1983
Week 19
WEEK ENDING 7TH MAY 1983

TOP 40 SINGLES

TW ..... LW ......   ......  
1   1   Spandau Ballet   True
2   2   F.R. David   Words
3   4   Human League   (Keep Feeling) Fascination
4   3   Michael Jackson   Beat It
5   22   Tears For Fears   Pale Shelter
6   20   Galaxy   Dancing Tight
7   9   Thompson Twins   We Are Detective
8   14   Heaven 17   Temptation
9   6   David Bowie   Let's Dance
10   5   Culture Club   Church Of The Poison Mind
11   8   Cliff Richard & L.P.O.   True Love Ways
12   7   Eurythmics   Love Is A Stranger
13   17   Kids From Fame   Friday Night (Live)
14   11   Iron Maiden   Flight Of Icarus
15   12   Toto   Rosanna
16   31   Fun Boy Three   Our Lips Are Sealed
17   13   New Order   Blue Monday
18   10   Tracey Ullman   Breakaway
19   24   Kissing The Pink   The Last Film
20   18   Twisted Sister   I Am (I'm Me)
21   23   Sweet Dreams   I'm Never Giving Up
22   15   Tracie   The House That Jack Built
23   21   Sunfire   Young Free And Single
24   25   Men At Work   Overkill
25   19   JoBoxers   Boxerbeat
26   37   Creatures   Miss The Girl
27   16   Kajagoogoo   Ooh To Be Ah
28   NEW   Blancmange   Blind Vision
29   NEW   Beat   Can't Get Used To Losing You
30   NEW   New Edition   Candy Girl
31   35   Julio Iglesias   Hey!
32   38   Saxon   Power And The Glory
33   NEW   Pink Floyd   Not Now John
34   27   Duran Duran   Is There Something I Should Know
35   NEW   Daryl Hall & John Oates   Family Man
36   NEW   Kiss   Creatures Of The Night
37   39   Chill Fac-Torr   Twist (Round And Round)
38   28   Bauhaus   She's In Parties
39   NEW   Thin Lizzy   Thunder And Lightning
40   NEW   Belle Stars   Sweet Memory


1   Spandau Ballet   True
They'd already failed with one ballad "She Loved Like Diamond", but they were never going to fail with this one. Out went the silly clothes and in came the suits for this smoochy ballad, the title track from their third album. Easily one of the best singles of the decade, I just wonder why they left it so late to release it (the third track to be lifted from the album). Had it been released before Christmas, Renee & Renato would have been completely forgotten about by now and would not be featured in various top ten shows. After entering at the extremely high position of ten, it went straight to the top where it reigned for four weeks.

I bought the 12 inch of this in the week that I was discharged from hospital. I noticed straight away that the words "Pill on my tongue" were printed on the back. I wasn't the only one to notice this. The day after my discharge, Marcia and Richard called and I noticed Marcia pick up the record and point to the words as she showed it to Richard. She told me that the night I'd been taken into hospital, my Dad had gone to her house and asked if she knew what I had taken and what they had said to me. She said that he seemed very upset. Either both of them together or Marcia on her own came to see me quite often over the next few weeks.

It was my 21st birthday on the 18th April and Claire came to see me with a card and a bottle of wine. She was going to babysit for a woman named Sue (of all the names !), who lived just around the corner from me, and she asked if I would like to go along. I thanked her for the invitation and said I may do. After a while I decided that I would, and after going to the garden gate, had a good look around to ensure that there was no one around, and then walked around the corner to Sue's as fast as I could without drawing attention to myself should someone be looking out of their window or coming out of the door. We spent a pleasant evening drinking wine and chatting, though she did drop a bombshell by telling me that the following week she would be going to France grapepicking and would be gone for a few months. I was quite distressed by this (though I didn't let it show). Claire was a really good friend, I felt really close to her. Even though Sue was the most important person to me at that time, I felt that Claire was the second most important person in my life, I loved her and used to tell her so (as she did me). I hoped that we'd always be close no matter what happened in our lives, I felt I really needed her to be around. But I couldn't tell her could I ?

So, on the following Monday evening, Claire called to say goodbye, and it would be over a year before I next saw her. I then continued my meaningless existence, and the next dramatic event was just a few weeks away.

