1983
Week 4
WEEK ENDING 22ND JANUARY 1983

TOP 40 SINGLES

TW ..... LW ......   ......  
1   1   Phil Collins   You Can't Hurry Love
2   7   Men At Work   Down Under
3   6   Wah   The Story Of The Blues
4   22   Eddy Grant   Electric Avenue
5   4   Keith Harris   Orville's Song
6   2   David Essex   A Winter's Tale
7   15   Maisonettes   Heartache Avenue
8   19   Joe Jackson   Steppin' Out
9   16   Stranglers   European Female
10   13   Madness   Our House
11   9   Malcolm McLaren And The World Famous Supreme Team   Buffalo Gals
12   14   Incantation   Cacharpaya (Andes Pumpsa Daesi)
13   3   Renee And Renato   Save Your Love
14   5   Modern Romance   Best Years Of Our Lives
15   12   Dionne Warwick   All The Love In The World
16   10   Bucks Fizz   If You Can't Stand The Heat
17   8   Culture Club   Time (Clock Of The Heart)
18   11   Ultravox   Hymn
19   NEW   Belle Stars   Sign Of The Times
20   32   Laura Branigan   Gloria
21   17   John Williams   Theme From E.T.
22   21   Donna Summer   I Feel Love
23   NEW   U2   New Year's Day
24   NEW   Dire Straits   Twisting By The Pool
25   36   Melba Moore   Mind Up Tonight
26   37   Fleetwood Mac   Oh Diane
27   NEW   Echo And The Bunnymen   The Cutter
28   38   Billy Griffin   Hold Me Tighter In The Rain
29   18   Wham   Young Guns (Go For It)
30   20   Shalamar   Friends
31   NEW   Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes   Up Where We Belong
32   NEW   Beatles   Please Please Me
33   NEW   Kajagoogoo   Too Shy
34   35   Marvin Gaye   My Love Is Waiting
35   NEW   Level 42   The Chinese Way
36   23   Dexy's Midnight Runners   Let's Get This Straight (From The Start) / OId
37   28   Blancmange   Living On The Ceiling
38   NEW   Sharon Redd   In The Name Of Love
39   27   Lionel Richie   Truly
40   31   Imagination   Changes


1   Phil Collins   You Can't Hurry Love
This cover of the Supremes hit surprisingly gave Phil the first number one single of his career. But rarely have four words rang more true than the four that make up the title of this song.
I was going out with (dating) Sue when she bought this. I'd first met Sue at the Legion Disco in November. She was the sister of Richard, who was the boyfriend of a girl from the village named Marcia. Sue was short, shy, very pretty, but never wore a skirt. I like women to look feminine, so she wasn't really my type. But I thought that she was really sweet, and liked her a lot. I'd sat and chatted to her and even indirectly asked her out when I had more than a little Dutch courage, but she'd declined, something to do with my hair being too long. So I thought that was that. Somehow on Christmas Eve, I'd found myself leaving the Legion Disco at the same time as Richard, Marcia and Sue. Marcia suggested going to church for midnight mass. It isn't something I would normally do, but I thought "Why Not ?"
I remember the church being packed with people, but not much more about it, except that we didn't stay long. After that the four of us walked down the road towards home. I decided to walk their way down Albert Grove and on to Stanley Grove where Marcia lived (Richard and Sue were staying there for the night). Somehow, Sue and myself ended up linking arms, just messing about really. But we were walking much slower than the other two and soon fell behind. We were laughing and joking as we got to Marcia's gate and I felt a little sad that the night was over. I said to Sue "I'll see you again sometime then, Merry Christmas". I didn't expect what happened next (remember I said that she was shy). She leaned forward and kissed me. A little shocked, I responded and we snogged for a few minutes. I then asked her if that meant we could start seeing each other, she replied "Yes, if you want to". So that was how it started. It was another significant moment, maybe THE most significant moment in my life. It diverted me from which ever road I was taking in life. Things were never the same after this. She lifted me out of the doldrums, made me happier than I'd ever been in my life, but I was left at my lowest ebb when it was over.


2   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.


3   Wah   Story Of The Blues
I wasn't sure about this to begin with, but it eventually grew on me and sounds even better today. Still don't think much of the B side though. It was part 2, and was a daft talking over the music thing, not really a rap, just, a talky thingl, OK ?
After entering at number 34, it climbed to number 6, then 3, and then fell for the remainder of it's eight chart weeks.


