Middle-aged Dummies are back and bursting at the "themes" to get going! Full theme ahead! (6 Viewers)

[Mt. Man]

—
#, Please # 17
Song: ‘65 Love Affair
Artist: Paul Davis
Year: 1981

(Youtube version) '65 Love Affair
(Live version) Paul Davis - '65 Love Affair (Solid Gold 1982 - HD)

4 Lines:
Well, I acted like a dumb-dumb
You were bad with your pom-poms
You said, "Ooh-wah, go team, ooh-wah, go"
Ooh-ee, baby, I want you to know

Number Theory:

The song was originally titled “‘55 Love Affair” until Arista (Davis’ record company at the time) wanted it slightly more modern. It helped that Davis turned 17 in 1965, making it more acceptable for a “love affair” than 7. Still, this helps explain some 50s sentiments carrying over. I mean, the first line mentions a carhop.

This was Paul Davis’ only record with Arista. Before this his career had been mostly in country or soul, though he’d hit the pop charts with "I Go Crazy". However, despite the success of that song, “65 Love Affair”, and “Cool Night”, Davis found this taste of success bitter. He opted out of his contract, recording only a few songs afterwards before leaving the music business entirely in 1988.


Significant Digits:
Off album#: 7
Track #: 6 (Best #6? Eh, probably not)
Topped at #6 US Billboard Top 100, #11 Canada RPM Top Singles and #13 in New Zealand

Artist crossover with other playlists: 14
(Known: 7) Van Halen (x3) currently in the lead

–
Next on the countdown, a song whose title is definitely not a brag about endurance.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

17. If I Had You Back
Artist: The Rubinoos
Album: Party of Two (EP; 1983)
Todd's role(s): producer, "executive producer," "additional engineer".
Writer(s): Tommy Dunbar

The song: This energetic tune is part new wave, part power pop and all 1983. I remember it because its odd food-centric video was played frequently on MTV and VH1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsNlljOYB00 (the grocery store sign that says "no guitar solos" still gets me today). It has a lot in common with Todd Rundgren productions of the time, featuring a relentlessly catchy and often-employed chorus, a ton of vocal overdubs and sleek contributions from the members of Utopia.

The album: The Rubinoos, as a quartet, put out two power pop albums in the late '70s on Beserkley Records, which was co-founded by guitarist/primary songwriter Tommy Dunbar's brother. Each produced a minor hit single. In the early '80s, Dunbar and singer Jon Rubin decided to leave Berkeley, California for Los Angeles, and the other members decided not to follow them. They signed with Warner Bros. as a duo and were paired with Rundgren for the 5-song EP (technically called a "mini LP") Party of Two. As was customary when producing an artist in the late '70s or early '80s that didn't have a full band, Rundgren employed keys/synth player Roger Powell, bassist Kasim Sulton and drummer John "Willie" Wilcox, but this time they were also credited as producers, with Rundgren adding the title of "executive producer."

The success of the video for "If I Had You Back" led to the Rubinoos getting an offer to perform the title song of Revenge of the Nerds the following year, but a year after that, Rubin and Dunbar split, and the Rubinoos were inactive until 1998, when they reformed as a quartet after renewed interest spurred by a pair of compilation albums. They have released records and toured sporadically ever since.

Party of Two was reissued in 2007 by Wounded Bird Records with bonus tracks, finally earning a promotion from "mini LP" to actual LP.

You Might Also Like: On the ballad "Crash Landing," Rubin sounds like Sulton (who sang many of Utopia's slower songs) and the arrangement and dynamics are a dead ringer for Utopia's '80s work. Todd almost definitely served as "songcraft agitator" for this one. https://open.spotify.com/track/2vmE1ZoxAsGquhQfA977Zo?si=9c0ada11cdf24a36

At #16, Todd works with another new wave band on a concept album about television, as big a boogeyman back then as social media is today.

 

[Zegras11]

If You Leave - Remastered 2019

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Souvenir · Song · 2019

open.spotify.com

"If You Leave" is a 1986 song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink (1986), in which it is played prominently during the final scene. Along with 1980's "Enola Gay", the track has been described as OMD's signature song.

"If You Leave" is the group's highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it reached number 4 in May 1986. The song was also a Top 5 entry in Canada and New Zealand, and charted at number 15 in Australia. A defining track of the 1980s, it was described by Interview as "one of the most influential, zeitgeist-capturing songs ever to be written".

Enola Gay - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Organisation · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

So In Love

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Crush · Song · 1985

open.spotify.com

Electricity - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (Remastered 2003) · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

 

[Tau837]

@Tau837 Are you watching the NC State (#13) vs Notre Dame (#1) women's game on ESPN? It's good.

Recorded it, haven’t watched yet.

Sorry if I spoiled the outcome for you.

Not at all. I watched it last night and enjoyed it immensely!

 

[Yo Mama]

@Tau837 Are you watching the NC State (#13) vs Notre Dame (#1) women's game on ESPN? It's good.

Recorded it, haven’t watched yet.

Sorry if I spoiled the outcome for you.

Not at all. I watched it last night and enjoyed it immensely!

That around the back move to seal the win in double OT was insane.

 

[rockaction]

The song: This energetic tune is part new wave, part power pop and all 1983. I remember it because its odd food-centric video was played frequently on MTV and VH1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsNlljOYB00 (the grocery store sign that says "no guitar solos" still gets me today). It has a lot in common with Todd Rundgren productions of the time, featuring a relentlessly catchy and often-employed chorus, a ton of vocal overdubs and sleek contributions from the members of Utopia.

That video had an excellent sense of humor. I've actually heard of the Rubinoos and listened to them before because they're on this YouTube power pop comp that I can't remember the name of. The Records are also on it. Good stuff. Good guitar solo, IMO.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

If You Leave - Remastered 2019

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Souvenir · Song · 2019

open.spotify.com

"If You Leave" is a 1986 song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink (1986), in which it is played prominently during the final scene. Along with 1980's "Enola Gay", the track has been described as OMD's signature song.

"If You Leave" is the group's highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it reached number 4 in May 1986. The song was also a Top 5 entry in Canada and New Zealand, and charted at number 15 in Australia. A defining track of the 1980s, it was described by Interview as "one of the most influential, zeitgeist-capturing songs ever to be written".

Enola Gay - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Organisation · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

So In Love

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Crush · Song · 1985

open.spotify.com

Electricity - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (Remastered 2003) · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

OMD is my favorite band of all time.
Their first 4 albums changed my life.

If I did them as a MAD artist, i would have to split them between two lists OMD 1978-1988 and OMD 1989-Now.
Narrowing their work to 62 tracks would be harder than having to get a leg amputated.

As for If You Leave. It flopped in the UK and Europe.
Their European audience knew they had “americanizedl their sound and werent interested
It only reached #48 in the UK and failed to chart in Germany, their most successful European territory.