To be continued with 'The Best' - "Can't Get Used To Losing You"-entering week ending 7th May 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


2   FR David   Words
One of those Euro crossover hits that I should have found extremely annoying, but instead was just a little indifferent towards. There was another version of it by the Tremeloes that was doing the rounds, but this is the one that hit the top 40, spending two weeks at number two.


3   Human League   (Keep Feeling) Fascination
A new single from the Human League was always an event in those days, such was the irregularity of the releases. This was something of a grower and it showed in it's chart performance. After entering at 16, it climbed to four, then to three and then to it's number two peak. But in all, it only spent seven weeks on the top forty, a surprisingly short time for a disc that was standing at two in it's fourth week. And i wonder how many people checked that their turntable was operating correctly after putting it on for the first time.


4   Michael Jackson   Beat It
Much better single than "Billie Jean" was this glorious effort, even if I did get sick of being told that it featured the guitar of Eddie Van Halen, and the genuine street gangs video was boring by the third time I watched it. It reached number three.


5   Tears For Fears   Pale Shelter
The third hit to be taken from the excellent 'The Hurting', one of my top ten albums of all time. they continued their trend of peaking one place lower with each hit from the album, by reaching number five this time around. This track had previously been issued as a single in March of 1982 when it had failed to chart, and this was a slightly different version. The original version was re-issued in 1985.

Funny how all three of the hit singles taken from this album featured Curt Smith on lead vocals. There were five much better tracks on the album in which Roland Orzabel took the lead. These were, the title track, "Start Of The Breakdown", "Suffer The Children" (a flop single), and two that would feature in my top 100 tracks of all time, the intense pair of songs named "Memories Fade" and "Watch Me Bleed".


6   Galaxy   Dancing Tight
Simple disco song by the Phil Fearon led group that you just couldn't help humming along to. It was never going to change the world, but it was err 'Nice' I suppose.It reached number five and spent nine weeks in the chart.


7   Thompson Twins   We Are Detective
It was a bigger hit than "Love On Your Side" (the Thompson Twins single that it replaced at number forty in it's debut week). It climbed two places higher to number seven. But I always thought that it was vastly inferior. Different though, I suppose.


8   Heaven 17   Temptation
I thought it was criminal that their previous single "Let Me Go" had not been a top forty hit. But here was where Heaven 17 came into their own, with help from Carol Kenyon of course. One of those truly great singles that could be a hit at any time. Indeed, it's 1992 remix reached number four. This first time around, it displaced rivals Human League at number two and spent ten weeks in the top 40.


9   David Bowie   Let's Dance
It was quite a surprise when this entered the chart at number five. His four previous solo singles had failed to reach the top 20. Ok, one of them had been the fourth to be lifted from the 'Scary Monsters' album and one had been a five year old album track. But "Baal" and "Cat People" had been new songs (even if one had been on a different record label, and the other had seemed unusual coming from Bowie, but that was nothing new).

He had now turned to the 'Chic organization' for help and it resulted in not only his most commercially successful album in ten years, but also the first Bowie album to produce three top two singles. In fact, very few (if any) albums by anyone could boast such a feat prior to this. This single reached number one on both sides of the Atlantic and revitalized what many thought was a flagging career. I like it, but I didn't think that it was much better than a very ordinary song. Safe ground from someone who normally took risks.


10   Culture Club   Church Of The Poison Mind
Much better than both of their number one singles in my opinion. Helen Terry's screeching being one of the high points of it. The worst thing about it was the video, now didn't they all look a sorry state in that Plane and car ?

It reached number two.


11   Cliff Richard & The London Philharmonic Orchestra   True Love Ways
Good rendition of the old Buddy Holly 1960 minor hit by Cliff. It quickly soared to number eight before descending.


12   Eurythmics   Love Is A Stranger
I'd heard and bought this when it was originally released in November of the previous year. This was thanks to 'Whistle Test' showing the video. At a time when there was a higher than usual amount of fresh sounding music around (TFF, Blancmange, Talk Talk), this was one of the freshest. Strange that Dave and Annie had previously hit teh chart as members of the Tourists, a band that seemed to adopt a deliberate '60s sound. But this only made number 54 on that original release.
Now after the success of the inferior "Sweet Dreams", it was re-promoted and became a deserved hit. It even looked a possible chart topper as it shot from it's debut number 23 position to number six. But surprisingly, it then dropped to number seven and then twelve.


