By 1987-88, I found myself listening to the radio less.
And buying records more…
… as often, the songs I liked on American Top 40 just were not being played on South Bend, Indiana’s Top 40 dynamo:
WNDU-FM: “U-93.”
Of the 19 tracks in this “Who sings it?” set, I can remember only hearing four or five on the radio outside of AT40.
Of course, not every song even made AT40.
The Alarm’s “Rain in the Summertime” was a hit on rock radio – but couldn’t get above No. 71 pop.
So’s “Are You Sure?” got oh-so-close, peaking at Number 41 on the Hot 100.
Toni Childs’ “Don’t Walk Away…”
The Timelords’ “Doctorin’ the Tardis…,”
Kim Wilde’s “You Came…”
…and even the Traveling Wilburys’ “Handle With Care” were also-rans: peaking respectively at Nos. 72, 66, 41 and 45.
(How could a song with George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty and Bob Dylan peak at Number 45? I don’t know.)
(Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the phrase “fobbed off” sounds instead like a phrase Top 40 radio wouldn’t have played in 1987.)
So… what was making the Top 40?
Lots of sprightly pop.
“You Don’t Know” was the only hit for duo Scarlett and Black, peaking at Number 20.
Another duo, Boy Meets Girl, hit the top five with the sublime “Waiting for a Star to Fall.”
And Information Society’s Mr. Spock-infused “What’s on Your Mind (Pure Energy)” hit Number 3.
From the R&B world came Roger’s “I Want to Be Your Man…”
…and The Deele’s “Two Occasions,” Both crossing over to Top 10 pop success.
The dance charts brought Was (Not Was)’ “Spy in the House of Love” to the pop Top 20.
From rock radio came Cinderella’s power ballad “Don’t Know What You Got (’Til It’s Gone).”
And Adult Contemporary radio launched “Piano in the Dark,” the Brenda Russell/Joe Esposito duet (Number 3 AC, Number 6 Pop
…as well as Kim Carnes’ “Crazy in Love,” a Number 13 AC hit that missed the Hot 100 entirely.
This time, around the one song found only on YouTube is Giant Steps’ pop bop, “Another Lover”:
Here’s the Spotify link for the rest of this set:
Which ones do you like? Hate?
Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Around this time, I was starting to become detached from the standard top 40 fare. It was the time when the inevitable adult contemporary phase for people of my age was beginning.
In the spirit of true confessions:
I may or may not have bought the thirtysomething Soundtrack album. W. G. Snuffy Walden aside, now it feels a little cringey.
Well, I have the Moonlighting soundtrack, with the vocal stylings of both Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd, so don’t feel too embarrassed. (Hmm … maybe there’s a post to be written somewhere down the line.)
Yes! And then, there was the time that I bought the soundtrack to Twin Pea-
{Sheesh, was I ever an ABC fanboy. Never mind}
Post away, cstolliver! This here commenter would love to read a Moonlighting-adjacent story. A criminally underrated show, almost as criminally underrated as Ten Speed and Brownshoe.
By sight alone, I recognize only two of these. As long as Basia’s here, I’m at peace with not knowing practically anything else. Brenda Russell’s “Piano in the Dark” sounds like a familiar title, but maybe because it describes something I’ve done. Listening now. Very nice, pretty sure I’ve never heard it before. Randomly wondering if Scarlett and Black got their name from the similarly titled 1983 Gregory Peck movie about the priest that was smuggling Jews into the Vatican to protect them from the Nazis. Maybe not. Listening to the Roger song, it actually sounds familiar. Sharp track. Anytime that man and his vocoder appears, I’m in. “More Bounce to the Ounce”, his big hit with Zapp, is legendary, as is his vocal on Tupac’s “California Love”. The Alarm song shamelessly borrows from U2, but I’m still digging it. I did know some of their songs and I may have heard this one. They were a decent band. Okay, that’s it for now. I’ve rambled enough.
Boy Meets Girl wrote and first recorded “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”, which was made into a big hit by Whitney Houston.
They shared a label with Houston and Clive Davis didn’t want a competing version, so BMG’s version was shelved for several years.
Their original isn’t bad, but ultimately Shannon Rubicam is no Whitney Houston.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN-WjZb_9RQ
They also wrote Houston’s other big early hit, “How Will I Know.”
The BMG version of “How Will I Know” is even more different from Houston’s. Rubicam’s coy, girl talk vocals are a million miles from Whitney’s brassiness.
Sometimes, I have to really look hard to find something to like about a particular song. And then, other times, it’s a slam dunk; when it comes up on a playlist on the radio, I crank it and sing-along.
And this particular outing gives me the opportunity to do that three times.