4   Eddy Grant   Electric Avenue
It was a real street you know, a street where Eddy grew up in Brixton or something. We have an Electric Avenue here in Nottingham, it leads to Toys'R'us !
All of Edward's previous singles sounded pretty much the same (or maybe that's just a problem that I have with reggae), so this was a nice change and gets my vote for his best ever effort. It also included his original version of the recent Rocker's Revenge hit "Walking On Sunshine" on the flip (but RR's version was better). It reached number two and his next hit came along five years later. And, the one after that was a remix of this one in 2001.


5   Keith Harris & Orville   Orville's Song
Too late to be a big Christmas hit, we had surely been saved. But alas no, this Bobby Crush written ditty shot up the chart in the new year and peaked at number four. For those of you lucky enough not to know anything about Orville, let me explain. Orville is a green duck wearing a nappy (diaper). I hate him. Keith Harris' other famous puppet Cuddles the monkey also hates him.
Many years later in the late Summer of 1995, I met Keith Harris. I was in the Blackpool nightclub at a special function where many celebrities were in attendance. Those twins from Neighbours were there (very nice they were too), Joe Pasquale, Les Dennis, Su Pollard, quite a few actually. Alex Higgins literally bumped into me and we chatted with him for a long time, great character, even let us take photos. Keith had done a bit of his act on the stage with Orville, but it was different than usual as he made the duck say things that he wouldn't normally say (and wouldn't be allowed to on kids TV). I eventually got to speak with Keith and we chatted for quite a while. He was quite an interesting person and once more I had my photo taken that night. But when he asked me what I thought about Orville's performance that night, I replied, "I like your monkey, but I can't stand that duck". I wasn't being serious (well, not much), but I don't think that he was very pleased. He went off to find someone else to talk to.


6   David Essex   A Winter's Tale
This often appears on Christmas compilations, but I've never regarded it as a Christmas song. For a start, it didn't peak at number two until the middle of January. And another thing is that it reminds me of my relationship with Sue, that really was "A "Winter's Tale".


7   Maisonettes   Heartache Avenue
This band sort of evolved from City Boy (remember "5705" & "What A Night" ?). The singer 'Lol Mason' had a brother (twin I think), acting in the soap Crossroads at the time. The song was a very pleasant one with a sixties feel to it and it spent a couple of weeks at number seven. Nice follow up "Where I Stand" too, but that failed to chart.


8   Joe Jackson   Steppin' Out
This WAS a surprise. Three years previous, Joe released two excellent singles that both became major hits. But he seemed to ahve faded away since that time. He hadn't stopped recording, in fact a new Joe single could be heard on the radio every now and then. They just hadn't been commercial enough, nothing there to catch the public's imagination. But this one did it and reached number six.
Now I don't know whether it's down to the happiness in my life at that time, but I thought this was a really good single.
This was the last hit for Joe apart from the odd uncredited appearance on other act's singles.


9   Stranglers   European Female
After going into easy listening territory with "Golden Brown" and "Strange Little Girl" the previous year, I did expect the Stranglers to revert back to their noisy selves in 1983. But no, they kept with the smooth kind of sound that wouldn't have seemed out of place on 'then unfashionable' Radio Two. It was the first of three acceptable singles from the 'Feline' album. The album was better than the previous 'La Folie' album, but it can't really be compared with the previous albums, as they had a totally different sound and could easily have been recorded by a totally different band.
The single hit number nine to become their sixth top ten hit. They had to wait five years for the seventh.


10   Madness   Our House
This single spent four weeks at number five and I must admit that the first time I heard it, I thought that it was the 'Jam'. It may seem unbelievable to you, but I thought that Suggs' vocals on certain parts of this did sound remarkably similar to Paul Weller's. As mentioned earlier, Tommy Vance was the host of the Top 40 show at that time (I would say the last truly great host, but Bruno wasn't too bad). Every so often Tommy would play a 12 inch version that he considered worthwhile, that is if it added something different to the song. He did such a thing to this particular song. The beginning of it contained a montage of Madness songs, rather like small 'samples'. It was enough to make me go out and buy it.