I will only list 4 more tracks cause id be here all day if listed my fave tracks
BTW Electricity is their debut single and what they call their Radioactivity (Kraftwerk) ripoff.
It basically opened the door for bands like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran and Human League to name a few that drew direct influence from it
“Erasure bandleader Vince Clarke (formerly chief songwriter of Depeche Mode and Yazoo) told the BBC, "When I was 18 or 19 I heard a single called 'Electricity' by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It sounded so different from anything I'd heard; that really made me want to make electronic music, 'cause it was so unique”

My fave track of all time
Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc) - This was their second single in a row to reference Joan of Arc, after Joan of Arc, also in 1982
It reached #4 in the Uk and was the #1 single in Germany for the whole of 1982.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Sailing on the Seven Seas
The first single after the two frontmen split. This song reenergized the bands fortunes reaching #3 in the UK and #9 in Germany

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Don’t Go
The full band reformed in 2010 and this single from 2019 is astounding in its simplicity. The synth riff from the 1 minute 20 mark is simply gorgeous

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Anthroposene
From their most recent and final? Release in 2023

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Thanks for picking them @Zegras11

 

[Zegras11]

BTW Electricity is their debut single and what they call their Radioactivity (Kraftwerk) ripoff.

Always loved the opening to this one

 

[Zegras11]

Thanks for picking them @Zegras11

My pleasure. I'm glad to hear this type of comment because I fear the backlash at the end for some obvious I left off my 31, that I just didn't like as much as what I've listed

 

[Zegras11]

I also think they have one of the coolest band names ever

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

Selections:

31. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next - Manic Street Preachers

30. Hear The Drummer Get Wicked - Chad Jackson

29. Pick Up The Pieces - Average White Band

28. Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai

27. Another Chance - Roger Sanchez

26. Living On My Own - Freddie Mercury

25. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top

24. Better Off Alone - Alice Deejay

23. Love Is The Drug - Roxy Music

22. By The Time I Get To Arizona - Public Enemy

21. I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry

20. Goddess On A Hiway - Mercury Rev

19. Dark Therapy – Echobelly

18. Run To You - Bryan Adams

17. Inside Out - Anthrax



Incorrect guesses:

Songs that give advice

Bands That Have Never Been in My Kitchen

Songs by artists who have headlined Glastonbury

Songs featuring the Mellotron

Fear mongering

Song titles that could be part of geometry proofs

Bands who have a member whose first or last name is a James Bond reference

Bands with family members

Songs that reference a location in another country

Songs that have nine or more words in the title

Songs that mention famous streets

Bands who had a member mysteriously disappear, get declared dead, but no body has ever been found

Songs that reference footballguys user names

Songs without a guitar

Song titles that are commands

First two words of song titles in order of lyrics from The Youngbloods’ Get Together

Songs about resilience in the face of adversity

Songs about the importance of progress

Songs to make people overthink and speculate about an imaginary theme that doesn't really exist

31 songs that MADs submitted in prior MAD rounds, but judge disqualified because the submitting MAD failed to get the long-form birth certificate of all band members before submitting

Songs NOT produced by Todd Rundgren

Artists without umlauts

Songs Sam Rockwell has danced to in a movie

Songs about navigating and adapting to a constantly changing world

Songs credited to more than one songwriter

UK top ten singles

Singles released by UK artist/bands

31 British Isles Songs That Did Not Appear in the MAD British Isles Countdown

Non-guitar driven songs

Songs in 4/4 time

Broadway shows

Songs that all charted in the same six countries:
UK
Australia
Germany
France
Ireland
Netherlands

Songs under 5 minutes

Songs where artists let out excessive vocalizations of the “ahh,” “ooh,” “dee,” etc. variety

A break up and starting over

Things that will drive a bunch of middle aged dummies who are trying to find a pattern go crazy

Stages in Rustoluem’s marriage

Guinness World Records

Songs that can qualify for other people’s themes

Songs by people with facial hair

All songs use an instrument with keys

Songs that are the narrative arc of a divorce

Addiction

Songs with 125 BPM or more

Songs that sample other songs on the list

Songs representing different Nicholas Cage movies / characters

Songs

This is your life, Krista

Something to do with Tina Turner/abused women

Jimi Hendrix

Detailing Britney Spears’ descent into madness

Addiction ... to love

Songs in A Minor

The plot to Thelma and Louise

Kourtney Kardashian

Songs about a major change in someone's life

Midlife crisis

Songs with a subject you should see a therapist about

Mental illness

Songs about the world's worst super heros

Mania

Things you do impulsively

Songs that use the word “The” at some stage in the lyrics

The Ballad of @krista4 and OH

Songs the were on the UK official singles chart for the week ending on Aug 16, 2008

Songs from multiple decades

Christ, you know it ain’t easy…

Songs about exploration of identity

Dancing

Each of these songs holds a special place in the hearts of listeners, and they remain influential in the genres they represent

krista's iconic playlist

This is a real guess and not shtick.

Each song is somehow connected to one of the first 31 themes submitted for this countdown.

Didn't we already have this guess? I've been waiting for umlauts to show up.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Selections:

31. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next - Manic Street Preachers

30. Hear The Drummer Get Wicked - Chad Jackson

29. Pick Up The Pieces - Average White Band

28. Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai

27. Another Chance - Roger Sanchez

26. Living On My Own - Freddie Mercury

25. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top

24. Better Off Alone - Alice Deejay

23. Love Is The Drug - Roxy Music

22. By The Time I Get To Arizona - Public Enemy

21. I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry

20. Goddess On A Hiway - Mercury Rev

19. Dark Therapy – Echobelly

18. Run To You - Bryan Adams

17. Inside Out - Anthrax



Incorrect guesses:

Songs that give advice

Bands That Have Never Been in My Kitchen

Songs by artists who have headlined Glastonbury

Songs featuring the Mellotron

Fear mongering

Song titles that could be part of geometry proofs

Bands who have a member whose first or last name is a James Bond reference

Bands with family members

Songs that reference a location in another country

Songs that have nine or more words in the title

Songs that mention famous streets

Bands who had a member mysteriously disappear, get declared dead, but no body has ever been found

Songs that reference footballguys user names

Songs without a guitar

Song titles that are commands

First two words of song titles in order of lyrics from The Youngbloods’ Get Together

Songs about resilience in the face of adversity

Songs about the importance of progress

Songs to make people overthink and speculate about an imaginary theme that doesn't really exist

31 songs that MADs submitted in prior MAD rounds, but judge disqualified because the submitting MAD failed to get the long-form birth certificate of all band members before submitting

Songs NOT produced by Todd Rundgren

Artists without umlauts

Songs Sam Rockwell has danced to in a movie

Songs about navigating and adapting to a constantly changing world

Songs credited to more than one songwriter

UK top ten singles

Singles released by UK artist/bands

31 British Isles Songs That Did Not Appear in the MAD British Isles Countdown

Non-guitar driven songs

Songs in 4/4 time

Broadway shows

Songs that all charted in the same six countries:
UK
Australia
Germany
France
Ireland
Netherlands

Songs under 5 minutes

Songs where artists let out excessive vocalizations of the “ahh,” “ooh,” “dee,” etc. variety

A break up and starting over

Things that will drive a bunch of middle aged dummies who are trying to find a pattern go crazy

Stages in Rustoluem’s marriage

Guinness World Records

Songs that can qualify for other people’s themes

Songs by people with facial hair

All songs use an instrument with keys

Songs that are the narrative arc of a divorce

Addiction

Songs with 125 BPM or more

Songs that sample other songs on the list

Songs representing different Nicholas Cage movies / characters

Songs

This is your life, Krista

Something to do with Tina Turner/abused women

Jimi Hendrix

Detailing Britney Spears’ descent into madness

Addiction ... to love

Songs in A Minor

The plot to Thelma and Louise

Kourtney Kardashian

Songs about a major change in someone's life

Midlife crisis

Songs with a subject you should see a therapist about

Mental illness

Songs about the world's worst super heros

Mania

Things you do impulsively

Songs that use the word “The” at some stage in the lyrics

The Ballad of @krista4 and OH

Songs the were on the UK official singles chart for the week ending on Aug 16, 2008

Songs from multiple decades

Christ, you know it ain’t easy…

Songs about exploration of identity

Dancing

Each of these songs holds a special place in the hearts of listeners, and they remain influential in the genres they represent

krista's iconic playlist

This is a real guess and not shtick.