13   Kids From Fame   Friday Night (Live)
Never very keen on this one, though I normally had no problem with Kids From Fame singles. This was released at around the same time that the Kids were over here. If I remember correctly, BBC even broadcast one of their concerts. It reached number 13 and was their last hit.


14   Iron Maiden   Flight Of Icarus
Maiden were producing a high standard of rock music at this time and this was no exception to the rule. Not that I bought it of course, but I liked listening to it, and the video was quite entertaining too. Reached number eleven it it's second week, but only spent a total of five weeks in the forty.


15   Toto   Rosanna
This was the big winner at that year's Grammies. It had originally been released in April 1982, but had failed to chart here, despite hitting number two in the States. Following the success of "Africa" it was issued here as a Grammy shaped disc and reached number 12. It's subject matter was said to be actress Rosanna Arquette (so were tracks on Peter Gabriel's 1992 album 'Us').

This is one song that I clearly remember hearing in the early hours of the morning while lying in bed at Wrexham's War Memorial hospital. The other that I remember is Clannad's "I See Red", a really atmospheric piece when heard in those circumstances. I also remember listening to some show about the history of Reggae, but can't remember who hosted it.

Once I'd found my bearings after waking up in that bed on Sunday April 10th, I realised that I had a drip connected to me and a machine that made a bleeping sound. Not long after my sister and disgusted mother had left the hospital, the bleep machine was taken away. I had a sore throat, and when I mentioned it to a porter, he said that he wasn't surprised, but on the plus side, I shouldn't get a headache for a while. I felt embarrassed that I recognised the porter as someone from Ruabon who I often used to see in the pub. I think his name was Jimmy.

Through the day I was asked lots of questions about what I'd actually taken besides Paracetemol, why I'd done it, all the usual stuff. The man in the next bed was very elderly, and late in the afternoon his family came to visit and the curtains were drawn around the bed. Not long afterwards, he was covered over and taken away. He had died and I thought that if his family had known why I was there, they would hate me.

Later in the evening, the drip was disconnected. The needle part of it was left in and a stopper put over the part where the drip had been attached. I was the only patient still awake on the ward as I listened to the radio on headphones. That was when I heard "Rosanna" & "I See Red". The bed was getting damp after a while and I looked at the hand. Then I did see red !

There was blood pouring out from one of the holes in the contraption that didn't have a stopper on it. I thought about saying nothing, after all, it didn't hurt, so bleeding to death didn't seem to be bad a option. I put my arm back under the covers and continued to listen to the radio for 20 minutes or so. But then I realised that someone would get into serious trouble if I did bleed to death because of a Nurse's innocent mistake. That wouldn't have been fair becuase all of the nurses were very nice and I've always liked nurses anyway. So I got out of bed and went to the office where the night nurse was sitting reading a book. Blood was dripping from my hand onto the cold floor as I stood in the doorway and said,

"Is blood supposed to be dripping like this ?"

She jumped up with a look of horror on her face and said "God No !"

She rushed to sort me out and changed all of the bed linen. I then got back into bed and she made us both a cup of tea. She sat on the bed and we chatted for over 90 minutes. I told her what had happened, why I'd done what I had, and she was very sympathetic. She told me that she had recently gone through the breakup of a relationship and she had felt pretty much the same as I had for a while. She was a really nice person and considering what had pushed me to do what I had done, I thought it was strange that I fancied her, almost hoping that I had the nerve to ask her if she'd like to go out sometime. After the second cup of tea, she left so that I could get some sleep, but not before telling me that she had a night off the following night, but would have another chat with me on Tuesday evening. I was looking forward to that, but when she gave me a smile and said "See you tomorrow night" just before 8:00am the next morning, that was the last time I saw her.

That morning, I was able to get out of bed and go to the table in the middle of the ward for my meals, so I got talking to the other patients, all quite older than me. They were a friendly bunch and one of them was a smoker and gave me a few cigs in the TV room as I didn't have any until my 'calmed down' Mum arrived. A psychiatrist came to see me that day. She was Egyptian and gorgeous. She asked me the questions that you would expect, "Why did you do it", "How was your childhood", "Have you taken drugs" (yes, I more or less lied about the drug thing, thought I may get in trouble). But I didn't expect her to ask "Do you masturbate ?". Here was this very attractive woman with lovely eyes and great legs asking if I played with myself. I meekly replied "Sometimes" and probably blushed while trying to look anywhere but at her face or legs (fight it, do not get aroused). She asked would I be willing to go and see her at the Maelor Hospital. Of course I said Yes, can you blame me ?