11   Malcolm McLaren & The World Famous Supreme Team   Buffalo Gals
The first solo (ish) hit from Malcolm introduced us to scratching. Well, at least it did as far as chart hits are concerned (Grandmaster Flash had been having his adventures on the wheels of steel a full year previous). After slowly climbing for a few weeks, it finally peaked at number nine in it's seventh week. The B.side featured a bizarre square dance version of the song.


12   Incantation   Cacharpaya (Andes Pumpsa Daesi)
I don't care what they were catching, I hated it and it seemed to be around for much longer than the eight weeks it actually did spend in the chart. It peaked at number 12, and I believe that "Andes Pumpsa Daesi" means "Music Of The Andes". What I find odd is that the band were British, I thought they were from Peru or somewhere like that.


13   Renee And Renato   Save Your Love
The favourites for the Christmas number one this year included 'The Jam', 'Culture Club', 'David Bowie and Bing Crosby', 'Madness', 'Human League', while the red hot favourite was 'Shakin' Stevens'. But like so many other years, a completely unknown act came along with what is usually described as a 'novelty record' and took the honours. In this particular year it was 'Renee And Renato' who managed a four week stay at the top, and although it seemed irritating for a while, it was a really good song that could have been a hit in any decade. Describing it as a 'novelty hit' probably isn't a fair description as it was just the type of song that would have topped the chart before 'Rock And Roll' kicked in. They followed it with "Just One More Kiss" the following February but just failed to secure a second hit. They were never heard of again.


14   Modern Romance   Best Years Of Our Lives
This moved slowly up the chart, but it ultimately become their biggest hit. An alternative version complete with a Christmas feeling helped it to peak at number four in it's eighth week on the chart. Yet another different version appeared on their 1983 album 'Trick Of The Light'.


15   Dionne Warwick   All The Love In The World
Another track from the Gibb produced "Heartbreaker" album, and I preferred this to the title track. It peaked at number ten in January.


16   Bucks Fizz   If You Can't Stand The Heat
The seventh consecutive top twenty hit for Bucks Fizz would also become their fifth top ten hit when it reached number ten. As usual it was great commercial pop, which is what it's all about really. Acts appealing to a wide range of people of varying ages (Beatles, Elvis Presley, Diana Ross etc.) are without a doubt the most successful ones when it really comes down to the hard facts.


17   Culture Club   Time (Clock Of The Heart)
And I thought that this classy follow up to "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" sounded like a Shalamar track. It looked set to repeat the success of it's predecessor when it climbed from number 34 to number nine, but instead had to settle for a week at number three.


18   Ultravox   Hymn
Another brilliant single with an equally brilliant over the top video from Ultravox. They were now in a stage of their career where all of their singles were peaking in the bottom half of the top twenty. "Hymn" was no exception and would wait until the middle of January before peaking at number eleven on it's eighth week in the 40. It was the second single to be taken from the 'Quartet' album.


19   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.


20   Laura Branigan   Gloria
This was a continental foreign language hit for someone. Then Jonathan King got hold of it, wrote his own English lyrics, and failed to have a hit with it. Laura then recorded a completely different English version, and she DID have a hit. Great voice, great song and a lot of fuss was made over Laura's tight outfit, especially when she appeared on Noel Edmond's 'Late Late Breakfast Show'. It was the first of only two top forty hits for her, but we live in a far from perfect world anyway. It peaked at number six.
Personally, I think that Mr King's lyrics were just as good.