Each song is somehow connected to one of the first 31 themes submitted for this countdown.

Didn't we already have this guess? I've been waiting for umlauts to show up.

It’s a little more specific than “Songs that can qualify for other people’s themes.”

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

I also think they have one of the coolest band names ever

Probably better than another one they were trialling, Hitlerz Underpantz
“McCluskey and Humphreys discovered their electronic style, inspired by German band Kraftwerk. After Equinox, McCluskey joined Pegasus, and, later, the short-lived Hitlerz Underpantz, alongside Humphreys”

 

[-OZ-]

If You Leave - Remastered 2019

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Souvenir · Song · 2019

open.spotify.com

"If You Leave" is a 1986 song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink (1986), in which it is played prominently during the final scene. Along with 1980's "Enola Gay", the track has been described as OMD's signature song.

"If You Leave" is the group's highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it reached number 4 in May 1986. The song was also a Top 5 entry in Canada and New Zealand, and charted at number 15 in Australia. A defining track of the 1980s, it was described by Interview as "one of the most influential, zeitgeist-capturing songs ever to be written".

Enola Gay - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Organisation · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

So In Love

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Crush · Song · 1985

open.spotify.com

Electricity - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (Remastered 2003) · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

OMD is my favorite band of all time.
Their first 4 albums changed my life.

If I did them as a MAD artist, i would have to split them between two lists OMD 1978-1988 and OMD 1989-Now.
Narrowing their work to 62 tracks would be harder than having to get a leg amputated.

As for If You Leave. It flopped in the UK and Europe.
Their European audience knew they had “americanizedl their sound and werent interested
It only reached #48 in the UK and failed to chart in Germany, their most successful European territory.

I will only list 4 more tracks cause id be here all day if listed my fave tracks
BTW Electricity is their debut single and what they call their Radioactivity (Kraftwerk) ripoff.
It basically opened the door for bands like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran and Human League to name a few that drew direct influence from it
“Erasure bandleader Vince Clarke (formerly chief songwriter of Depeche Mode and Yazoo) told the BBC, "When I was 18 or 19 I heard a single called 'Electricity' by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It sounded so different from anything I'd heard; that really made me want to make electronic music, 'cause it was so unique”

My fave track of all time
Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc) - This was their second single in a row to reference Joan of Arc, after Joan of Arc, also in 1982
It reached #4 in the Uk and was the #1 single in Germany for the whole of 1982.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Sailing on the Seven Seas
The first single after the two frontmen split. This song reenergized the bands fortunes reaching #3 in the UK and #9 in Germany

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Don’t Go
The full band reformed in 2010 and this single from 2019 is astounding in its simplicity. The synth riff from the 1 minute 20 mark is simply gorgeous

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Anthroposene
From their most recent and final? Release in 2023

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Thanks for picking them @Zegras11

As an American who only knows their biggest hit here, you convinced me to put them on my deep dive list. Currently diving into the Revivalists (definitely worthy of including in the artist countdowns), last week was a MAD artist - nathaniel rateliff

 

[-OZ-]

Selections:

31. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next - Manic Street Preachers

30. Hear The Drummer Get Wicked - Chad Jackson

29. Pick Up The Pieces - Average White Band

28. Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai

27. Another Chance - Roger Sanchez

26. Living On My Own - Freddie Mercury

25. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top

24. Better Off Alone - Alice Deejay

23. Love Is The Drug - Roxy Music

22. By The Time I Get To Arizona - Public Enemy

21. I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry

20. Goddess On A Hiway - Mercury Rev

19. Dark Therapy – Echobelly

18. Run To You - Bryan Adams

17. Inside Out - Anthrax



Incorrect guesses:

Songs that give advice

Bands That Have Never Been in My Kitchen

Songs by artists who have headlined Glastonbury

Songs featuring the Mellotron

Fear mongering

Song titles that could be part of geometry proofs

Bands who have a member whose first or last name is a James Bond reference

Bands with family members

Songs that reference a location in another country

Songs that have nine or more words in the title

Songs that mention famous streets

Bands who had a member mysteriously disappear, get declared dead, but no body has ever been found

Songs that reference footballguys user names

Songs without a guitar

Song titles that are commands

First two words of song titles in order of lyrics from The Youngbloods’ Get Together

Songs about resilience in the face of adversity

Songs about the importance of progress

Songs to make people overthink and speculate about an imaginary theme that doesn't really exist

31 songs that MADs submitted in prior MAD rounds, but judge disqualified because the submitting MAD failed to get the long-form birth certificate of all band members before submitting

Songs NOT produced by Todd Rundgren

Artists without umlauts

Songs Sam Rockwell has danced to in a movie

Songs about navigating and adapting to a constantly changing world

Songs credited to more than one songwriter

UK top ten singles

Singles released by UK artist/bands

31 British Isles Songs That Did Not Appear in the MAD British Isles Countdown

Non-guitar driven songs

Songs in 4/4 time

Broadway shows

Songs that all charted in the same six countries:
UK
Australia
Germany
France
Ireland
Netherlands

Songs under 5 minutes

Songs where artists let out excessive vocalizations of the “ahh,” “ooh,” “dee,” etc. variety

A break up and starting over

Things that will drive a bunch of middle aged dummies who are trying to find a pattern go crazy

Stages in Rustoluem’s marriage

Guinness World Records

Songs that can qualify for other people’s themes

Songs by people with facial hair

All songs use an instrument with keys

Songs that are the narrative arc of a divorce

Addiction

Songs with 125 BPM or more

Songs that sample other songs on the list

Songs representing different Nicholas Cage movies / characters

Songs

This is your life, Krista

Something to do with Tina Turner/abused women

Jimi Hendrix

Detailing Britney Spears’ descent into madness

Addiction ... to love

Songs in A Minor

The plot to Thelma and Louise

Kourtney Kardashian

Songs about a major change in someone's life

Midlife crisis

Songs with a subject you should see a therapist about

Mental illness

Songs about the world's worst super heros

Mania

Things you do impulsively

Songs that use the word “The” at some stage in the lyrics

The Ballad of @krista4 and OH

Songs the were on the UK official singles chart for the week ending on Aug 16, 2008

Songs from multiple decades

Christ, you know it ain’t easy…

Songs about exploration of identity

Dancing

Each of these songs holds a special place in the hearts of listeners, and they remain influential in the genres they represent

krista's iconic playlist

This is a real guess and not shtick.