That night, I sat in the TV room and the TV film "The Day After" was on. I chatted to my new but short term friends and one in particular (a man in his mid 50's or possibly older) told me that I should never do what I'd done again. I sometimes wonder whether he is still alive. Strange how people go in and out of your life.

The next morning a doctor came and said that I could go home. I felt like saying "Do I have to ?". I was quite enjoying being in hospital and was so looking forward to my favourite nurse coming back on duty that night. I even wouldn't have minded if I was still there for my 21st birthday on the 18th. But no, I had to go home. I really didn't want to go back to normality.

This story continues with Spandau Ballet's "True" which entered in week ending April 23rd.

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


16   Fun Boy Three   Our Lips Are Sealed
Terry had bowed out of the Specials after their seventh (and best) single, the number one hit "Ghost Town". He was now repeating the trick with the FB3's seventh and best single "Our Lips Are Sealed". Terry co-composed it with Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Gos, and it was they who had a number twenty hit in the States with it. Over here, it was the Fun Boy Three and the B side featured an 'Urdd' version (apparently, that isn't Welsh !). It reached number seven, and Terry wouldn't appear in the top 40 again until 1985.


17   New Order   Blue Monday
Were it not for this single, New Order may never have advanced beyond cult status. I'd liked their previous three singles, and even bought "Temptation", but there was nothing there to make me want to go out and buy an album by them. But then came this one. It sounded very familiar the first time I heard it, and that can mean one of two things. Either, it's a cover version or contains elements from another song, or, it's an extremely good song that is going to be massive. I've always had a feeling that both are true of this song, the second one certainly was. It just so happens to be one of my favourite ten singles of all time.

It climbed to number 12, then come back six months later and reached number nine. Some doing, considering that it was only available on 12 inch single, but it is the biggest selling 12 inch single in the UK ever. It finally got a seven inch release courtesy of a 1988 remix that reached number three. Yet another re-mix reached number 17 in 1995, but neither of the remixes could compare to the original.


18   Tracey Ullman   Breakaway
Tracey Ullman had been having a successful career as a comedienne in the shows 'A Kick Up The Eighties' and 'Three Of A Kind', before she decided to try her hand at singing. "Breakaway" was her first hit, and reached number four, and she followed it with five further hits by the end of 1984. She then went back to comedy with the sit com 'Girls On Top'. Unfortunately, she then gave up the UK to star in US sitcoms that I didn't find particularly amusing.


19   Kissing the Pink   Last Film
I know very little about this band. But I do know that this was a song I liked a lot. It also had an original sound to it, probably one of the last ever singles to have that. An educated guess would be that they got their name from Snooker commentary, as snooker was very popular and hardly off the TV in the early 80's (if it had been as popular in the '50s and '60s, then my Grandad would have been very famous because he was brilliant, but I didn't like it much). The single spent it's 5th, 6th & 7th week in the chart at it's number 19 peak. But it's 8th week was spent at number 36 and to prove to be the last they ever spent in the top forty.


20   Twisted Sister   I Am (I'm Me)
I was well aware of this band for almost a year before they debuted on the UK chart. For a start they had made their live UK debut supporting Motorhead at Wrexham FC's "Racecourse Ground" in 1982. Then they had appeared on the Tube in the previous November performing their rendition of the Rolling Stones' "It's Only Rock And Roll". I think that they were supposed to be some kind of heavy metal band, but to me they always came across as a Glam Rock band. Still, they weren't bad whatever they were supposed to be. This spent two weeks at number 18 amongst it's seven week top 40 residency. But the burning question is, does anyone else think that lead singer Dee Snider body doubled for Christine Aguilera in the "Lady Marmalade" video ?


