance   Highlife
19   11   Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes   Up Where We Belong
20   25   OMD   Genetic Engineering
21   26   Blancmange   Waves
22   31   Orange Juice   Rip It Up
23   14   Wham   Wham Rap (Enjoy What You Do)
24   30   David Joseph   You Can't Hide (Your Love From Me)
25   40   Soft Cell   Numbers
26   20   Haysi Fantayzee   Shiny Shiny
27   16   Belle Stars   Sign Of The Times
28   34   Sheena Easton & Kenny Rogers   We've Got Tonight
29   39   Joan Armatrading   Drop The Pilot
30   23   Fleetwood Mac   Oh Diane
31   NEW   Bucks Fizz   Run For Your Life
32   22   Men At Work   Down Under
33   32   Malcolm McLaren   Soweto
34   24   China Crisis   Christian
35   38   Stranglers   Midnight Summer Dream
36   27   Indeep   Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
37   NEW   Big Country   Fields Of Fire
38   NEW   Band AKA   Joy
39   NEW   Foster & Allen   Maggie
40   NEW   Mezzoforte   Garden Party


1   Bonnie Tyler   Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Bonnie had been in the top ten twice before (1976 & 1978), and had last hit the top 40 in the summer of 1979 with "Married Men". But her record company (RCA) had been intent on pushing Bonnie towards Country music, and Bonnie wasn't overjoyed about that, in fact she didn't even like the songs that she'd been recording. She was a fan of JIm Steinman's work with Meat Loaf, and came up with the ridiculous idea of Jim producing an album for her. Jim declined, saying that he was too busy, but eventually gave in. He produced the album, and wrote the two standout tracks himself. What resulted, was one of the best albums of a year that was flooded with great albums. Her decision to decline representing the UK in the Eurovision song contest and to also decline singing the latest James Bond theme had been a good one. This first single from the album sprinted to number one for a two week stay.


2   Michael Jackson   Billie Jean
Michael Jackson had his second UK number one single with this. His previous chart topper had been "One Day In Your Life" in 1981 (he had also hit the top in 1977 as one of the Jacksons with "Show You The Way"). It was the second single to be lifted from the 'Thriller' album, which after a slow start was now beginning to sell in vast quantities.


3   Eurythmics   Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
The Eurythmics were finally having themselves a hit after two years of trying, and wouldn't look back from here on. This peaked at number two, and it was Annie and Dave's first journey into the top ten since they had peaked at number eight with "So Good To Be Back Home Again" in early 1980 while with 'The Tourists'. Personally, I think that this song is very depressing. But maybe that's down to it reminding me of a particularly bad time in my life.
For anyone who ever went to see the band live, I sincerely hope that they were ten times better than their awful Brits 99 performance.