Each song is somehow connected to one of the first 31 themes submitted for this countdown.

Didn't we already have this guess? I've been waiting for umlauts to show up.

It’s a little more specific than “Songs that can qualify for other people’s themes.”

The biggest hits not on others lists trust could have been?

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

If You Leave - Remastered 2019

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Souvenir · Song · 2019

open.spotify.com

"If You Leave" is a 1986 song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink (1986), in which it is played prominently during the final scene. Along with 1980's "Enola Gay", the track has been described as OMD's signature song.

"If You Leave" is the group's highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it reached number 4 in May 1986. The song was also a Top 5 entry in Canada and New Zealand, and charted at number 15 in Australia. A defining track of the 1980s, it was described by Interview as "one of the most influential, zeitgeist-capturing songs ever to be written".

Enola Gay - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Organisation · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

So In Love

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Crush · Song · 1985

open.spotify.com

Electricity - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (Remastered 2003) · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

OMD is my favorite band of all time.
Their first 4 albums changed my life.

If I did them as a MAD artist, i would have to split them between two lists OMD 1978-1988 and OMD 1989-Now.
Narrowing their work to 62 tracks would be harder than having to get a leg amputated.

As for If You Leave. It flopped in the UK and Europe.
Their European audience knew they had “americanizedl their sound and werent interested
It only reached #48 in the UK and failed to chart in Germany, their most successful European territory.

I will only list 4 more tracks cause id be here all day if listed my fave tracks
BTW Electricity is their debut single and what they call their Radioactivity (Kraftwerk) ripoff.
It basically opened the door for bands like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran and Human League to name a few that drew direct influence from it
“Erasure bandleader Vince Clarke (formerly chief songwriter of Depeche Mode and Yazoo) told the BBC, "When I was 18 or 19 I heard a single called 'Electricity' by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It sounded so different from anything I'd heard; that really made me want to make electronic music, 'cause it was so unique”

My fave track of all time
Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc) - This was their second single in a row to reference Joan of Arc, after Joan of Arc, also in 1982
It reached #4 in the Uk and was the #1 single in Germany for the whole of 1982.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Sailing on the Seven Seas
The first single after the two frontmen split. This song reenergized the bands fortunes reaching #3 in the UK and #9 in Germany

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Don’t Go
The full band reformed in 2010 and this single from 2019 is astounding in its simplicity. The synth riff from the 1 minute 20 mark is simply gorgeous

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Anthroposene
From their most recent and final? Release in 2023

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Thanks for picking them @Zegras11

As an American who only knows their biggest hit here, you convinced me to put them on my deep dive list. Currently diving into the Revivalists (definitely worthy of including in the artist countdowns), last week was a MAD artist - nathaniel rateliff

Awesome.
Theres enough songs listed to give you an idea of what to expect and proceed further. Expect synths lol

If you want to stick to the sound in If You Leave, the Crush and Pacific Age LPs are a good place to start.
For me they are their worst albums.
A bridge to their older stuff is the Junk Culture LP

Architecture and Morality is their best and if you want a wild ride, listen to the first LP i did, their 4th, Dazzle Ships.

Or just listen to one of their 5 compilation LPs

 

[zamboni]

Round 17 - Glamour Boys - Living Coloür

A Grammy-nominated single from their debut album Vivid. Please notice the not-so-useful dots over the 'u' on the cover of the single.

The dots are what made them fierce.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

—
#, Please # 17
Song: ‘65 Love Affair
Artist: Paul Davis
Year: 1981

(Youtube version) '65 Love Affair
(Live version) Paul Davis - '65 Love Affair (Solid Gold 1982 - HD)

4 Lines:
Well, I acted like a dumb-dumb
You were bad with your pom-poms
You said, "Ooh-wah, go team, ooh-wah, go"
Ooh-ee, baby, I want you to know

Number Theory:

The song was originally titled “‘55 Love Affair” until Arista (Davis’ record company at the time) wanted it slightly more modern. It helped that Davis turned 17 in 1965, making it more acceptable for a “love affair” than 7. Still, this helps explain some 50s sentiments carrying over. I mean, the first line mentions a carhop.

This was Paul Davis’ only record with Arista. Before this his career had been mostly in country or soul, though he’d hit the pop charts with "I Go Crazy". However, despite the success of that song, “65 Love Affair”, and “Cool Night”, Davis found this taste of success bitter. He opted out of his contract, recording only a few songs afterwards before leaving the music business entirely in 1988.


Significant Digits:
Off album#: 7
Track #: 6 (Best #6? Eh, probably not)
Topped at #6 US Billboard Top 100, #11 Canada RPM Top Singles and #13 in New Zealand

Artist crossover with other playlists: 14
(Known: 7) Van Halen (x3) currently in the lead

–
Next on the countdown, a song whose title is definitely not a brag about endurance.

Blast from the past song that I hadn’t thought about in 40 years.

 

[zamboni]

—
#, Please # 17
Song: ‘65 Love Affair
Artist: Paul Davis
Year: 1981

(Youtube version) '65 Love Affair
(Live version) Paul Davis - '65 Love Affair (Solid Gold 1982 - HD)

4 Lines:
Well, I acted like a dumb-dumb
You were bad with your pom-poms
You said, "Ooh-wah, go team, ooh-wah, go"
Ooh-ee, baby, I want you to know

Number Theory:

The song was originally titled “‘55 Love Affair” until Arista (Davis’ record company at the time) wanted it slightly more modern. It helped that Davis turned 17 in 1965, making it more acceptable for a “love affair” than 7. Still, this helps explain some 50s sentiments carrying over. I mean, the first line mentions a carhop.

This was Paul Davis’ only record with Arista. Before this his career had been mostly in country or soul, though he’d hit the pop charts with "I Go Crazy". However, despite the success of that song, “65 Love Affair”, and “Cool Night”, Davis found this taste of success bitter. He opted out of his contract, recording only a few songs afterwards before leaving the music business entirely in 1988.


Significant Digits:
Off album#: 7
Track #: 6 (Best #6? Eh, probably not)
Topped at #6 US Billboard Top 100, #11 Canada RPM Top Singles and #13 in New Zealand

Artist crossover with other playlists: 14
(Known: 7) Van Halen (x3) currently in the lead

–
Next on the countdown, a song whose title is definitely not a brag about endurance.

Blast from the past song that I hadn’t thought about in 40 years.

I hear it on rare occasion on those '80s stations (e.g., SiriusXM 80s on 8), but definitely a blast from the past. I hear his "Cool Night" and "I Go Crazy" quite a bit more. He just seemed to drop off the face of the earth after 1982.

ETA: he did have a song on The Karate Kid soundtrack a few years ago when they're on the beach at the beginning

 

[El Floppo]

If You Leave - Remastered 2019

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Souvenir · Song · 2019

open.spotify.com

"If You Leave" is a 1986 song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink (1986), in which it is played prominently during the final scene. Along with 1980's "Enola Gay", the track has been described as OMD's signature song.