21   Sweet Dreams   I'm Never Giving Up
Not the Sweet Dreams that hit the chart with "Honey Honey" in 1974, but there is a loose connection. The 1974 Sweet Dreams (featuring Polly Brown) were covering a song by that year's Eurovision Song Contest winners 'Abba'. This Sweet Dreams were the UK's representatives in the 1983 contest. It was just an average what you would expect sort of thing really, and if I remember correctly, the two women and a man sat on stools for most of the song before getting up and dancing towards the end of the song. It was never going to win and finished sixth in what was quite a weak contest. The winner was the Luxembourg entry by Corrine Hermes titled "Si la Vie Est Cadeu". It got nowhere in our chart and was selling for 20p a copy in Woolies by the beginning of July. This set a trend for Eurovision winners. For the previous three years, the winner had reached the top of the UK chart. In fact, since 1970, only the 1977 winner "The Bird And The Child" by Marie Myriam had failed to reach the top 40 (it stalled at #42). But for ten contests from 1983 onwards only Johnny Logan's 1987 winning song "Hold Me Now" goit inside the top 40. Even in the contests from 1993 onwards, only one winner has made the UK top ten, and that was only because it was a British winning entry from Katrina And The Waves. Even the British entries went through something of a bad time in the UK charts. This single from Sweet Dreams only reached number 21, and it would not be until 1995 when the next British entry made the UK top ten. SAys a lot about the quality of the songs we were entering doesn't it ?


22   Tracie   The House That Jack Built
She said that WE own the house that Jack built. I can't say that I care really. I found it a really boring single, and were it not for the Paul Weller connection, I don't think that it would have got as high as number nine. The song's composer 'Alan Price' had taken it to number four in 1967.


23   Sunfire   Young Free And Single
Nice except for one thing, it gave Radio One DJ Gary Davies a catchphrase that I wouldn't be surprised he still uses (wherever he is). Nice summery sound that made number twenty and I have every intention of digging out and playing sometime over the next few weeks. The thing is, I was "Young Free And Single" and not very happy about it at the time !


24   Men At Work   Overkill
Best single they ever released in my opinion. It didn't have the novelty appeal of "Down Under", but seemed a very well written song to me. True that Colin Hay acted strangely in the video again, but maybe he WAS strange and that's all there was to it. The fact that it came in a limited edition shrink wrapped double pack with their US number one single "Who Can It Be Now" (mine are still attached to each other), should have guaranteed another top five hit. But it climbed very slowly, reaching a peak of number 21 in it's 6th chart week. It only had one more week in the top 40 after that.


25   JoBoxers   Boxerbeat
Jo Boxers were having the first of three hits and quickly reached number three. A year later we had all forgotten about them, and I'm still confused as why this was a hit.


26   Creatures   Miss The Girl
Different !

It was Siouxsie singing about NOT missing the girl and wrapping her "Around your burning wheel", and Budgie playing a xylaphone. Simple, but quite likeable all the same, number 21.


27   Kajagoogoo   Ooh To Be Ah
Had it not been for the huge success of "Too Shy", I don't think that this single would have charted at all. It wasn't exactly anything above very ordinary. But, Kajagoogoo were big news, they filmed an entertaining video that featured Kenny Everett and a shadow character following Nick Beggs around and a hit it was. But it peaked in only it's second chart week at number seven. They released their debut album "White Feathers" on April 18th, my 21st birthday.


28   Blancmange   Blind Vision
I was never too sure about this one. It wasn't what I expected after only recently buying the 'Happy Families' album. Some may see that as a good thing, but I didn't. I wanted the craziness of "Living On The Ceiling" and "Feel Me", or the moodiness of "Waves". But while this was certainly energetic and had a neat echo effect, it did seem hollow in a way that they didn't intend. The video wasn't easy on the eyes either. It reached number ten.


29   Beat   Can't Get Used To Losing You
After a couple of years in the wilderness, the Beat were back with a track taken from their 1980 debut album. It was a cover of Andy Williams' 1963 number two hit, and to be honest, it almost sounds as though Andy 'is' singing it. In reaching number three, it became their biggest and final top 40 hit.

When buying this single from Woolworths, I was very drunk and was escorted to the record counter by a policeman, who then made sure that I left the store and got on a bus back to Ruabon.