4   Forrest   Rock The Boat
This remake of the song that is regarded by some as the first disco hit peaked at number four. Not bad, but years later, it's more interesting for the fact that a young 'Sinitta' was in the promo.
On Thursday 3rd March, I recorded the said promo from TOTP and was a little peeved that the picture seemed to be jumping. Years later, I realised that it was supposed to be like that.
The 3rd March 1983 is more significant to me for another reason though. I had seen Sue every single day since New Year's Eve, we'd spent every weekend together, I thought that she was the one. But when I took her home that Thursday evening, I had a nasty shock. She announced that she wouldn't be able to see me the following night, she was going to a horse show with her friend Joanne. What, on a Friday ?
On Fridays I rush home from work, get changed, go and pick her up, bring her back and we spend the weekend together until late Sunday evening. She can't do something else on Friday !
But her decision was final and I left with a lump in my throat. The following day in work I told my friend Chris Squire (No, not the one in Yes) about what had happened and my worst fears. He told me that I shouldn't fear the worst and was sure that everything would be ok when I phone her Saturday morning. He suggested that I buy her something to show how much I missed her. So I bought her a lovely necklace, the most expensive thing that I'd ever bought for anyone. That night was awful, the time dragged, I couldn't sleep, I just knew that things were going to go horribly wrong.
On Saturday morning the time continued to drag as I waited for 11:00am to come, so that I could phone and she would say that it was ok to go and pick her up. The time finally arrived and I walked to the call box. Her Dad answered, she wasn't home yet. I was to and fro to that call box all afternoon. Finally, past 6:00pm, she came to the phone.
"I've got something to tell you"
"What ?"
"I don't know"
"Oh"
Pause.
"Is it what I think it is ?" (why the hell did I say that ?)
"I don't know, what do you think it is ?"
"That you want us to finish" (I deserved shooting for saying that, I may have at least seen her one more time and found out the problem if I hadn't. After all, it seems that she wasn't going to get around to telling me)
"Yes"
"Why"
"I don't know"
Long pause before I said something really really stupid
"Sue, if you ever change your mind, I'll always come back to you"
"OK"
"Better go then"
"OK"
"See Ya"
"See Ya"
The thing is with that stupid thing I said above, I really did mean it for a long time. I don't think I got over her completely until ten years, one marriage and a move across the country later. But that final "See Ya" was the last time I heard her voice. I didn't even see her again until 24 weeks and one day after that Thursday evening goodbye (yes, I kept count). I had three more sightings between '88-'89, but they were fleeting glimpses and there have been no more since.
Back to the night in question. I went home, walked upstairs got hold of the nice big Valentine's Card that she'd given me a few weeks earlier, lay face down on the bed and cried my eyes out. Then I remembered the necklace. If I still got it to her, maybe she would change her mind. So I washed my face trying to cover the evidence and went to Marcia's house to see her and Sue's brother Richard. They seemed a little surprised about what had happened and said that they'd give her the necklace and have a talk to her about it.
I only stayed about ten minutes before leaving, but then felt a little lost. I'd abandoned all of my friends when I started seeing Sue. She hadn't liked going out to pubs etc, so we'd stayed in together all the time. I hadn't minded that as I loved the two of us being alone together all of the time, in fact being with her like that was one of the happiest times of my life. There was one person I could go to, the only (non-work) friend that I'd kept in semi-contact with. I went to Claire's house. Claire was very good and I still say that she's the best friend I've ever had. OK, I started smoking again that night, but even if Claire hadn't smoked, I'd have started again soon anyway. I slept that night on Claire's sofa, and as I walked home early the following morning, along the path at the side of the 'conker field', and across the reck, I had no idea of the significance of what had happened. A dark journey had just began, I was at the entrance to a dark tunnel. I would go down that tunnel and I'd spend a year inside it.
This story continues with Modern Romance's "Highlife" which entered the top 40 in week ending 5th March 1983.

I realise that some people may come to this page and wonder what the hell has happened and why I'm going through the things that I'm describing. So, I've put all relevant episodes onto one easy to read page here


5   Toto   Africa
Toto's only previous UK hit had been four years earlier when they had hit number 14 with their very first single "Hold The Line". They had released a further seven singles since then, but none of them charted. In April of 1982 they released their fourth album, rather lazily titled 'Toto IV', and the first two singles from it had flopped in the UK. But it was this third single that after hitting number one in the USA, finally restored them to the UK chart, and became their biggest hit here reaching number three, and also propelling it's parent album to number four. Toto never hit the top ten again.


6   Kajagoogoo   Too Shy
Discovered/Produced/whatever by Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes, this debut single by the band shot quickly up the chart to spend two weeks at number one. Though they have been much derided in later years, this was a great pop single and fully deserved it's success. After two further hits, lead vocalist Limahl left for a solo career and Nick Beggs took over the vocals. But they only managed two hits without Limahl and exactly a year after their debut hit fell out of the chart, their final hit was spending it's last week in the chart.
Now, about what I said above: I may have only liked it because Sue liked it, so it may not have been that great a pop single.


7   Bananarama   Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
Bananarama reached a number five peak, with probably their most annoying song. It's not that I have anything against Bananarama as a rule, but this sounded like a group of schoolgirls singing on the back seat of the bus on their way home from a school trip. The same song had peaked at number nine for 'Steam' in 1970.
Bananarama repeated the back of the bus singing with their cover of "Nathan Jones" in 1988.


8   Madness   Tomorrow's Just Another Day
A quick follow up to the excellent "Our House", this was the band's 15th hit in three and a half years, and the 13th to hit the top ten. It peaked at number eight.


9   Thompson Twins   Love On Your Side
At last the three twins (???) had broken through onto the chart. This number nine peaking single was the first of five top ten hits for them in just over a year. It was also the first of nine successive top 40 hits. They haven't hit the top 40 at all since the ninth of those "King For A Day" was a number 22 hit in the Autumn of 1985.


10   Musical Youth   Never Gonna Give You Up
The third single from Musical Youth was also their second and final one to reach the top ten. This number six hit featured on the B Side, a song titled "Jim'll Fix It", that they had recorded for the TV show of the same name.
This was the only Musical Youth single that I ever liked.


11   Patti Austin & James Ingram   Baby Come To Me
Cold winter evenings by the fire song. A regular on love song compilations, this single peaked at number Eleven. This was James' first UK hit, but he would later chart in duets with Michael McDonald and Linda Ronstadt. Patti had previously charted as the featured vocalist on the Quincy Jones hit "Razzamatazz" which also reached number Eleven in 1981.