"If You Leave" is the group's highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it reached number 4 in May 1986. The song was also a Top 5 entry in Canada and New Zealand, and charted at number 15 in Australia. A defining track of the 1980s, it was described by Interview as "one of the most influential, zeitgeist-capturing songs ever to be written".

Enola Gay - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Organisation · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

So In Love

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Crush · Song · 1985

open.spotify.com

Electricity - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (Remastered 2003) · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

OMD is my favorite band of all time.
Their first 4 albums changed my life.

If I did them as a MAD artist, i would have to split them between two lists OMD 1978-1988 and OMD 1989-Now.
Narrowing their work to 62 tracks would be harder than having to get a leg amputated.

As for If You Leave. It flopped in the UK and Europe.
Their European audience knew they had “americanizedl their sound and werent interested
It only reached #48 in the UK and failed to chart in Germany, their most successful European territory.

I will only list 4 more tracks cause id be here all day if listed my fave tracks
BTW Electricity is their debut single and what they call their Radioactivity (Kraftwerk) ripoff.
It basically opened the door for bands like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran and Human League to name a few that drew direct influence from it
“Erasure bandleader Vince Clarke (formerly chief songwriter of Depeche Mode and Yazoo) told the BBC, "When I was 18 or 19 I heard a single called 'Electricity' by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It sounded so different from anything I'd heard; that really made me want to make electronic music, 'cause it was so unique”

My fave track of all time
Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc) - This was their second single in a row to reference Joan of Arc, after Joan of Arc, also in 1982
It reached #4 in the Uk and was the #1 single in Germany for the whole of 1982.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Sailing on the Seven Seas
The first single after the two frontmen split. This song reenergized the bands fortunes reaching #3 in the UK and #9 in Germany

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Don’t Go
The full band reformed in 2010 and this single from 2019 is astounding in its simplicity. The synth riff from the 1 minute 20 mark is simply gorgeous

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Anthroposene
From their most recent and final? Release in 2023

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Thanks for picking them @Zegras11

They were my favorite band from 81-84. Saw them a couple times in that stretch... Agree about If you Leave

 

[El Floppo]

If You Leave - Remastered 2019

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Souvenir · Song · 2019

open.spotify.com

"If You Leave" is a 1986 song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink (1986), in which it is played prominently during the final scene. Along with 1980's "Enola Gay", the track has been described as OMD's signature song.

"If You Leave" is the group's highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it reached number 4 in May 1986. The song was also a Top 5 entry in Canada and New Zealand, and charted at number 15 in Australia. A defining track of the 1980s, it was described by Interview as "one of the most influential, zeitgeist-capturing songs ever to be written".

Enola Gay - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Organisation · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

So In Love

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Crush · Song · 1985

open.spotify.com

Electricity - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (Remastered 2003) · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

OMD is my favorite band of all time.
Their first 4 albums changed my life.

If I did them as a MAD artist, i would have to split them between two lists OMD 1978-1988 and OMD 1989-Now.
Narrowing their work to 62 tracks would be harder than having to get a leg amputated.

As for If You Leave. It flopped in the UK and Europe.
Their European audience knew they had “americanizedl their sound and werent interested
It only reached #48 in the UK and failed to chart in Germany, their most successful European territory.

I will only list 4 more tracks cause id be here all day if listed my fave tracks
BTW Electricity is their debut single and what they call their Radioactivity (Kraftwerk) ripoff.
It basically opened the door for bands like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran and Human League to name a few that drew direct influence from it
“Erasure bandleader Vince Clarke (formerly chief songwriter of Depeche Mode and Yazoo) told the BBC, "When I was 18 or 19 I heard a single called 'Electricity' by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It sounded so different from anything I'd heard; that really made me want to make electronic music, 'cause it was so unique”

My fave track of all time
Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc) - This was their second single in a row to reference Joan of Arc, after Joan of Arc, also in 1982
It reached #4 in the Uk and was the #1 single in Germany for the whole of 1982.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Sailing on the Seven Seas
The first single after the two frontmen split. This song reenergized the bands fortunes reaching #3 in the UK and #9 in Germany

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Don’t Go
The full band reformed in 2010 and this single from 2019 is astounding in its simplicity. The synth riff from the 1 minute 20 mark is simply gorgeous

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Anthroposene
From their most recent and final? Release in 2023

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Thanks for picking them @Zegras11

As an American who only knows their biggest hit here, you convinced me to put them on my deep dive list. Currently diving into the Revivalists (definitely worthy of including in the artist countdowns), last week was a MAD artist - nathaniel rateliff

Awesome.
Theres enough songs listed to give you an idea of what to expect and proceed further. Expect synths lol

If you want to stick to the sound in If You Leave, the Crush and Pacific Age LPs are a good place to start.
For me they are their worst albums.
A bridge to their older stuff is the Junk Culture LP

Architecture and Morality is their best and if you want a wild ride, listen to the first LP i did, their 4th, Dazzle Ships.

Or just listen to one of their 5 compilation LPs

I prefer their first... uK release- Organization?

 

[KarmaPolice]

Selections:

31. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next - Manic Street Preachers

30. Hear The Drummer Get Wicked - Chad Jackson

29. Pick Up The Pieces - Average White Band

28. Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai

27. Another Chance - Roger Sanchez

26. Living On My Own - Freddie Mercury

25. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top

24. Better Off Alone - Alice Deejay

23. Love Is The Drug - Roxy Music

22. By The Time I Get To Arizona - Public Enemy

21. I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry

20. Goddess On A Hiway - Mercury Rev

19. Dark Therapy – Echobelly

18. Run To You - Bryan Adams

17. Inside Out - Anthrax



Incorrect guesses:

Songs that give advice

Bands That Have Never Been in My Kitchen

Songs by artists who have headlined Glastonbury

Songs featuring the Mellotron

Fear mongering

Song titles that could be part of geometry proofs

Bands who have a member whose first or last name is a James Bond reference

Bands with family members

Songs that reference a location in another country

Songs that have nine or more words in the title

Songs that mention famous streets

Bands who had a member mysteriously disappear, get declared dead, but no body has ever been found

Songs that reference footballguys user names

Songs without a guitar

Song titles that are commands

First two words of song titles in order of lyrics from The Youngbloods’ Get Together

Songs about resilience in the face of adversity

Songs about the importance of progress

Songs to make people overthink and speculate about an imaginary theme that doesn't really exist

31 songs that MADs submitted in prior MAD rounds, but judge disqualified because the submitting MAD failed to get the long-form birth certificate of all band members before submitting

Songs NOT produced by Todd Rundgren

Artists without umlauts

Songs Sam Rockwell has danced to in a movie

Songs about navigating and adapting to a constantly changing world

Songs credited to more than one songwriter

UK top ten singles

Singles released by UK artist/bands

31 British Isles Songs That Did Not Appear in the MAD British Isles Countdown

Non-guitar driven songs

Songs in 4/4 time

Broadway shows

Songs that all charted in the same six countries:
UK
Australia
Germany
France
Ireland
Netherlands