It was a Thursday morning and I was still on sick leave from work, there was something wrong with my bike and I needed to get to town. So, I tried to get across the road to the bus stop and get a bus to town inconspiciously. But who should also turn up at the bus stop, but John Dodd. Now John was a bit of a rogue, but I'd always got on quite well with him. So, after my initial embarrassment at being 'caught' by someone, it was nice to be actually talking to a friend again. When we got to town, he came with me to cash my cheque and then we went to the pub and got drunk. At some point in the afternoon we used the public toilets near Wrexham's Guild Hall. As we were going down the steps, a big man in leathers carrying a crash helmet was coming up. John apparently said something to him, but I didn't hear it. Nest thing I knew, I was pushed into a cubicle and John got a bit of a smacking. He didn't seem to mind too much anyway.

We then began walking up to King Street bus station, but as we passed Woolworths, we saw someone we recognised in there. It was Gary Roberts and a mate of his (think his name was Martin). Doddy told them about what had just happened etc, Gary said that I was stupid for what I had recently done (the suicide attempt). Not really a helpful thing to say to someone who's felt low enough to do that, but on the whole, people are like that aren't they ?

Anyway, we were apparently too drunk and too noisy to be in Woolworths, and the police were called. A young policeman came in and asked us to leave the store. I said that I wanted to buy a record first, so he escorted me to the record counter, I bought the Beat single, and he then escorted us to the bus station and put us on a bus (I later learnt that Sue's mother had seen me drunk in town that day).

Now, as previously documented, I had become very self consious and had been avoiding people for weeks. But my drunken state gave me some new confidence, so later on I walked up the village to the chip shop. I bumped into Kenny Baker. Kenny was also seen as something of a rogue, but I'd known him since I started school at the age of three, and there had been times when I'd had a lot to do with him and his brother Michael, most notably during the summer of 1978. I had also not shunned him the previous summer when he had been released after serving a few months in a detention centre. Kenny was quite adult in his attitude about what had happened to me. He had actually seen me being taken into the ambulance that night and feared that I was dead. We had a good chat sitting on the seat near the car park. There was a moment when the cheeky son of the Newsagent shouted something to me out of the window. It was something along the lines of "Have you taken your Anaddin today ?". I said nothing, but Kenny shouted a load of abuse at him. I could so easily have come out of my shell from that day onwards. But the next day when I was sober, I was back to my reclusive self. The downward spiral began to gain momentum and this story continues with Bob Marley's "Buffalo Soldier", which entered the chart in week ending 14th May 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


30   New Edition   Candy Girl
I thought that it was a nasty little Jackson Five rip off myself. Made number one for a week, they didn't do much else chartwise, but then members of the band were big late in the decade through various other projects (most notably Bobby Brown). They reformed in the mid -90s, but didn't do much over here (despite more huge success in the US).


31   Julio Iglesias   Hey!
I don't remember hearing this one at all. It only reached number 31 anyway.


32   Saxon   Power And The Glory
Saxon were ok in the first two years of the decade, but by 1983, they were just plain boring. Can't remember this too well, so it hardly made an impression. Number 32 peak and no more top 40 hits, ever.


33   Pink Floyd   Not Now John
It's parent album 'The Final Cut' was slated by the music press, and that was the clearest indication yet that I should ignore the opinions of journalists. I think that it is an excellent album. Not as good as "The Wall", Dark Side Of The Moon" or "Wish You Were Here", but they are the only three albums in the history of recorded music that I like more than this one. Indeed two of my top ten albums of all time were released within a fortnight of each other in the spring of 1983, this one and Tears For Fears ''The Hurting'.

This album was more or less a Roger Waters solo project, and dealt with Roger's Father's death and the futility of war with numerous digs at Maggie Thatcher and the Falklands campaign. Just like 'The Wall' could have been made into a film (a video EP was released a few months after the album's release). The disappointing thing about it was that "When The Tigers Broke Free" was not among it's tracks, as the sleeve to the said single had claimed the previous year. The best choices for single release would have been "The Gunners Dream", "The Hero's Return", the title track or "The Post War Dream". The latter track included the following lyrics,

"If it wasn't for the nips, being so good at building ships,
the yards would still be open on the Clyde,
and it can't be much fun for them beneath the rising sun,
with all their kids committing suicide,
What have we done Maggie what have we done,
What have we done to England"

But the least commercial track on the album was lifted for release instead. True that "Not Now John" did feature some extremely sarcastic lyrics in,

"F**k all that we've got to get on with these,
got to compete with the wily Japanese
no need to worry about the Vietnamese
got to bring the Russian bear to his knees
well maybe not the Russian bear, maybe the Swedes
we showed Argentina, now let's go and show these
make us feel tough, and wouldn't Maggie be pleased.