21   John Williams   Theme From E.T.
Didn't like it much. When played on the top 40 countdown, it was time to go and put the kettle on. It reached number 16.
As for the film, there was all that business about pirate videos doing the rounds a couple of months before it came out. It didn't exactly harm business though, everyone seemed to want to see it after that hit the media. I wasn't that bothered myself, but I do have a little story loosley connected to it.
When I woke on Christmas Day, I felt a little sore from my beating of the previous evening. Then I remembered that Sue was now my girlfriend and felt pleased with myself. I didn't have her phone number, neither did I know where she lived (except that it was somewhere up in the mountains near Minera), but I knew that wouldn't be a problem as I could contact her through her brother Richard and his girlfriend Marcia. And that's what I did and through them we arranged to meet on New Year's Eve. So after spending most of the week between Xmas & New Year in the pubs, hanging around with my good friend Claire and explaining to my Dad about the broken window, the night finally came.
I was really nervous waiting in the Legion, but finally Sue walked through the door with R & M. After one drink in there, we went along to the Community Centre. Richard & Marcia had tickets for a New Year's disco in there, we were going to try and get in too. We failed, so bid our goodnights to R & M and walked back towards the Legion. I asked her if she'd like to go into the Vaults, she said ok, so we went in there and had one. After that we walked down to 'The Great Western Inn' commonly known as 'The Nant'. That was ok and we spent the rest of the evening in there. I can't remember what we talked about, but I do remember her telling me that her favourite singer was Shaky, it didn't put me off her though. We left about 1:30am and I walked her back to Marcia's house where she was staying the night.
When we arrived, she asked if I wanted to come in for a while, so I did. Marcia and Richard were already in bed, as were Marcia's parents. So we went into the living room, sat down and smooched. We must have been there together for near an hour and during the course of that time, I did ask at one point if she'd like to go and see E.T. (see, I said there was a connection). She said OK (she seemed very agreeable on everything). I also remember that I fell asleep for probably less than a minute, I just felt so comfortable and relaxed with her. I remember her cute voice saying "You're not falling asleep are you ?". I replied "No, not quite".
But, I left soon after that. As I was leaving, I asked when could I see her again (expecting the reply to be next weekend or something like that). I was pleasantly surprised when she said "Tomorrow if you like, come to my house". So that's what I did, and we saw each other everyday after that until March 4th. This story continues with the commentary for U2's "New Year's Day" (number 23 this week).


22   Donna Summer   I Feel Love
Five years after spending four weeks at number one, this was remixed and extended to 15 minutes by Patrick Crowley. It was a job well done and is one of my favourite 12 inch singles ever. It eventually reached number 21 and spent eight weeks in the top forty.


23   U2   New Year's Day
U2's big breakthrough, after this single there was no looking back. They'd spent a couple of years on the fringes of success with 1981's "Fire" being their biggest success with a lowly number 35 peak. But this one went all the way to number ten and helped it's parent album 'War' to enter the album chart at the top.
If you're anywhere near a radio at a couple of minutes after midnight on New Year's Eve/Day, flick through the stations and you'll find this playing somewhere. As mentioned in the commentary for "E.T." (number 21), I was nowhere near a radio that night, I was in the lounge of the Great Western Inn with Sue. But this song reminds me of that New Year's Day all the same.
Early that afternoon I got on my Kawasaki KC 100 and rode the short distance to Marcia's house. A few minutes later, Sue, Marcia & Richard got into Marcia's Dad's (Dennis) car and I followed them to Sue's home. It seemed a hell of a long way on that freezing cold day, but it was only about six miles to that cottage up in the mountains. I met just about all the (very nice) family (loads of siblings), and there was that nice aroma that you get from those wood stove things. I stayed until about 9pm and we then said our very long goodbyes outside.
We saw each other every day after that (while it lasted). By a week or so later we'd got into a routine. On Monday and Wednesday, I would go to her house and spend the evening there with her and her family until about 10:00pm. That wasn't as bad as you may think, her Dad John, was a really nice man with a good sense of humour. For some reason he liked to call me "Harry Fenton", never quite sure why. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I would pick her up approx 5:30pm, take her to my house and then take her home about 10:00pm. On Fridays I would pick her up and we'd spend the weekend together until I took her back home on Sunday evening. So we spent a hell of a lot of time together in this particular New Year.


24   Dire Straits   Twisting By The Pool
It actually sounded as though the band were standing up when they recorded this track, quite different from the usual laid back stuff. It was also surprising that they had released this instead of taking a second single from their 'Love Over Gold' album. There again, the said album only contained five tracks (all better than this one). This was the last new Dire Straits track we'd hear before April 1985, so it's a pity that it was a little disappointing, reached number 14.


25   Melba Moore   Mind Up Tonight
Nothing special, but neither was her previous one. There was still a little in the way of good stuff to come from the disco stable, but it was getting harder to find. Melba had given us her lot in the Seventies with "This Is It", "The Greatest Feeling" and "Pick Me Up I'll Dance". This final top forty hit for her reached number 22.


26   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.


27   Echo And The Bunnymen   The Cutter
Didn't like this one bit, I would have put it in the pile with Orville, total annoyance. But I quite like it now, not a bad track at all. It reached number eight.


