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Combined 100 from 81 and 82 *top song* Dire Straits - Romeo and Juliet (1 Viewer)

29.  Michael Jackson - Beat It

... Since I just put Van Halen in as a sub its a good time to post a song highlighting Eddie's guitar work.  
Lots of great trivia connected with this song.

Eddie's guitar work was so incendiary that his solo LITERALLY caught the studio on fire. 🔥 👨‍🚒

According Rod Temperton, who wrote the title track to Thriller, a mystery blaze broke out in the control room as Eddie van Halen played his guitar solo. "Eddie was playing and the monitor speakers literally caught on fire," recalled Temperton to Q magazine. "The speaker caught fire and were all thinking, like, 'This must be really good, this solo!' That technicians had to race into the control room with fire extinguishers and put it out."

By using Eddie MJ got a lot of cross over fans, Beat It is considered the one song that helped launch him to superstar status as it brought him so many extra fans that didn't listen to him previously.

-------------------------

That unique/cool sound at the beginning? 

For those who guessed Synclavier you're right but I had no clue what a Synclavier is.  From Music Radar:

 Anyone who knew their way around a Synclavier at the time probably thought the song's intro synth sounded familiar. According to the album's engineer, Bruce Swedien, it was a stock Synclavier patch.

"Any Synclavier will make that sound," he told MusicRadar. "We liked it but we wanted everything to be unrecognizable, unique, so we didn't want to use that sound, but Michael loved it and made us keep it."

---------------------

Oh and the album/songs were so popular it forced MTV to play black artists who had never been able to get songs aired on the channel prior to MJ.

 
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32.  Donald Fagen - New Frontier

I remember hearing an interview with Fagen where he mentioned the song was about the end of the world and living in a bomb shelter, something that was a big topic in the early 80s when the nut jobs at the Pentagon were seriously considering using tactical nuclear weapons against Russia, lol.  Morons.  Then the study about nuclear winter made the idiots reconsider.  

I was younger than everyone I hung out with in the early 80s so whenever I mentioned what this song was about I would get shot down because their was no Internet and no way to easily look things up so the 'older' crowd would use ignorance as a weapon to hold down anyone younger, lol.  Now its about which source is used and attacking sources, lol.  

Fagen is just too cool with his lyrics and delivery and the song and album is a masterpiece.
Recently taken by me for the Goin' Solo playlist in Genrepalooza 4.  :pickle:

As I said in that thread, I will put The Nightfly up against any late-period Steely Dan album (read: after they stopped touring) except Aja. 

 
Bracie Smathers said:
Moving right along, pay no attention to previous mistakes made in list.

29.  Michael Jackson - Beat It

Real bangers were used in the video. 
Back to the video, beyond real gang members, there were a few celebrities (not so famous) that were among the dancers.

Michael DeLorenzo, Stoney Jackson (was one of the players in the last season of my all time favorite show The White Shadow), and one I just learned, Tracii Guns.

My favorite guy in the video is the one with that hat at the 4:19 mark.

 
28.  David Lindley - Mercury Blues

THIS was the song that all of the DJs at the radio station would fight over to play on their shift because we had a rotation of songs and after it was played it had to sit for a day or two.  That is why I found the tune from the same album 'She Took Off My Romeos' but still loved playing this tune whenever I could.

This is a recreation of a 1949 tune by K.C. Douglas and Robert Geddins called Mercury Boogie.  Lindley's version kills.  Give it a spin if you haven't heard.

 
28.  David Lindley - Mercury Blues

THIS was the song that all of the DJs at the radio station would fight over to play on their shift because we had a rotation of songs and after it was played it had to sit for a day or two.  That is why I found the tune from the same album 'She Took Off My Romeos' but still loved playing this tune whenever I could.

This is a recreation of a 1949 tune by K.C. Douglas and Robert Geddins called Mercury Boogie.  Lindley's version kills.  Give it a spin if you haven't heard.
Great song. I paid my way through University working as a DJ playing weddings, class reunions, sports tournaments, etc. If the crowd was more interested in talking and visiting, I would bust out this song and get their attention. People would book with the company, request me as the DJ and specify that I should play "that song" on the contract. I also would have people come up to me and say they had been at a wedding,etc. I played and hoped I would play this song again. Most couldn't remember the artist or title, but when I played the song I would get plenty of "thumbs ups" and shouts of "that's the song!".

