This Week's Top 10 - May 18, 1985

Tears For Fears has been played to death(I blame Dennis Miller...), and it's the only one of the ten I still hear much(Madonna's entry isn't half-bad)...other than that, pretty grim chart. See ya next week!

 

Strong chart IMHO!! I was a junior in high school I was definitely listening to the radio, and bought copies of all of these singles. With the exception of #3(was only available as a 7" in the US) I own every one on both 45 and 12".


1. Great record but not my favorite Simple Minds track. Love the extended mix that is only on the US 12". It's also the version you hear over the opening credits to "The Breakfast Club".

2. Sure it's treacly and more than bit dated now. But raise your hand if you were among the first to buy the single when it hit the stores on that Thursday morning in March?

3. Still sounds good after all this time. But it was obvious that Madonna wasn't totally confident singing a ballad yet. She found that confidence by the time she did "Live To Tell", but this is a strong effort. Not surprised it went straight to #1.

4. Fun record though it did get a little tiresome after a while. Enjoyed hearing it again after not hearing it for a long time.

5. One of Whams best singles IMO and showed how quickly George Michael was maturing as a singer and a songwriter. Like "Careless Whisper" before it, I remember "Everything She Wants" also getting heavy airplay on black radio in the spring of '85. Hit #8 on the R&B chart as well as being their third #1 pop single.

6. This is one of my favorites, and my #2 choice for favorite on this top 10! I was knocked out the first time heard this on the radio. I'd never heard drums sound like that on a record! Robert Palmer's vocals matched the intensity of the track. Great collaborative effort from everyone involved.

7. Picked this one as my favorite song on this chart! Sade was and still is one of the coolest bands on the planet. Ditto for Ms. Adu, a great front woman for sure. A timeless record that still makes me want to turn it up when it comes on the radio. I remember it totally standing out from everything else that was big at the time. My favorite version of "Smooth Operator" is the extended version on the promotional 12" shown below. It contains the full length version of the song and an extended jazzy instrumental called "Red Eye", that takes up the last three and a half minutes of the track. Anyone that's a major Sade fan or has seen them in concert know this is the version they always perform live and gets the house on it's feet!

8. The moment when Debarge went from being a great R&B vocal group to milquetoast crossover pop! Though it was a huge hit it still kind of makes me cringe especially after the triumphs of the "All This Love" and "In A Special Way" albums. Though the song was for the movie soundtrack to "The Last Dragon" it was obvious Motown was trying to push the group in a much more pop direction. Hiring Richard Perry to produce this single as well as others to do the subsequent album. El Debarge wrote and co-produced most of their material before that. The end result was the group fracturing apart and El going on to a somewhat lackluster solo career.

9. Great memories of this song. Hanging out at Pier 39 with the rest of my class on a field trip, the song playing in the background. Then later walking a few blocks down to Tower on Columbus Ave. to buy the single.

10. Cool instrumental and makes me immediately think of "Beverly Hills Cop", and how many times I went back to see it!

 

Some Like It Hot!! Love that song.

 

Cool list. I went with "Some Like It Hot"...I remember the cheesy video. And yes, I danced to it.

 

Tears For Fears edges out Simple Minds. Sade is okay, I'm not fussy about Murray Head and I despise "We Are The World" (and also the Canadian one, "Tears Are Not Enough"; I do however think the original Band-Aid one was fab). The others I don't know, including Madonna (although if it's on The Immaculate Collection, I do have it). One track on the CHUM Top 30 I would recommend is "A Criminal Mind" by Gowan (find his best-of CD), and I've heard "Raspberry Beret" once or twice and I think it's okay too.

 

Simple Minds, Tears For Fears, or Madonna? Wow, that's hard. I'm really missing the 80's right now.

 

1985 - I followed Billboard charts closely

Thanks, clairehuxtable, for posting a more extended chart, I love it when the others chime in with various then-contemporary charts. I know there is a huge rift it what people think of 80s music in general. I lost interest in it for a good number of years in the 1990s and returned to the 80s and pop music in general just a few years ago. I was very avid about music at this time, in high school.

Smooth Operator is wonderful, I still relish it today. Great jazzy tune.

Some of these songs revolve around one of my favorite bands at the time and I was heavily into tracking the Billboard charts this year. By 1986, I had lost interest largely because a lot of the music was less appealing and I got busier in high school with other things.

Personally, and it still holds true today, I prefered US pop music from 1982, 1983 and 1984.

Around this time I started getting really into college radio, which leaned towards UK releases.

So I will add trivia and commentary to the songs I preferred the most.