12   Spandau Ballet   Communication
Something of a forgotten hit for Spandau Ballet. This under-rated single only reached number 12, but their biggest ever hit was to follow shortly.


13   Fun Boy Three   Tunnel Of Love
After the failure of their previous single "The More I See (The Less I Believe)" to hit the top 40, Terry Hall must have afforded himself a rare smile as this single restored them to the chart, and peaked at number Ten. A little known fact is that the drummer with the band at this time was 'June Miles-Kingston', ex member of the 'Mo-Dettes', and later a replacement for 'Sarah Jane Morris' in the 'Communards'.


14   Phil Everly & Cliff Richard   She Means Nothing To Me
We all know about Cliff Richard, but his partner in crime on this hit, Phil Everly reached the top ten for the first time in 18 years with this. It peaked at number nine.


15   Depeche Mode   Get The Balance Right
Not the greatest piece of music to come from Depeche Mode, and their third in a row that failed to reach the top ten. This number 13 peaking single is one of only three DM singles not to appear on a regular album.


16   Tears For Fears   Change
The follow up to "Mad World" was nowhere near as good, and for me didn't really sounded too cheerful compared to the rest of 'The Hurting' album (despite the lyrics not being that cheerful at all). It reached number four.


17   Icehouse   Hey Little Girl
I've often wondered if vocalist 'Iva Davies' naturally sounded like 'Bryan Ferry' or was it a conscious effort. This is the only hit single that they had in the UK, and it peaked at number 17. Their big hit in the States came five years later when "Electric Blue" hit number seven on the Billboard chart.


18   Modern Romance   High Life
It was the single following this that caused some to realise that they were deliberately sending themselves up, but I noticed it on this one. I mean they even used the "Woah Woah Woah" from "Best Years Of Our Lives at one point. One critic in particular missed the point entirely when he commented "Another record like this and there'll be as many jokes about them as there are false teeth". It reached number eight.
I bought this on Friday 4th March. I knew Sue liked it, so I suppose I was intending to kind of impress her with it the following day (trying to impress someone with a Modern Romance record !!!!!!!). But as history recalls, I didn't see her the following day.
Another thing I did that Friday was to buy my regular weekly copy of Record Mirror a day later than usual. That was a shame because that week, the first of my messages to Sue ran in the ads section (the first of 20+ weeks that I had paid for). But even though she regularly read my copy, she didn't buy Record Mirror herself, so she probably didn't see any of them.
I was in something of a different world for the next few weeks. I began to take regular doses of Paracetemol when I began to get regular headaches. At first most of my sadness was little more than self pity, but it wasn't long before a real problem had developed (even though it wasn't apparent to anyone, least of all myself).
I continued going to work for a few weeks, and then staying in watching TV or in my bedroom listening to music that we had listened to together, reading her Valentine card over and over again. I even made compilation tapes of music that reflected the relationship from beginning to end and the time following. Yes, I was becoming something of a sad case. My Dad still often went away at weekends, and would sometimes go on a Thursday. One particular Thursday that I was alone, I heard a news report that was calling for a ban on the drug 'Distalgesic' after someone had taken a fatal overdose of it. I had been prescibed 'Distalgesic' for a shoulder injury in 1981, and I still had something in the region of 80 tablets left. An idea struck me, WHY NOT ?
What would I know about it afterwards ?
I'd had almost 21 years on this planet, why have any more when I feel so miserable ?
I put on one of my music compilation videos, got myself a pint of water and took the tablets. After a while, a section of the tape with the Beatles rooftop session from the 'Let It Be' film was playing. I thought it sounded awful and I would have told people so, except that I would never speak to anyone again. It was approx 9:00pm. I blacked out !
I awoke at sometime past 2:00am. I felt weird, a strange distorted feeling, everything in the room began to look distorted. I wasn't sure whether I was enjoying the feeling or not. I needed a drink of water, so I went and got one. I switched off the TV and lay back down on the sofa.
I next woke just after 6:00am and once I got my senses back in order felt surprised that I had woken up. Oh well, I thought, and went to work. I was still working in the Moss Valley at the time and Andre, Alan and Mike all asked whether I was ok more or less straight away, apparently I was as white as a sheet. I said that I hadn't slept very well, but would be ok with some fresh air. So I took the keys for the public toilets at the far end of the valley and walked the mile long path to them. Just after opening them, I was walking across the bottom car park and it just came up, I couldn't stop it. A stream of Yellow vomit errupted form my mouth (strange considering that the tablets were white). I felt a little better for the rest of that day and no one knew anything about it.
So I'd failed, but the intention was still there. More of an intention, it became an obsession with me. And when I heard about someone dying from an overdose of Paracetemol, there was no stoping me.
To be continued with Duran Duran's "Is There Something I Should Know" (week ending 26th March).