 
28.  David Lindley - Mercury Blues

THIS was the song that all of the DJs at the radio station would fight over to play on their shift because we had a rotation of songs and after it was played it had to sit for a day or two.  That is why I found the tune from the same album 'She Took Off My Romeos' but still loved playing this tune whenever I could.

This is a recreation of a 1949 tune by K.C. Douglas and Robert Geddins called Mercury Boogie.  Lindley's version kills.  Give it a spin if you haven't heard.
Here in L.A. this song was in heavy rotation on KROQ back when their format was more fluid than it became only a year or two later. It was a great time to listen to that station, they'd go from this to some Flock Of Seagulls song, to some Dead Kennedeys song, and so on.

 
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26.  The Pretenders - Talk Of The Town

"Talk of the Town" was inspired by a fan Chrissie Hynde had encountered on the band's first tour. She explained in a BBC Songwriters' Circle special, "I had in mind this kid who used to stand outside the soundchecks on our first tour... I never spoke to him. I remember that the last time I saw him I just left him standing in the snow, I never had anything to say to him. I kind of wrote this for him, so, in the unlikely event that you're watching this, I did think about you."

An easy rolling tune.

 
26.  The Pretenders - Talk Of The Town

"Talk of the Town" was inspired by a fan Chrissie Hynde had encountered on the band's first tour. She explained in a BBC Songwriters' Circle special, "I had in mind this kid who used to stand outside the soundchecks on our first tour... I never spoke to him. I remember that the last time I saw him I just left him standing in the snow, I never had anything to say to him. I kind of wrote this for him, so, in the unlikely event that you're watching this, I did think about you."

An easy rolling tune.
My favorite Pretenders song.

 
24.  Pete Townshend - Rough Boys

Pete has two children and dedicated the album to them however...  He makes his sexuality ambiguous.  He dialed back his original statements where others said he was gay or bi.  

...This started rumors that Townshend was gay or bisexual. In the November 14, 1990 issue of Newsweek, Townshend explained: "I know how it feels to be a woman because I am a woman, and I won't be classified as just a man." Regarding "Rough Boys," he said, "In a way it was a coming-out. That it was a real acknowledgment of the fact that I'd been surrounded by people that I really adored - and was actually sexually attracted to - who were men. And that the side of me that responded to those people was a passive side, a subordinate side."

Five years later, in an interview with Playboy, he said, "I did an interview about it, saying that 'Rough Boys' was about being gay, and in the interview I also talked about my 'gay life,' which—I meant—was actually about the friends I've had who are gay. So the interviewer kind of dotted the t's and crossed the i's and assumed that this was a coming out, which it wasn't at all."

Years later Pete got busted surfing under age gay porn sights but said he was trying to catch predators and was never prosecuted, hmmnn.   

OK.  In any event the song stands on its own, its a fantastic song.

 
24.  Pete Townshend - Rough Boys

Pete has two children and dedicated the album to them however...  He makes his sexuality ambiguous.  He dialed back his original statements where others said he was gay or bi.  

...This started rumors that Townshend was gay or bisexual. In the November 14, 1990 issue of Newsweek, Townshend explained: "I know how it feels to be a woman because I am a woman, and I won't be classified as just a man." Regarding "Rough Boys," he said, "In a way it was a coming-out. That it was a real acknowledgment of the fact that I'd been surrounded by people that I really adored - and was actually sexually attracted to - who were men. And that the side of me that responded to those people was a passive side, a subordinate side."

Five years later, in an interview with Playboy, he said, "I did an interview about it, saying that 'Rough Boys' was about being gay, and in the interview I also talked about my 'gay life,' which—I meant—was actually about the friends I've had who are gay. So the interviewer kind of dotted the t's and crossed the i's and assumed that this was a coming out, which it wasn't at all."