Rank Song Title Artist
3. Everything She Wants Wham!
I still hear this one quite a bit on local radio, but not some of their other big hits. Odd.

4. One Night In Bangkok Murray Head
This one has a superb classical intro that would get cut out in radio play. I know it was banned in Thailand as well, as there are references to prostitutes.

6. Obession Animotion The lead singer Michael Des Barres who toured with Power Station wrote this song. Catchy tune.

7. Don't You (Forget About Me) Simple Minds This song still makes me think of the Breakfast Club. Classic teen movie that is still worth multiple watches, even to this day, IMHO.

8. Nightshift The Commodores Great song, this one can bring tears to my eyes and honestly, I seldom say this about songs or movies for that matter. Ode to Marvin Gaye who was shot by his father a year earlier. Jackie Wilson is mentioned as well.

10. All She Wants To Do Is Dance Don Henley I do like this song, not great to dance to. but you know.

11. Smooth Operator Sade - wonderful song, I do not hear much air play of this on FM or XM. What happened to Sade? Hmmm

12. Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody David Lee Roth Not much into Solo David Lee Roth, but this one was a good remake.

13. That Was Yesterday Foreigner - this is a wonderful song that is somewhat emotional to me. One of their overlooked gems. I never hear this on radio.


14. Walking On Sunshine Katrina & The Waves
(this one is overplayed on 80s channels – still catchy tune, one hit wonder here, I believe.

16. Welcome To The Pleasuredome Frankie Goes To Hollywood I had this on 45, one of my last 45 purchases. I never hear this one. I think it is Frankie's last dint on the US charts.

17. Rock And Roll Girls John Fogerty - it took me a while to like Fogerty, at the time in high school, I knew only a little of his significance. Fogerty puts on a great live show if you catch him. I saw him live in 2005.

18. Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid Daryl Hall & John Oates I like most of Hall and Oates stuff, this one is one of my favs, I do not think this one charted well in the US.

19. Things Can Only Get Better Howard Jones - some great tunes, that Howard Jones.
20. A View To A Kill Duran Duran
25. Some Like It Hot Power Station
Being a big Duran Duran fan at the time (I was in high school at the time (toughing it out in the younger grades, ugh), I adored these songs, though I really much prefer their earlier albums. I saw Power Station in concert that summer. On Amazon, I picked a Power Station reissue with a DVD with those vary cheesy videos included. I even have a compiliation of the 12 inch mixes of the Power Station. I adore their ablum from 1985.

I learned that Power Station regrouped later, but I never heard the efforts. Sadly, half the group has passed away, leaving us John Taylor and Andy Taylor.

...
Smiths - Meat is Murder

The Smiths were making a big impression on me at this time while I listened to WABE Album 88 here in Atlanta which was run by students at Georgia State University. I listened to the UK top 40 radio show on Sundays and at the time there were still a fair number of tunes they could not locate to play. I recall the charts in the US and UK overlapped only a bit here and there with Madonna tunes.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

 

I voted for "Smooth Operator" by Sade. Probably the most timeless sounding song on the chart, and it hasn't been burned out by overplay on "Retro 80's" programs.

 

My pick is Simple Minds "Don't You Forget About Me", one of my favorite songs ever. "Crazy For You" is one of my favorites ever too. The rest are ok, nothing I really need to hear again, aside from "Some Like It Hot".

 

I don't like 80s music very much but Don't You (Forget About Me) is a very good song

 

Difficult choice between Faltermeyer & Sade. Don't think I've heard any of the others.

 

Cashbox Chart!

A number of very good tracks here, I voted for "One Night In Bangkok".

Here is the full Cashbox chart for this week:

CASH BOX TOP 100 SINGLES
Week ending May 18, 1985

TW LW 2WK 3WK WKS
1 DON’T YOU (Forget About Me)
Simple Minds (A&M 2703) 3 4 7 13
2 WE ARE THE WORLD
USA For Africa (Columbia 04839) 1 1 1 9
3 CRAZY FOR YOU
Madonna (Geffen 29051) 2 2 2 12
4 ONE NIGHT IN BANGKOK
Murray Head (RCA 13988) 4 5 9 13
5 EVERYTHING SHE WANTS
Wham! (Columbia 04840) 8 13 16 9
6 SOME LIKE IT HOT
Power Station (Capitol 5444) 6 8 11 10
7 SMOOTH OPERATOR
Sade (Portrait 04807) 7 12 14 12
8 RHYTHM OF THE NIGHT
DeBarge (Gordy 1770) 5 3 3 14
9 EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD
Tears For Fears (Mercury 880 659) 12 14 22 10
10 AXEL F
Harold Faltermeyer (MCA 52536) 13 20 30 8
11 ALL SHE WANTS TO DO IS DANCE
Don Henley (Geffen 29065) 9 9 12 13
12 OBSESSION
Animotion (Mercury 880 266) 11 6 6 17
13 DON’T COME AROUND HERE NO MORE
Tom Petty & Heartbreakers (MCA 52496) 14 16 18 10
14 SUDDENLY
Billy Ocean (Jive 9323) 18 22 28 9
15 THAT WAS YESTERDAY
Foreigner (Atlantic 89571) 10 10 10 10
16 IN MY HOUSE
Mary Jane Girls (Gordy 1741) 23 29 40 10
17 THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER
Howard Jones (Elektra 69651) 21 27 32 9
18 NIGHTSHIFT
Commodores (Motown 1773) 16 7 4 17
19 NEW ATTITUDE
Patti LaBelle (MCA 52517) 19 21 23 13
20 FRESH
Kool & Gang (De-Lite 880 623) 25 30 37 9
21 SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT UNSAID
Daryl Hall & John Oates (RCA 14035) 15 15 17 10
22 ANGEL
Madonna (Sire 29008) 31 39 48 4
23 HEAVEN
Bryan Adams (A&M 2729) 32 35 45 5
24 ONE LONELY NIGHT
REO Speedwagon (Epic 04848) 26 28 31 8
25 WALKING ON SUNSHINE
Katrina & Waves (Capitol 5466) 27 34 38 8
26 JUST A GIGOLO/I AIN’T GOT NOBODY
David Lee Roth (Warner Bros. 29040) 28 31 35 9
27 CELEBRATE YOUTH
Rick Springfield (RCA 14047) 29 32 36 7
28 RASPBERRY BERET
Prince & Revolution (Paisley Park 28972) -- -- -- 1
29 SUSSUDIO
Phil Collins (Atlantic 89560) 35 -- -- 2
30 SAY YOU’RE WRONG
Julian Lennon (Atlantic 89567) 33 36 43 5
31 INVISIBLE
Alison Moyet (Columbia 04781) 34 37 41 10
32 ONE MORE NIGHT
Phil Collins (Atlantic 89588) 17 11 5 15
33 NEVER ENDING STORY
Limahl (EMI America 8230) 37 42 46 9
34 THE SEARCH IS OVER
Survivor (Scotti Bros. 04871) 40 46 62 5
35 SMUGGLER’S BLUES
Glenn Frey (MCA 52546) 39 44 49 7
36 ’TIL MY BABY COMES HOME
Luther Vandross (Epic 04760) 36 40 44 9
37 WOULD I LIE TO YOU?
Eurythmics (RCA 14078) 42 52 70 4
38 A VIEW TO A KILL
Duran Duran (Capitol 5475) -- -- -- 1
39 SHOW SOME RESPECT
Tina Turner (Capitol 5461) 43 47 52 5
40 OH GIRL
Boy Meets Girl (A&M 2713) 44 48 57 7
41 LOST IN LOVE
New Edition (MCA 52553) 41 45 51 8
42 THE GOONIES ’R’ GOOD ENOUGH
Cyndi Lauper (Portrait 04918) -- -- -- 1
43 LUCKY IN LOVE
Mick Jagger (Columbia 04893) 47 57 73 4
44 VOICES CARRY
’Til Tuesday (Epic 04795) 53 64 71 6
45 TOUGH ALL OVER
John Cafferty & Beaver Brown Band
(Scotti Bros. 04891) 65 -- -- 2
46 I’M ON FIRE
Bruce Springsteen (Columbia 04772) 20 17 8 14
47 VOX HUMANA
Kenny Loggins (Columbia 04849) 22 23 25 9
48 ROCK AND ROLL GIRLS
John Fogerty (Warner Bros. 29053) 24 24 26 10
49 WALKING ON THE CHINESE WALL
Philip Bailey (Columbia 04826) 49 54 59 7
50 DO YOU WANNA GET AWAY
Shannon (Mirage 99655) 50 50 55 7
51 MISSING YOU
Diana Ross (RCA 13966) 30 18 13 25
52 CRAZY IN THE NIGHT (Barking At
Airplanes)
Kim Carnes (EMI America 8267) 71 -- -- 2