I realise that some people may come to this page and wonder what the hell has happened and why I'm going through the things that I'm describing. So, I've put all relevant episodes onto one easy to read page here


19   Joe Cocker And Jennifer Warnes   Up Where We Belong
As most of us know this number seven peaking single was from the movie 'An Officer And A Gentleman'. It was Joe's first hit since 1970, and only his third top ten hit overall. What I remember most about this song though is the performance where Joe's arms were more animated than I've ever seen them, and I'm sure that watching his limb movements sent Jennifer cross eyed.


20   OMD   Genetic Engineering
After the huge success of their 'Architecture & Morality' album, and the top five placings of all three singles taken from it, it was widely expected that they would go on to further success with their follow up album. But it wasn't to be as this number 20 peaking single was the only one to chart, and it's parent album 'Dazzle Ships', despite being a brave album, was a commercial flop, that they never fully recovered from.


21   Blancmange   Waves
Blancmange were having their second hit, but would go no higher than number 19. It was quite a departure from the craziness of their "Living On The Ceiling" from just a few months previous. Your Mum would have liked this one.


22   Orange Juice   Rip It Up
This lot seemed to have a thing about giving their songs the same titles as already very familiar songs. This was just one of those very ordinary songs that no one hated, no one particularly liked enough to go out and buy it, but it still hit the top ten, number eight in fact. Lead singer Edwyn Collins decided to write a song called "A Girl Like You" and have a massive hit in the mid 90s (The Troggs version was better even if it was a different song).


23   Wham   Wham Rap (Enjoy What You Do)
Much better than "Young Guns", it seemed lyrically quite good at the time. I'm not so sure these days though. Still catchy all the same and still gets my vote as a better than average single. Reached number eight.


24   David Joseph   You Can't Hide (Your Love From Me)
David Joseph was having the first of two hits, this peaked at number 13. Very ordinary disco pap (and that's coming from someone who was a big fan of disco music).


25   Soft Cell   Numbers
This is the one that nobody liked except diehard fans and me. The B Side "Barriers" was ok too. Peaked at number 25.


26   Hayzi Fantayzee   Shiny Shiny
After stalling at number 51 with the cheerful "Holy Joe", it seemed as though these were destined to remain one hit wonders. But then they bounced back with this number 16 hit. It isn't the best track they ever recorded, but it wasn't too bad. I even found the album 'Battle Hymns For Children Singing' quite a pleasant surprise when I took a chance after finding it at half price a year or so after release.
I remember reading an interview with ex-model singer Kate Garner in the Record Mirror. She said that women used to spit in her face because of her being a model, bloody feminists !
The said album included a book of some of Kate's photographs, and after giving up the music biz, she went on to become a professional photographer. I wonder if she's still doing that.
Jeremy Healy meanwhile, went on to form Bon Ventura and released a strange sounding thing called "When Malindy Sings", and later became a DJ.
What I always wondered was, why the Barry Manilow lookalike in the videos ?


27   Belle Stars   Sign Of The Times
The biggest of the four hits enjoyed by this girl group. They were only around for a year as far as the top forty was concerned, but what they did in that time was fairly good, I really liked the album. They had been around since their debut single "Hiawatha" had flopped in 1981, but before that, they had been members of the Bodysnatchers. They hadn't actually left the Bodysnatchers, it was Rhoda & Nicky that had left after the others refused to sing politics. So, they just recruited a few more members, changed their name to the Belle Stars and made the best music of their career.


28   Sheena Easton & Kenny Rogers   We've Got Tonight
I knew this song from the Bob Seger 1978 version and thought that should have been a hit. This cover ought to have been a huge hit, but both Sheena and Kenny seemed to have fallen out of favour. Only number 28, disgusting.


29   Joan Armatrading   Drop The Pilol
Ok to begin with, but all the airplay eventually made it annoying. Not only did she want to drop pilots, she wanted to drop monkeys too. An example should have been made of her before she reached number 11.


30   Fleetwood Mac   Oh Diane
After "Hold Me" and the magnificent "Gypsy" had failed to make the top forty, there was no way that this weak effort was going to do it. But after appearing on various TV shows, including a live satellite link-up on 'The Late Late Breakfast Show', it went all the way to number nine. It was only their second top twenty hit with the classic Rumours line up.