Years later Pete got busted surfing under age gay porn sights but said he was trying to catch predators and was never prosecuted, hmmnn.   

OK.  In any event the song stands on its own, its a fantastic song.
I’d call that a bargain - the best he ever had.

 
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23.  Roxy Music - Avalon

The song features Yannick Etienne. The Haitian singer later contributed backing vocals on Roxy singer Bryan Ferry's 1985 solo album, Boys and Girls. Ferry recalled to The Mail on Sunday June 28, 2009: "I was in a studio in New York when I heard the most haunting voice coming down the corridor. It was Yanick Etienne, a singer from Haiti, who was doing a demo next door. I asked her to sing on our record, which she did in one take, and a piece of recording history was made."

 
23.  Roxy Music - Avalon

The song features Yannick Etienne. The Haitian singer later contributed backing vocals on Roxy singer Bryan Ferry's 1985 solo album, Boys and Girls. Ferry recalled to The Mail on Sunday June 28, 2009: "I was in a studio in New York when I heard the most haunting voice coming down the corridor. It was Yanick Etienne, a singer from Haiti, who was doing a demo next door. I asked her to sing on our record, which she did in one take, and a piece of recording history was made."
Those who like the Avalon album should also like the Boys and Girls solo album, much of the same style.

 
23.  Roxy Music - Avalon

The song features Yannick Etienne. The Haitian singer later contributed backing vocals on Roxy singer Bryan Ferry's 1985 solo album, Boys and Girls. Ferry recalled to The Mail on Sunday June 28, 2009: "I was in a studio in New York when I heard the most haunting voice coming down the corridor. It was Yanick Etienne, a singer from Haiti, who was doing a demo next door. I asked her to sing on our record, which she did in one take, and a piece of recording history was made."
Great song.

I’m guessing the only person that may not like Etienne is James Robinson.

 
22.  Michael Stanley Band - Lover

I said I would have an exception to the October 80 rule and that is MSB.  This tune means a hell of a lot to anyone from NE Ohio circa 1980.

Thank god for the man who put the white lines on the highway

 
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24.  Pete Townshend - Rough Boys

Pete has two children and dedicated the album to them however...  He makes his sexuality ambiguous.  He dialed back his original statements where others said he was gay or bi.  

...This started rumors that Townshend was gay or bisexual. In the November 14, 1990 issue of Newsweek, Townshend explained: "I know how it feels to be a woman because I am a woman, and I won't be classified as just a man." Regarding "Rough Boys," he said, "In a way it was a coming-out. That it was a real acknowledgment of the fact that I'd been surrounded by people that I really adored - and was actually sexually attracted to - who were men. And that the side of me that responded to those people was a passive side, a subordinate side."

Five years later, in an interview with Playboy, he said, "I did an interview about it, saying that 'Rough Boys' was about being gay, and in the interview I also talked about my 'gay life,' which—I meant—was actually about the friends I've had who are gay. So the interviewer kind of dotted the t's and crossed the i's and assumed that this was a coming out, which it wasn't at all."

Years later Pete got busted surfing under age gay porn sights but said he was trying to catch predators and was never prosecuted, hmmnn.   

OK.  In any event the song stands on its own, its a fantastic song.
When Townshend gets accused of holding back his best songs from The Who and saving them for his solo albums, he points to this song. He says with the sexual ambiguity of the lyrics, Daltrey would never sing this song.

 
21.  Steely Dan - Time Out Of Mind

Talk about perfection and grace.  Gaucho showcases the obsessive attention to detail.

Direct from Lhasa - where they're rolling in the snow far from the world we know

- Lhasa is part of Tibet, and a known trafficking center for opium/heroin; rolling in the snow may be referring to "rolling in heroin" because of the volume of trafficking, the area having heavy heroin use, or - well - the weather? The last part of the line is likely referring to heroin use in Lhasa, but could be about the actual location.

Tonight when I chase the dragon, - Chasing the dragon is the term for smoking heroin. Some people refer to it as Speedballing, which is actually mixing heroin and cocaine, and injecting it. The reference to smoking heroin has been around much much longer.

The water may change to cherry wine
And the silver will turn to gold
THis part of the verse is indicative of the hallucinogenic effects of heroin.