– Waiting For A Star To Fall, with its multiple sections that weave in and out effortlessly elevates what could’ve been a standard lovey-dovey record into a Masterclass of pop songwriting.
– Motortown: its understated guitar motif was so much fun to listen to; this is a record that you can find at the intersection of sophistipop and accessible Top 40..
– When you take one cup of weirdness, simmer over a stove of jazzy funk, and throw in a couple of members of the O’Jays to sing lead, just because it’s a cool idea, you get Spy In The House Of Love. The Richard Niles Horn arrangement is one of my favorites of all time; it’s perfection.
I’m a big fan of all three recordings.
Waiting for a Star to Fall is pop perfection. If it hits you at the right angle, it can kinda take your breath away…
I was just beginning to poke my head out from the punk underground around this time, so I’m not familiar with a lot of these tunes, but “Spy In The House Of Love” and “Handle With Care” caught my attention and, while I wasn’t a fan, “I Want To Be Your Man” sounded like the future. There were changes afoot but we were still four years from grunge….
I wasn’t expecting to backslide, but I only knew 4 song-artist combinations (7 songs). Cinderella was the hidden gem of the late 80’s hair metal scene — they really rocked (except the obligatory ballad). I prefer songs like Gypsy Road for the real Cinderella vibe:
https://youtu.be/6j7E7pvLxmI?si=c2GOcJpl5Ia5ypu5
I forgot the name Roger, but I definitely remember the robotic voice effect of iconic slow jam I Want to Be Your Man. I still lament that we don’t have slow hams anymore… And my lament is probably like my grandparents missing the Lindy Hop.
New band name: slow hams.
Or Pointer Sister parody-
“I want a man with a slow ham.”
Oof, maybe not.
Conway Twitty’s No. 1 country remake of the Pointer Sisters’ “Slow Hand” is parody enough. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B73k8VMnEDE
That Twitty version got plenty of play on country stations in the 80s.
Apparently my computer ate the Edit function, but that’s okay, I’ve got opinions about slow hams too!
https://youtu.be/4ex0GU5_uNE?si=8Zflo0_iAs_IHaSq
I knew I would backslide today, but I knew 8 of the 18 songs. I don’t know how I know “Motortown”, but I did once I played it. Basia is the obvious pick for me, but I also have always liked “Piano in the Dark”. Nice adult contemporary.
ALSO – Thanks for the radio jingle/sound check. I always like hearing those.
8 songs that I know and not a dud amongst them. True Faith, Doctorin’ The Tardis, Spy In The House Of Love and Handle With Care are the pick of the pops.
A bumper crop of blankness when faced with my fellow countrymen. So, Giant Steps and Scarlett & Black are a complete mystery to me. I’m much more familiar with the albums So by Peter Gabriel, Giant Steps by The Boo Radleys and the acts Scarlet and Black.
Then there’s Kane Gang who I’m familiar with but have never heard Motortown. They had a couple of top 40 hits but are best known for the theme to long running kids TV drama Byker Grove.
What was Byker Grove about? I’m picturing a soap opera about life on a cul-de-sac of a quiet, tree lined street in a suburb inhabited by members of Hell’s Angels.
Byker Grove was the name of a youth club and the series followed the goings on of the kids that went there. It was set in one of the rougher areas of Newcastle so no quiet tree lined streets.
There is a biker gang connection of sorts as it was the first acting job of Charlie Hunnan from Sons Of Anarchy.
I went to school with two of the main characters. Sat next to one of them in Geography. Another underwhelming anecdote from my brushes with the rich and famous. You’re welcome.
For the Kane Gang completist here’s the theme tune;
https://youtu.be/UfJJSDwx-xU?feature=shared
For the second time in this ’80s series, Pete Wingfield of “Eighteen With a Bullet” fame can claim a connection — this time, as producer of the Kane Gang’s “Motortown.” (He also produced Band of Gold’s “Love Songs Are Back Again,” highlighted a few installments back.) And if/when we get to the “Who sings it?” ’90s collection, he’ll be back once more.
Still only a few songs here that I know.
The best cut is of course I Want to Know, because it sounds like Human League with flashier production.
Cheers from Montreal!
I like most of these! Waiting for a Star to Fall is an amazing song, and I liked most of the others too. I saw Cinderella about 10 years ago at one of those concerts where they get a bunch of hair metal bands together (I can’t resist a good power ballad) and I was pleasantly surprised at how good they still were live! Also liked Piano in the Dark – my parents are together 50+ years now but it hasn’t been an easy 50 years, and my dad plays piano, so that song always made me think of them.
50 years! Good on Mama and Papa Bear!