Songs under 5 minutes

Songs where artists let out excessive vocalizations of the “ahh,” “ooh,” “dee,” etc. variety

A break up and starting over

Things that will drive a bunch of middle aged dummies who are trying to find a pattern go crazy

Stages in Rustoluem’s marriage

Guinness World Records

Songs that can qualify for other people’s themes

Songs by people with facial hair

All songs use an instrument with keys

Songs that are the narrative arc of a divorce

Addiction

Songs with 125 BPM or more

Songs that sample other songs on the list

Songs representing different Nicholas Cage movies / characters

Songs

This is your life, Krista

Something to do with Tina Turner/abused women

Jimi Hendrix

Detailing Britney Spears’ descent into madness

Addiction ... to love

Songs in A Minor

The plot to Thelma and Louise

Kourtney Kardashian

Songs about a major change in someone's life

Midlife crisis

Songs with a subject you should see a therapist about

Mental illness

Songs about the world's worst super heros

Mania

Things you do impulsively

Songs that use the word “The” at some stage in the lyrics

The Ballad of @krista4 and OH

Songs the were on the UK official singles chart for the week ending on Aug 16, 2008

Songs from multiple decades

Christ, you know it ain’t easy…

Songs about exploration of identity

Dancing

Each of these songs holds a special place in the hearts of listeners, and they remain influential in the genres they represent

krista's iconic playlist

This is a real guess and not shtick.

Each song is somehow connected to one of the first 31 themes submitted for this countdown.

Didn't we already have this guess? I've been waiting for umlauts to show up.

It’s a little more specific than “Songs that can qualify for other people’s themes.”

How about our mystery dictator is a bit of a showoff and on your line of thinking...

Songs that qualify for more than one of the MAD31 themes submitted?

I had that thought when Bryan Adams popped up and saw that Reckless was from '84. Or seeing Anthrax that would qualify for Yambag's and they aren't on Shuke's list. I haven't gone through many others, but forgot to post that a couple days ago.

 

[El Floppo]

It could have been a time and place thing along with younger bands becoming bigger and more label influenced, but I felt like a lot of bands I loved in the early 80s turned to more pop/crap by the mid 80s.. on their 3rd, 4th, 5th albums. You could tell they were understandably trying to cash in a bit with more pop driven songs and albums that ended up diminishing the sound that made them distinct and great in the first place.

I felt like Dazzleships was the beginning of their end, tbh

 

[KarmaPolice]

Nm, the Anthrax was 98 so couldn't be on yambag. Mostly I had that thought only because of Bryan Adams and didn't research more.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Round 17 - Glamour Boys - Living Coloür

A Grammy-nominated single from their debut album Vivid. Please notice the not-so-useful dots over the 'u' on the cover of the single.

The dots are what made them fierce.

Mick sings backup on that song.

 

[zamboni]

Round 17 - Glamour Boys - Living Coloür

A Grammy-nominated single from their debut album Vivid. Please notice the not-so-useful dots over the 'u' on the cover of the single.

The dots are what made them fierce.

Mick sings backup on that song.

IIRC, Living Colour toured with the Stones when the former first hit the scene.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

Round 17 - Glamour Boys - Living Coloür

A Grammy-nominated single from their debut album Vivid. Please notice the not-so-useful dots over the 'u' on the cover of the single.

The dots are what made them fierce.

Mick sings backup on that song.

IIRC, Living Colour toured with the Stones when the former first hit the scene.

Yes, Mick supposedly "discovered" them although Cory Glover had a very famous dad and was in Platoon prior to Living Colour hitting it big.

I saw the tour where Living Colour opened at Shea Stadium.

I've also seen them recently and they still kick some serious ***. Vernon Reid is just so gifted (spolier altert: He'll get his due much later on in the countdown).

 

[Dr. Octopus]

IIRC, Living Colour toured with the Stones when the former first hit the scene.

Guns N Roses also opened for the Stones on that tour - in LA they were both on the bill and allegedly, Cory Glover and Axl Rose went at it back stage after Glover had expressed issue with the song One in a Million.

 

[zamboni]

Round 17 - Glamour Boys - Living Coloür

A Grammy-nominated single from their debut album Vivid. Please notice the not-so-useful dots over the 'u' on the cover of the single.

The dots are what made them fierce.

Mick sings backup on that song.

IIRC, Living Colour toured with the Stones when the former first hit the scene.

Yes, Mick supposedly "discovered" them although Cory Glover had a very famous dad and was in Platoon prior to Living Colour hitting it big.

Almost really did join the armed forces (might have been too old, but I *think* that's him there)

 

[jwb]

jwb – songs that sound great on a decent 2-channel system

Heart of Glass – Blondie

Lots going on in the background of this one - weird guitar sound that bounces between close and further away, lots of layered keyboards in and out, that little percussion that opens the tune prettymuch stays the entire song, background vocals are cool, and Debbie sounds great. Most of Blondies' stuff is fairly well-produced and sounds good anywhere, but the straight disco beat and tons of background noise elevates Heart of Glass above the others for more critical listening.

 

[simey]

IIRC, Living Colour toured with the Stones when the former first hit the scene.

I saw that tour at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. It was '89, I think. It was fun. Living Colour rocked, and they were loud.

 

[DrIanMalcolm]

Selections:

31. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next - Manic Street Preachers

30. Hear The Drummer Get Wicked - Chad Jackson

29. Pick Up The Pieces - Average White Band

28. Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai

27. Another Chance - Roger Sanchez

26. Living On My Own - Freddie Mercury

25. Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top

24. Better Off Alone - Alice Deejay

23. Love Is The Drug - Roxy Music

22. By The Time I Get To Arizona - Public Enemy

21. I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry

20. Goddess On A Hiway - Mercury Rev

19. Dark Therapy – Echobelly

18. Run To You - Bryan Adams

17. Inside Out - Anthrax

Obscure chess strategies

 

[KarmaPolice]

Metal updates!!!

Yambag and I were in sync on the Metallica and both of us had a track from And Justice For All On our playlists. This album was another that was huge for me at the time, and it is still my favorite Metallica album. I am not a fan of instrumentals, so that is what keeps me from saying Master and Justice are perfect albums or start to finish listens. I skip those tracks now when listening. What I did have was Blackened, and it was down to that and The Shortest Straw for my Metallica addition to the playlist.

Blackened (Remastered)

Metallica · ...And Justice for All (Remastered) · Song · 1988

open.spotify.com

The Shortest Straw (Remastered)

Metallica · ...And Justice for All (Remastered) · Song · 1988

open.spotify.com

I also pulled ahead of him for number of songs we are at in the playlists. Before Metallica I had Melvins. This was one my cheats that I kept because Houdini came out in '93, and that is the album I had and loved that sound. They were also part of the first concert I went to on my own in HS as they opened up for Primus. Honey Bucket blew me away when I heard it. It was so heavy and not like what I had heard before. It fit right in with the more grungy/sludgy metal I was started to get more and more into.

Honey Bucket

Melvins · Houdini · Song · 1993

open.spotify.com

 

[jwb]

I am not a fan of instrumentals, so that is what keeps me from saying Master and Justice are perfect albums or start to finish listens.