But it was never going to be the big hit that "Another Brick In The Wall" had been. It only reached number 30 and the name Pink Floyd was then missing from the top 40 until June 1994. And by then, it wasn't Pink Floyd, it was a Rogerless band that just happened to be using the name.


34   Duran Duran   Is There Something I Should Know
Duran Duran had their first number one single with this. I personally thought it was weaker than the singles that had been lifted from the 'Rio' album the previous year, and that it was one of those rare pre-90s occasions that an undeserving single entered the chart at the top. But Duran Duran were so huge that whatever new material they released just had to hit number one.

There was something in that title that seemed to relate to me personally. I still didn't know why Susan had ended it with me, save for a suspicion that her friend Joanne had something to do with it. I had began to buy large bottles of Paracetemol and had been taking them regular for headaches I had, and headaches that I pretended to have. I can't remember the exact date that I stopped going to work, but I think it must have been the 28th March. It was probably the 4th April when I visited the doctor and told him that I was having dizzy spells and having trouble sleeping. He very kindly prescribed a course of sleeping tablets for me along with something that I think was called Stematol and some green capsules. My preparations were almost complete.

On April 9th (9 days before my 21st birthday), the Pink Floyd film "The Wall" had been released on video. I just had to see it again before I did what I had to do, and so I rented it out. I watched it in the afternoon, along with my Dad. My brother was visiting us for a few days and he also watched some before he went out to see some of his old friends. He was supposedly staying out that evening. My Dad went out quite early that evening, but just before he went out Susan's brother Richard and his fiance Marcia called to see me. It was now five weeks since I had seen Susan, so I don't think that they thought it would trouble me too much if they told me that Sue was now seeing someone else. I tried to act perfectly normal as though it didn't bother me, but I did notice Marcia looking at the bottles of tablets on the sideboard. I told her that I'd been having dizzy spells and lots of headaches. I learnt that she'd later told Richard she was concerned about all the tablets I seemed to be taking. They left after an hour or so and said they'd call again during the week.

I watched "The Wall" again and then switched to some big concert celebrating 25 years (I think) of "American Bandstand". Then I did it. While Stevie Wonder was performing "Masterblaster", I swallowed over 25 sleeping tablets, 43 Stematol, 18 of the green capsules and 200 Paracetemol. I continued to watch the show for a while before deciding that I was hungry, and so made myself some toast. I normally just had butter or Marg on toast, but on this occasion decided to put strawberry jam (jelly) on it. By now I was feeling quite strange and realised what it was I was feeling. I was feeling "Comfortably Numb", hardly any feeling at all, but comfortable. I lay on the floor and watched as the Beach Boys played a medley of their hits.

There was white everywhere, what had happened ?

Was this where you go when you die ?

Wait, I'm in a bed and they are white curtains around me. There was something on my wrist. It's some kind of band and it says Overton. That's a place about five miles from my home village of Ruabon.
"Am I in Overton hospital ?"

"No, you bloody fool, you're in Overton ward at the War Memorial hospital".

Oops, I'd survived and my Mum was by the bedside with my sister. My sister's boyfriend had driven them from Mansfield to Wrexham through the night. The story goes that my brother had decided to come back to my dad's after all that night. At first, he had sat watching TV, thinking that I had just fallen asleep on the floor with a half eaten Jam sandwich at my side. But after a while, he had noticed all of the empty tablet bottles on the table and realised that I wasn't just asleep. He had knocked on the door of Anne and Dave next door and called an ambulance. Apparently the ambulance arrived as people were walking home from the pub and a crowd gathered as I was taken out on a stretcher. Oh the shame of it !

Upon arriving at hospital, my stomach was pumped out, and as I was taken to the ward, I attacked the doctors and nurses. I have no recollection of that, and other patients later told me that they thought I was drunk.

Continues with Toto's "Rosanna", entry date week ending 16th April.