 
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21.  Steely Dan - Time Out Of Mind

- Lhasa is part of Tibet, and a known trafficking center for opium/heroin; rolling in the snow may be referring to "rolling in heroin" because of the volume of trafficking, the area having heavy heroin use, or - well - the weather? The last part of the line is likely referring to heroin use in Lhasa, but could be about the actual location.

Tonight when I chase the dragon, - Chasing the dragon is the term for smoking heroin. Some people refer to it as Speedballing, which is actually mixing heroin and cocaine, and injecting it. The reference to smoking heroin has been around much much longer.

The water may change to cherry wine
And the silver will turn to gold
THis part of the verse is indicative of the hallucinogenic effects of heroin.
For anyone questioning the heroin interpretation of the lyrics, I wasn't sure till I saw a back story, it should be noted what happened to Walter Becker when they were making the album.

From Wiki:

...  During the course of the Gaucho sessions, Becker was hit by a car late one Saturday night while walking home to his apartment on the Upper West Side.[5][6] Becker managed to push the woman he was with out of harm's way, but sustained multiple fractures in one leg, a sprain in the other leg, and other injuries.[5][6] During his six-month recovery,[7] he suffered from secondary infections.[5] While Becker was in the hospital, he and Fagen continued their musical collaborations via telephone.[6]

Becker's personal problems continued to mount when his girlfriend, Karen Roberta Stanley, died of a drug overdose at his home on January 30, 1980.[8][9] Her family sued him for $17.5 million in January 1981, claiming that he had introduced the woman to cocaine, morphine, barbiturates, and heroin.[9] The court later ruled in Becker's favor.

 
21.  Steely Dan - Time Out Of Mind

Talk about perfection and grace.  Gaucho showcases the obsessive attention to detail.

Direct from Lhasa - where they're rolling in the snow far from the world we know

- Lhasa is part of Tibet, and a known trafficking center for opium/heroin; rolling in the snow may be referring to "rolling in heroin" because of the volume of trafficking, the area having heavy heroin use, or - well - the weather? The last part of the line is likely referring to heroin use in Lhasa, but could be about the actual location.

Tonight when I chase the dragon, - Chasing the dragon is the term for smoking heroin. Some people refer to it as Speedballing, which is actually mixing heroin and cocaine, and injecting it. The reference to smoking heroin has been around much much longer.

The water may change to cherry wine
And the silver will turn to gold
THis part of the verse is indicative of the hallucinogenic effects of heroin.
One of my favorite Steely Dan tunes (and I like a ton of their stuff). The horns and the backing vocals are just sooooo warm and cushy. 

 
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When Townshend gets accused of holding back his best songs from The Who and saving them for his solo albums, he points to this song. He says with the sexual ambiguity of the lyrics, Daltrey would never sing this song.
Yep. Daltrey refused to sing However Much I Booze because he didn't want listeners to think HE was the one with the drinking problem, so there's no way in hell he would have sung this. 

 
When Townshend gets accused of holding back his best songs from The Who and saving them for his solo albums, he points to this song. He says with the sexual ambiguity of the lyrics, Daltrey would never sing this song.
Yep. Daltrey refused to sing However Much I Booze because he didn't want listeners to think HE was the one with the drinking problem, so there's no way in hell he would have sung this. 
Ya know, I suspected part of the 'riff' within the group was due to Pete's ambiguous sexual identity because 40 years ago that sort of open disclosure was not celebrated.  I am positive that Pete did come out as bi back then because I remember hearing of it before we went to the concert and that Rodger seemed to ditch any questions about it.  

No doubt he would have refused to sing 'Rough Boys' and it was the very first single that Pete put out completely on his own so it all makes sense.

 
19.  Santana - Body Surfing 🏄‍♂️ 🌞 

I have no clue why this song wasn't a huge hit.  I love this tune.  Chicano/reggae rock, the dream-like opening, the congas, the vocals, awesome.  Really love this tune.