Funny - I've mentioned this before, but some of the metal you post I'm like "this would be awesome if they'd just shut up"

Note: I don't feel that way about Metallica, but I do welcome the instrumentals too.

 

[Eephus]

Single (Named) Lady #17 - Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA - "All the Stars" (2018)
Full name: Solána Imani Rowe

Solána and Imani would have made great mononyms in their own right but SZA chose her stage name using the Nation of Islam's supreme alphabet like GZA and RZA did before her. She's a unique singer with a style that's influenced by jazz and trip hop vocalists, sometimes using processing and synthesizing. Excluding her early self-released mixtapes, she's only released two albums in a ten year career but she's maintained a high profile by guesting on songs by other artists and placing songs on soundtracks.

"All the Stars" is from Kendrick Lamar's Black Panther album which was billed as songs inspired by the movie rather than a traditional soundtrack. Kendrick is technically the lead artist because the album was his project but SZA's chorus and verse made a much bigger impression on me. I considered a number of songs from SZA's solo efforts but kept coming back to "All the Stars" because it has a hook that I couldn't shake. If I'd been thinking ahead, I would have ranked the song so it appeared nearer to its performance during the Super Bowl halftime show but I should probably just be happy that I fortuitously landed the Rihanna song on her birthday.

The video is a big budget, Afrofuturist affair that places SZA within some memorable backdrops. I particularly like the overhead shot where a reclining SZA is surrounded by dancers wearing pink features. There's no breakdancing King Kong in this one.

 

[Eephus]

IIRC, Living Colour toured with the Stones when the former first hit the scene.

I saw that tour at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. It was '89, I think. It was fun. Living Colour rocked, and they were loud.

We saw Living Colour play a club date earlier that year with Soundgarden as the opener.

 

[Yambag]

18s

Known
James Taylor: Fire and Rain
Metallica: Master of Puppets
ZZ Top: Sharp Dressed Man
Sarah McLachlan: I Will Remember You
Ambrosia: You're The Only Woman
Pavarotti: Rigoletto
Beatles: Got to Get You Into My Live
Def Leppard: Foolin'
Oingo Boingo: Dead Man's Party
Bryan Adams: Run To You

Caught My Attention
All Them Witches: The Urn
Muse: Butterflies & Hurricanes
Malia J: Smells Like Teen Spirit (I didn't want to like it, but kinda did)
Waterboys: Church Not Made With Hands
Satan's Pilgrims: The Godfather

 

[-OZ-]

17s live up to the hype!

Highlights

– Single (Named) Ladies

All The Stars - Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA

Totally expected two Kendrick Lamar songs this round, including from the single lady lists

kupcho1 – rain

Rain On The Scarecrow - John Mellencamp

One of the most underrated IMO JM songs

Charlie Steiner – songs from Mad Men

You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - Dusty Springfield

Gotta Love Dusty

Yambag – Metal songs from 1988-1992 that became the gateway into the world of music for a young Yambag

One – Metallica

Perhaps THE most identifiable guitar ever

Yo Mama – World’s Worst Superheroes

Ice Cream Man - Van Halen


Mrs. Rannous – umlauts

Glamour Boys - Living Colour

Bringing back memories

JMLs secret identity – songs in D#Minor, the saddest key of all

Send Me An Angel (Spotify) - Real Life

Had Actually forgotten About This Classic

jwb – songs that sound great on a decent 2-channel system

Heart of Glass – Blondie

shuke – Saxytime

Beginnings (Spotify) – Chicago

Zegras11 – New wave

If You Leave - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

Arguably the quintessential 80s hit.

 

[krista4]

krista4 – Chicagoland

Love Song for a Schubas Bartender – Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s

I'm way behind in my listening and posting.

Artist connection to Chicago (1-5 scale): 3 - Maybe should have been a 4. The band formed and released their first few records in Indianapolis, but moved to Chicago in 2009 and haven't looked back.
Song connection to Chicago (1-10 scale): 6 - I was so excited for a possible "10" on this one when I saw the title. Schubas is the venue where I've seen more music shows than any other. Possibly more than all other venues combined. I've seen my friends play there; I've seen my enemies (Marty Willson-Piper) play there. I've been there on first dates, second dates, 100th dates. It's a small, perfect venue that hosts up-and-comers, already-theres. Locals and out-of-town tours. It's where my friend Thomas used to host Hoot Nights before he took them to Ireland. It's the ****ing best.

Unfortunately, the song doesn't really seem to be about Schubas, and it gets a 6.
Total: 9

 

[Chaos34]

17s live up to the hype!

I'm binging something and haven't listened yet, but it does look really good.

 

[krista4]

Very much enjoyed the 18s! Lots of known-to-me greatness, and I usually don't mention those but wanted to give a special shout-out to "Satellite" by Elvis Costello, which is one of my favorite songs on a record that no one seems to love as much as I do.

On new-to-me songs, I especially liked "The Urn" by All Them Witches (despite incredibly dumb artist name),"Butterflies and Hurricanes" by Muse, "Good Rocking Tonight" by Wynonie Harris, "Zebra" by Beach House, and "Zorba the Greek" by Herb Alpert. I also enjoyed "Wrong Side of Del Rio" by Houston Marchman, but the singer's phrasing and intonation were so similar to Lyle Lovett's that it became distracting.

My two big WOWs of the playlist were "Train Song" by Watchhouse and "Petit Sekou" by Bembeya Jazz National.

 

[Chaos34]

I'm way behind in my listening and posting.

No worries. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention loving Myopic Books. Moody like me, but the stream of consciousness lyrics made me smile. He writes like I think.

I was just hoping
For a bookstore
Like the one I prayed for
And the music they play there
Would be Dinosaur Jr
And the people who worked there
Would be super skinny
And super unfriendly
And that would make me happy

I'll find a bookstore
And buy Saul Bellow
And one about old ruins
For my mother
You never met her
She liked Manhattans
They taste like mouthwash
She understood how
To be alone



Also thanks a ton for doing these things. Well, except for the mystery theme part.

 

[Raging weasel]

The 18's
Known and liked songs
Fire and Rain
Holy Wars...The punishment Due
Master of Puppets
Sharp Dressed Man
Got To Get Into My Life
Foolin'
Dead Man's Party
Run to You

New to me likes
I Didn't Mean to Turn You On
The Urn
Petit Sekou
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Satellite
The Godfather
Elevation

 

[KarmaPolice]

I'm way behind in my listening and posting.

No worries. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention loving Myopic Books. Moody like me, but the stream of consciousness lyrics made me smile. He writes like I think.

I was just hoping
For a bookstore
Like the one I prayed for
And the music they play there
Would be Dinosaur Jr
And the people who worked there
Would be super skinny
And super unfriendly
And that would make me happy

I'll find a bookstore
And buy Saul Bellow
And one about old ruins
For my mother
You never met her
She liked Manhattans
They taste like mouthwash
She understood how
To be alone



Also thanks a ton for doing these things. Well, except for the mystery theme part.

 

[krista4]

The biggest hits not on others lists trust could have been?