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


35   Daryl Hall & John Oates   Family Man
A cover of a Mike Oldfield track from the 'Five Miles Out' album. Not a bad cover, but not the best thing that Hall & Oates ever did. It reached number 15 and was the last time that they entered the top twenty.


36   Kiss   Creatures Of The Night
The first time that Kiss entered the UK top 40, but they were only in it for two weeks, peaking at number 34. They were still four years away from breaking the top thirty.


37   Chill Fac-Torr   Twist (Round And Round)
Interesting take on Hank Ballard's Twist, it was something of a soul version of Chubby Checker's big hit that was big in the clubs. In fact, Chubby himself liked this cover. I always think of it as a single that got into the low end of the top twenty. But no, it spent four weeks in the forty with a peak of number 37.


38   Bauhaus   She's In Parties
This one was unusually given a TV ad campaign, a very rare thing for a single. I quite liked the gothic sound of this one, but it was maybe a few years ahead of it's time.It only spent four weeks in the top forty, peaking at number 26.


39   Thin Lizzy   Thunder And Lightning
The term bowing out gracefully springs to mind, which is exactly not what Lizzy were doing. Thin Lizzy had been a great band in the past, and I'm normally quite loyal towards bands that have given me enjoyment. But even I didn't buy the 'Thunder And Lightning' album, having given up after hearing 1981's 'Renegade'. Having said that, I did think that this was a better track than their previous single, the number 27 peaking "Cold Sweat". But it spent just a week in the chart at number 39.


40   Belle Stars   Sweet Memory
Surprisingly, the Belle Stars did not follow up the top three hit "Sign Of The Times" with a track from their very recently released eponymous album. They went for a completely new track, and it was a good one that sounded like another top ten hit to me. But it struggled to a number 22 peak and that was the last time the top 40 featured the Belle Stars.

 



In the news this week

Current top three band 'The Human League' looked set to go into battle with their publishing company 'Virgin Music'. The company had sent an injunction to Phil Oakey and Adrian Wright to stop them signing a deal elswhere.

Phil and Adrian were claiming their contract was up. Virgin's managing director Richard Griffiths said it wasn't.


Other Charts number ones
Album - David Bowie - Let's Dance
Indie singles - New Order - Blue Monday
Indie LPs - Aztec Camera - High Land, Hard Rain
12" single - Spandau Ballet - True
Cassette - Michael Jackson - Thriller
Nightclub - Michael Jackson - Beat It
Disco - Galaxy - Dancing Tight
Boystown Disco - Norma Lewis - Maybe This Time
Video - Duran Duran - Duran Duran
US singles - Michael Jackson - Beat It
US LPs - Michael Jackson - Thriller


Some very low down new entries on the singles chart;
64 - Hot Chocolate -What Kind Of Boy You're Looking For
71 - Elvis Presley - Baby I Don't Care
74 - Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding
89 - Corrine Hermes - Si La Vie Est Cadeau
96 - Patti Smith - Because The Night



Due to the bank holiday, the charts were published on Wednesday instead of Tuesday that particular week. So Record Mirror were unable to print that week's chart until the following week. Instead, they listed the top 150 selling singles for the first third of the year. Here is the top ten and a bit more,

1 - Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse Of The Heart
2 - Men At Work - Down Under
3 - Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
4 - David Bowie - Let's Dance
5 - Phil Collins - You Can't Hurry Love
6 - Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
7 - Kajagoogoo - Too Shy
8 - Duran Duran - Is There Something I Should Know
9 - Belle Stars - Sign Of The Times
10 - Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue

40 - New Order - Blue Monday
47 - Spandau Ballet - True
78 - Prince - 1999
89 - Jam - Going Underground
100, 117, 127, 128, 141, 145, 148, 149 - other singles by The Jam

An album chart was published for the same period too,

1 - Michael Jackson - Thriller
2 - Men At Work - Business As Usual
3 - David Bowie - Let's Dance
4 - John Lennon - The John Lennon Collection
5 - Various - Raiders Of The Pop Charts
6 - Phil Collins - Raiders Of the Pop Charts
7 - Richard Clayderman - Richard Clayderman
8 - Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
9 - Tears For Fears - The Hurting
10 - Duran Duran - Rio



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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BACK TO THE 1983 INDEX
THE REMEMBER WHEN ARCHIVES
GOLDEN DAYS INDEX

Email: nige@innotts.co.uk


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