 
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16.  The Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime

David Byrne shed some light on his lyrical inspiration when he told Time Out: "Most of the words in 'Once in a Lifetime' come from evangelists I recorded off the radio while taking notes and picking up phrases I thought were interesting directions. Maybe I'm fascinated with the middle class because it seems so different from my life, so distant from what I do. I can't imagine living like that."

On the list of the top 500 songs that shaped rock and roll and is the top song on many musicians favorite lists.

The original was released in 81, the live Stop Making Sense version came out a few years later but the ultimate version was done years later by THIS ARTIST

 
15.  Kenny Loggins - Heartlight

Later re-titled WELCOME To Heartlight to avoid confusion with a Neil Diamond tune.  Love this song.

The story behind the song.

Kenny was doing some PR work with a private school that worked with under privileged children.  Kenny was impressed with their work and saw a child and asked them what they liked about the school.  

They said: 

I like the love

And I like the peaceful

Kenny's heart swelled up and wrote the tune.  

I think songs convey more than just words or musical riffs, in this one the heart pours out.

The school is now defunct but the song remains.

Always loved this tune. 

 
14.  Rolling Stones - Heaven

Along with "Neighbours," this was one of two songs on Tattoo You recorded specifically for the album. The other tracks started as outtakes for other albums.

The vocals here peg this song as one of the most psychedelic the Stones ever did. The group had been gradually edging from pure blues to hard rock to psychedelic styles throughout the previous decade. Mick Jagger got quite creative with overdubbing and mixing on parts of the Tattoo You album.

 
13.  Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science

Makes it all the way up to #13 on VH1's top one-hit wonders of all time.  If anyone would have told me that nearly 40 years later that this song would rank #13 on one-hit wonders or that I would place it as the same spot on a list of top songs for the early 80s I wouldn't have believed it because when it came out my knee-jerk reaction was that I hated it.  

Obviously I've changed my take on this song.  

Dolby was quirky and pretentious but this was probably the first hit on the early 80s to go strong with the Moog synthesizer so I'll give him props for introducing the heaviest use of the synth into pop music that became a staple of the 1980s.

  Most of the effects and the bass line were made with a Moog synthesizer. At the time, this was no easy task. Said Dolby: "When I started out writing songs, synthesizers were still quite a rarified luxury. They were quite hard to get hands on and quite hard to operate. And when you did, there was still quite a lot of resistance in the mainstream to music made electronically. And so that was a natural place for me to be, because I wanted to be challenged and stimulated like that.

The speaking parts were by Magnus Pike an English TV actor who did a children's science show where he would burst out and exclaim 'SCIENCE'! 

Anyone who experienced the 80s knows this tune and vid.

 
13.  Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science

Makes it all the way up to #13 on VH1's top one-hit wonders of all time.  If anyone would have told me that nearly 40 years later that this song would rank #13 on one-hit wonders or that I would place it as the same spot on a list of top songs for the early 80s I wouldn't have believed it because when it came out my knee-jerk reaction was that I hated it.  

Obviously I've changed my take on this song.  

Dolby was quirky and pretentious but this was probably the first hit on the early 80s to go strong with the Moog synthesizer so I'll give him props for introducing the heaviest use of the synth into pop music that became a staple of the 1980s.

  Most of the effects and the bass line were made with a Moog synthesizer. At the time, this was no easy task. Said Dolby: "When I started out writing songs, synthesizers were still quite a rarified luxury. They were quite hard to get hands on and quite hard to operate. And when you did, there was still quite a lot of resistance in the mainstream to music made electronically. And so that was a natural place for me to be, because I wanted to be challenged and stimulated like that.

The speaking parts were by Magnus Pike an English TV actor who did a children's science show where he would burst out and exclaim 'SCIENCE'! 