I thought I'd mentioned this but might not have, since I've seen other guesses that were a little bit tied to me: I did not put together this list. As a result, the above theme wouldn't be possible.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

If You Leave - Remastered 2019

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Souvenir · Song · 2019

open.spotify.com

"If You Leave" is a 1986 song by the English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD). It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink (1986), in which it is played prominently during the final scene. Along with 1980's "Enola Gay", the track has been described as OMD's signature song.

"If You Leave" is the group's highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it reached number 4 in May 1986. The song was also a Top 5 entry in Canada and New Zealand, and charted at number 15 in Australia. A defining track of the 1980s, it was described by Interview as "one of the most influential, zeitgeist-capturing songs ever to be written".

Enola Gay - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Organisation · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

So In Love

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Crush · Song · 1985

open.spotify.com

Electricity - Remastered 2003

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark · Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (Remastered 2003) · Song · 1980

open.spotify.com

OMD is my favorite band of all time.
Their first 4 albums changed my life.

If I did them as a MAD artist, i would have to split them between two lists OMD 1978-1988 and OMD 1989-Now.
Narrowing their work to 62 tracks would be harder than having to get a leg amputated.

As for If You Leave. It flopped in the UK and Europe.
Their European audience knew they had “americanizedl their sound and werent interested
It only reached #48 in the UK and failed to chart in Germany, their most successful European territory.

I will only list 4 more tracks cause id be here all day if listed my fave tracks
BTW Electricity is their debut single and what they call their Radioactivity (Kraftwerk) ripoff.
It basically opened the door for bands like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran and Human League to name a few that drew direct influence from it
“Erasure bandleader Vince Clarke (formerly chief songwriter of Depeche Mode and Yazoo) told the BBC, "When I was 18 or 19 I heard a single called 'Electricity' by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. It sounded so different from anything I'd heard; that really made me want to make electronic music, 'cause it was so unique”

My fave track of all time
Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc) - This was their second single in a row to reference Joan of Arc, after Joan of Arc, also in 1982
It reached #4 in the Uk and was the #1 single in Germany for the whole of 1982.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Sailing on the Seven Seas
The first single after the two frontmen split. This song reenergized the bands fortunes reaching #3 in the UK and #9 in Germany

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Don’t Go
The full band reformed in 2010 and this single from 2019 is astounding in its simplicity. The synth riff from the 1 minute 20 mark is simply gorgeous

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Anthroposene
From their most recent and final? Release in 2023

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

m.youtube.com

Thanks for picking them @Zegras11

As an American who only knows their biggest hit here, you convinced me to put them on my deep dive list. Currently diving into the Revivalists (definitely worthy of including in the artist countdowns), last week was a MAD artist - nathaniel rateliff

Awesome.
Theres enough songs listed to give you an idea of what to expect and proceed further. Expect synths lol

If you want to stick to the sound in If You Leave, the Crush and Pacific Age LPs are a good place to start.
For me they are their worst albums.
A bridge to their older stuff is the Junk Culture LP

Architecture and Morality is their best and if you want a wild ride, listen to the first LP i did, their 4th, Dazzle Ships.

Or just listen to one of their 5 compilation LPs

I prefer their first... uK release- Organization?

This is where it gets complicated.
In the UK they had a self titled album and then Organisation, two separate LPs
The best tracks from both were combined to make a US release, which was also self titled.

 

[Mister CIA]

I also enjoyed "Wrong Side of Del Rio" by Houston Marchman, but the singer's phrasing and intonation were so similar to Lyle Lovett's that it became distracting.

Had not noticed, but cannot unnotice now.

 

[John Maddens Lunchbox]

It could have been a time and place thing along with younger bands becoming bigger and more label influenced, but I felt like a lot of bands I loved in the early 80s turned to more pop/crap by the mid 80s.. on their 3rd, 4th, 5th albums. You could tell they were understandably trying to cash in a bit with more pop driven songs and albums that ended up diminishing the sound that made them distinct and great in the first place.

I felt like Dazzleships was the beginning of their end, tbh

Dazzle Ships has had a lot of reevaluation.
Many consider it their masterpiece. I wouldnt go that far.
As mentioned it was their first LP i listened to and I couldnt believe what i was hearing.
So unconventional. This after their most successful LP.

It opens with a Czechoslovakian radio broadcast, in the native language.
It has a track where one member says ABC and the other 123 repeatedly
Side 2 opens with a submarine going into alarm mode
Another track has the time being broadcast in different languages

Interspersed with this are beautiful tracks like Silent Running, International and Of All The Things We’ve Made.
Up tempo songs like Telegraph and Radio Waves and the bizarre lead single Genetic Engineering.

The Band On the LP now
“Upon Dazzle Ships' initial re-release in 2008, McCluskey noted its improved critical standing: "The album that almost completely killed our career seems to have become a work of dysfunctional genius... it's taken Paul [Humphreys] 25 years to forgive me for Dazzle Ships. But some people always hold it up as what we were all about, why they thought we were great." Humphreys later said, "When we re-released it a few years ago we got five-star reviews... so perhaps it was just a bit ahead of its time. I know fans still cite it as their favourite [OMD] record."

 

[krista4]

I also enjoyed "Wrong Side of Del Rio" by Houston Marchman, but the singer's phrasing and intonation were so similar to Lyle Lovett's that it became distracting.

Had not noticed, but cannot unnotice now.

Sorry.

 

[El Floppo]

It could have been a time and place thing along with younger bands becoming bigger and more label influenced, but I felt like a lot of bands I loved in the early 80s turned to more pop/crap by the mid 80s.. on their 3rd, 4th, 5th albums. You could tell they were understandably trying to cash in a bit with more pop driven songs and albums that ended up diminishing the sound that made them distinct and great in the first place.

I felt like Dazzleships was the beginning of their end, tbh

Dazzle Ships has had a lot of reevaluation.
Many consider it their masterpiece. I wouldnt go that far.
As mentioned it was their first LP i listened to and I couldnt believe what i was hearing.
So unconventional. This after their most successful LP.

It opens with a Czechoslovakian radio broadcast, in the native language.
It has a track where one member says ABC and the other 123 repeatedly
Side 2 opens with a submarine going into alarm mode
Another track has the time being broadcast in different languages

Interspersed with this are beautiful tracks like Silent Running, International and Of All The Things We’ve Made.
Up tempo songs like Telegraph and Radio Waves and the bizarre lead single Genetic Engineering.

The Band On the LP now
“Upon Dazzle Ships' initial re-release in 2008, McCluskey noted its improved critical standing: "The album that almost completely killed our career seems to have become a work of dysfunctional genius... it's taken Paul [Humphreys] 25 years to forgive me for Dazzle Ships. But some people always hold it up as what we were all about, why they thought we were great." Humphreys later said, "When we re-released it a few years ago we got five-star reviews... so perhaps it was just a bit ahead of its time. I know fans still cite it as their favourite [OMD] record."

Romance of the Telescope is one of my favorites of theirs from any album.

I'll have to give it another listen... Been probably 30 years since the last time.


I first heard Enola Gay via a compilation I bought circa 81- Urgh- A music war. actually the soundtrack to a music documentary/compilation of live performances of tons of amazing bands from then... I discovered almost all of my 1981 onward favorite bands from that album.