31   Bucks Fizz   Run For Your Life
Bucks Fizz were having their eighth successive top 20 hit, and the quality of their music was coming on in leaps and bounds since their Eurovision win two years earlier. "Run For Your Life" peaked at number 14.


32   Men At Work   Down Under
I knew of these through their previous single, the number 45 peaking "Who Can It Be Now?" (much better single in my opinion). This one sounded as I imagine the Police would have sounded had they a sense of humour more often. We thought that they were taking the mick out of Australia, but they claimed that they were taking the mick out of our view of Australia, or was it the other way around ?
It gave them their sole top twenty hit anyway. Oh yeah, it spent three weeks at the very top of the pile. Hardly deserved, so I suppose that it was a trendsetter for what began to occur on a regular basis ten years and a couple of weeks later.


33   Malcolm McLaren   Soweto
Extremely good single from Mr McLaren and his African tribespeople friends. Not only was "Soweto" a good song, but the B Side "Zulus On A Time Bomb" was even better. Should have been bigger than "Buffalo Girls" & "Double Dutch", but it failed to climb higher than it's number 32 debut position.


34   China Crisis   Christian
Good debut hit, though I wasn't too keen on it begin with. It reached number 12 and was the first of only five top forty hits the band achieved in four years. Very under-rated band in my opinion.


35   Stranglers   Midnight Summer Dream
A very moody single and one that I thought was a good one, or maybe that was just my mood of the time. It only reached number 35 though.


36   Indeep   Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
I liked this one. Yes, I know that it was wrong and I ought to be thoroughly ashamed of myself, but I did. It was just a simple disco song with a bit of a rap in there, but I found it highly infectious. Not only that, but the 12 inch had an a cappela version and also the isolated sound effects of a car screeching, a phone ringing, and a toilet flushing !
This nice little compendium of sounds reached number 13.
There were fairly unsuccessful covers of this by Cold Jam (1990 #64) & SYLK 130 (1998 #33). Boyband 5ive more or less covered it with their 1999 number two hit "If Ya Gettin' Down" (even covered the rap). Finally, Mariah Carey covered it on her 2001 album 'Glitter' and it will no doubt see single release sometime in 2002.


37   Big Country   Fields Of Fire
Big Country were having their first hit, it eventually crawled to number ten, and two more hits would follow during 1983. Vocalist Stuart Adamson had previously had five top 40 hits as lead guitarist of the Skids.


38   Band AKA   Joy
Getting up early one morning for work. Drinking the poor excuse for an early morning cup of tea that my Dad used to make. I was sinking down fast into that dark hole of depression, my Dad switched on Radio Two and this came booming out,
"Got to put some joy into your life"
I really needed that at 6:30am while I was toying with the idea of suicide.
The Band AKA were one hit wonders who didn't even come close to charting again after this one. They peaked at number 24, but nevertheless they did get a lot of radio airplay at the time.


39   Foster & Allen   Maggie
This Irish Folk was a style of music that wasn't to my taste at all until the Fureys hit the chart in 1981 with "When You Were Sweet Sixteen", followed a few months later by this duo with "A Bunch Of Thyme". This was their second (and last) hit, and is really quite pleasant. But it climbed no higher than number 27.


40   Mezzoforte   Garden Party
Mezzoforte with the excellent "Garden Party" were the first act from Iceland to ever chart in the UK, though 17 was their highest position. They released a follow up single called "Rockall" in the summer, but that one stalled at number 75.


In the news this week

Marc Almond and his manager Stevo stormed into the London offices of Phonogram and wrecked the place. This was after discovering that a free 12 inch copy of "Tainted Love" was being given away with their current single "Numbers". Marc claimed that it was undermining the music that Soft Cell were currently making.


It was announced that the remaining members of Haircut 100 were taking Nick Heyward and Arista records to court for breach of contract. They alleged that Arista induced Nick to break his contract with the group.


Duran Duran were about to release their video album, and it was reported that it should cost no more than £20.


Other Charts number ones
Album - U2 - War
Indie singles - Depeche Mode - Get The Balance Right
Indie LPs - Meteors - Wreckin' Crew
12" single - Forrest - Rock The Boat
Cassette - Michael Jackson - Thriller
Nightclub - Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Remix)
Disco - David Joseph - You Can't Hide Your Love From Me
Boystown Disco - Forrest - Rock The Boat
Video - Rainbow - Live Between The Eyes
US singles - Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
US LPs - Michael Jackson - Thriller


 


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.


ON TO THE FOLLOWING WEEK
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BACK TO THE 1983 INDEX
THE REMEMBER WHEN ARCHIVES
GOLDEN DAYS INDEX

Email: nige@innotts.co.uk


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