Anyone who experienced the 80s knows this tune and vid.
hardly a 1HW in my book - Golden Age of Wireless is about the only electronic album to make it out of the 80s in my collection (his Retrospectacle greatest hits album is still in my rotation) and the only time i listen to myself sing is croaking along with my BFF's then 3yo (now 13) son to his two favorite songs - Lyle Lovett's "If i Had a Boat" and Dolby's "Road to Reno" (where his folks were married):

They had to fall in love
They heard the call of love
They shopped in malls for love
They did it all for love
They ate Mars bars for love
They crashed the car for love
They scratched the stars for love
On the road to Reno, yeah

 
hardly a 1HW in my book - Golden Age of Wireless is about the only electronic album to make it out of the 80s in my collection (his Retrospectacle greatest hits album is still in my rotation) and the only time i listen to myself sing is croaking along with my BFF's then 3yo (now 13) son to his two favorite songs - Lyle Lovett's "If i Had a Boat" and Dolby's "Road to Reno" (where his folks were married):

They had to fall in love
They heard the call of love
They shopped in malls for love
They did it all for love
They ate Mars bars for love
They crashed the car for love
They scratched the stars for love
On the road to Reno, yeah
I feel the same. I probably don't need to hear She Blinded Me With Science again, but I'll play the rest of Golden Age of Wireless end to end and never get tired of it.

My favorite of his (and I've posted this before - forgive me for repetition), is probably a collaboration he did with George Clinton -  Hot Sauce off of Aliens Ate My Buick.

 
hardly a 1HW in my book - Golden Age of Wireless is about the only electronic album to make it out of the 80s in my collection (his Retrospectacle greatest hits album is still in my rotation) and the only time i listen to myself sing is croaking along with my BFF's then 3yo (now 13) son to his two favorite songs - Lyle Lovett's "If i Had a Boat" and Dolby's "Road to Reno" (where his folks were married):

They had to fall in love
They heard the call of love
They shopped in malls for love
They did it all for love
They ate Mars bars for love
They crashed the car for love
They scratched the stars for love
On the road to Reno, yeah
Smart kid. Simple song, but one of my all time faves.

The mystery masked man was smart
He got himself a Tonto
'Cause Tonto did the dirty work for free
But Tonto he was smarter
And one day said kemo sabe
Well, kiss my @#$, I bought a boat
I'm going out to sea

 
Pip's Invitation said:
Yep. Daltrey refused to sing However Much I Booze because he didn't want listeners to think HE was the one with the drinking problem, so there's no way in hell he would have sung this. 
I could not visualize Roger singing Let My Love Open The Door.

 
hardly a 1HW in my book - Golden Age of Wireless is about the only electronic album to make it out of the 80s in my collection (his Retrospectacle greatest hits album is still in my rotation) and the only time i listen to myself sing is croaking along with my BFF's then 3yo (now 13) son to his two favorite songs - Lyle Lovett's "If i Had a Boat" and Dolby's "Road to Reno" (where his folks were married):

They had to fall in love
They heard the call of love
They shopped in malls for love
They did it all for love
They ate Mars bars for love
They crashed the car for love
They scratched the stars for love
On the road to Reno, yeah
I need to make a playlist out of songs that mention Reno. So far I've got this and that Johnny Cash song.

 
13.  Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science

Makes it all the way up to #13 on VH1's top one-hit wonders of all time.  If anyone would have told me that nearly 40 years later that this song would rank #13 on one-hit wonders or that I would place it as the same spot on a list of top songs for the early 80s I wouldn't have believed it because when it came out my knee-jerk reaction was that I hated it.  

Obviously I've changed my take on this song.  

Dolby was quirky and pretentious but this was probably the first hit on the early 80s to go strong with the Moog synthesizer so I'll give him props for introducing the heaviest use of the synth into pop music that became a staple of the 1980s.

  Most of the effects and the bass line were made with a Moog synthesizer. At the time, this was no easy task. Said Dolby: "When I started out writing songs, synthesizers were still quite a rarified luxury. They were quite hard to get hands on and quite hard to operate. And when you did, there was still quite a lot of resistance in the mainstream to music made electronically. And so that was a natural place for me to be, because I wanted to be challenged and stimulated like that.

The speaking parts were by Magnus Pike an English TV actor who did a children's science show where he would burst out and exclaim 'SCIENCE'! 

Anyone who experienced the 80s knows this tune and vid.
On tim's countdown list he mentioned Dolby's work on the Foreigner 4 album. What I didn't know was Dolby was the session keyboard player on Def Leppard's Pyromania.

 

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