28   Billy Griffin   Hold Me Tighter In The Rain
Former singer with the Miracles with his sole UK top 40 solo hit. Well at least it was a good one, worthy of a top ten place in my opinion, though it only reached number 17. Billy also had a good single out in early '84 titled "Serious", that should have been a hit too.
Billy also said that he likes my website, so he's an all round good bloke !


29   Wham   Young Guns (Go For It)
The first hit for Wham contained lyrics that seemed to be preaching the direct opposite to the 'monogamy' attitude that George Michael would later adopt. Whatever anyone's feelings on that, it was still a catchy song and gave them a deserved number three hit.


30   Shalamar   Friends
Rounding off an excellent year with the fourth single to be taken from the 'Friends' album. It didn't match the top ten runs of the previous three hits, but still managed an impressive number 12 placing. Sad how so many third rate dance acts now hit the upper reaches of the chart while the likes of Shalamar, Odyssey etc. have just faded away.


31   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.


32   Beatles   Please Please Me
In January 1963 this was the second official release by the Beatles and the last one not to hit number one for four years when it peaked at number two. It did top some charts, but in the chart now recognised as the official one, it didn't.
It was now re-released on picture disc on it's Twentieth Anniversary, but fell short of expectations by only reaching number 29.


33   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.


34   Marvin Gaye   My Love Is Waiting
The follow up to "Sexual Healing". Not bad, but hardly a glorious swansong. This reached number 34 and was the final top forty hit in his lifetime. On April 1st the following year, his Father shot him dead. Marvin only returned to the top forty once after that. It was in 1986 when his classic hit "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" reached number eight after appearing in a jeans commercial (I think the raisin ad was about that time too).


35   Level 42   The Chinese Way
I thought that this was very boring. There was nothing here to suggest that they were going to be very successful for the remainder of the decade. Biggest hit to date, reached number 24.


36   Dexy's Midnight Runners   Let's Get This Straight From The Start
Dexy's had a great 1982. "Come On Eileen" was the biggest selling single of the year after spending four weeks at number one and "Jackie Wilson Said" had also made the top five. While "Old" had been taken from the successful 'Too-Rye-Ay' album, "Let's Get This Straight From the Start" was a brand new track and better than most of the tracks on the said album. After debuting at number 35, it shot up to number 18 only to stand still the following week and then rose just one more place to 17.


37   Blancmange   Living On The Ceiling
On hearing this, I thought "What an amazing single !". After a couple of near misses, Blancmange finally had their first hit and they spent three weeks at number seven. I still think it's a great single now, but my reasons for thinking it was so amazing back then were not good ones. I'd started smoking anything offered to me back in 1980 because 'someone else was doing it, so it seemed a clever thing to do'. After my Grandad dying and then 'Tommy', I turned to harder things and was experimenting with hallucinogenic drugs (Magic Mushrooms in particular). I thought it was fantastic because I didn't have any bad trips on whatever substance I took, and this single just seemed to tie in with the whole experience. I began reading books about drugs such as Timothy Leary's "Politics Of Ecstacy", I wanted to try everything, I would have even taken Heroin had someone offered it to me. I even had a bag of magic mushrooms confiscated by the police officer who'd broken the news to me about my Grandad's death. I ought to have been ashamed of myself. And that's what smoking a little 'weed' now and then led to.
For those that don't know, Magic Mushrooms go out of season when the frost arrives. They were said to be non-addictive, but I craved them. I wanted to go back into happy mushroom land, but I couldn't. That's when depression started to kick in.


38   Sharon Redd   In The Name Of Love
It wasn't "Never Give You Up", but it was pretty good all the same. Another classic for the dance floors. Only number 31 though.


39   Lionel Richie   Truly
This was Lionel's first solo single after eight years of intermittent success with the 'Commodores'. It was to launch him on a highly successful solo career that continues to this day. It was looking an outside bet for a future number one at one point, but it spent three weeks at number six before falling down the chart.


40   Imagination   Changes
The glory days already behind them, but this wasn't too bad a single really. Reached number 31.



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

Bauhaus   Lagartija Nick
Something about cracking a whip. The singer Pete Murphy was in the Maxell Ad. He wasn't very good at making records though. Reached number 44.





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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