53 ALONG COMES A WOMAN
Chicago (Warner/Full Moon 29082) 38 19 20 13
54 MATERIAL GIRL
Madonna (Sire 29083) 45 25 15 15
55 FOREVER MAN
Eric Clapton (Duck/Warner 29081) 46 26 24 11
56 EVERYTIME YOU GO AWAY
Paul Young (Columbia 04867) 78 -- -- 2
57 BE YOUR MAN
Jesse Johnson’s Revue (A&M 2702) 51 51 56 8
58 WELCOME TO THE PLEASUREDOME
Frankie Goes To Hollywood (Island 99653) 48 49 54 7
59 CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING
REO Speedwagon (Epic 04713) 52 33 19 18
60 LOVERGIRL
Teena Marie (Epic 04619) 54 38 21 22
61 BABY COME AND GET IT
Pointer Sisters (Planet 14041) 55 41 42 9
62 TOO LATE FOR GOODBYES
Julian Lennon (Atlantic 89589) 56 43 29 18
63 PRIVATE DANCER
Tina Turner (Capitol 5433) 57 53 27 18
64 WAKE UP (Next To You)
Graham Parker & Shot (Elektra 69654) 75 88 -- 3
65 WE CLOSE OUR EYES
Go West (Chrysalis 42850) 58 55 33 12
66 YOU GIVE GOOD LOVE
Whitney Houston (Arista 9274) 82 -- -- 2
67 OO-EE-DIDDLEY-BOP!
Peter Wolf (EMI America 8254) 68 75 84 4
68 THROUGH THE FIRE
Chaka Khan (Warner Bros. 29025) 69 76 85 4
69 ONLY LONELY
Bon Jovi (Mercury 880 736) 70 78 90 4
70 I WAS BORN TO LOVE YOU
Freddie Mercury (Columbia 04869) 72 80 88 4
71 DANGEROUS
Natalie Cole (Modern 99648) 80 87 -- 3
72 MATHEMATICS
Melissa Manchester (MCA 52575) 73 81 89 4
73 BLACK CARS
Gino Vannelli (HME 04889) 83 -- -- 2
74 WAYS TO BE WICKED
Lone Justice (Geffen 29023) 86 -- -- 2
75 HOLD ME
Menudo (RCA 14087) 84 -- -- 2
76 DAYS ARE NUMBERS (The Traveller)
Alan Parsons Project (Arista 9349) 77 85 -- 3
77 SAVE THE NIGHT FOR ME
Maureen Steele (Motown 1787) 85 -- -- 2
78 (Come On) SHOUT
Alex Brown (Mercury 880 694) 89 -- -- 2
79 SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
The Firm (Atlantic 89561) 87 -- -- 2
80 REGGAE ROCK ’N ROLL
B.E. Taylor Group (Epic 04862) 88 -- -- 2
81 MY TOOT TOOT
Jean Knight (Mirage 99643) 81 90 -- 3
82 MEETING IN THE LADIES ROOM
Klymaxx (Constellation 52545) 90 -- -- 2
83 SOMEBODY
Bryan Adams (A&M 2701) 59 56 34 16
84 SQUARE ROOMS
Al Corley (Mercury 822 241) -- -- -- 1
85 RADIOACTIVE
The Firm (Atlantic 89586) 60 58 39 14
86 LITTLE BY LITTLE
Robert Plant (Es Paranza 99644) -- -- -- 1
87 PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE
Depeche Mode (Sire 29221) -- -- -- 1
88 FIND A WAY
Amy Grant (A&M 2734) -- -- -- 1
89 THE HEAT IS ON
Glenn Frey (MCA 52512) 61 59 47 24
90 ALONE AGAIN
Dokken (Elektra 69650) -- -- -- 1
91 STEADY
Jules Shear (EMI America 8259) 62 62 68 6
92 CAN’T STOP
Rick James (Gordy 1776) 63 61 53 8
93 JUST ANOTHER NIGHT
Mick Jagger (Columbia 04743) 64 60 50 15
94 LONELY IN LOVE
Giuffria (MCA/Camel 52558) 66 63 58 8
95 THE BIRD
The Time (Warner Bros. 29094) 67 65 60 13
96 CARELESS WHISPER
Wham! featuring George Michael
(Columbia 04691) 74 66 61 22
97 TALK TO ME
Fiona (Atlantic 89572) 76 77 86 5
98 I’M THROUGH WITH LOVE
Eric Carmen (Geffen 29032) 79 79 87 4
99 RELAX
Frankie Goes To Hollywood (Island 99805) 91 68 64 25
100 MAGICAL
John Parr (Atlantic 89568) 92 69 69 6

 

That was a really strong chart for the 1980s. I remember every song, and I like them all. I almost voted for the Simple Minds song which was my absolute favorite back then and I still love, but One Night In Bangkok has grown a bit more on me.

 

I'll go with Black Cars by Gino Vannelli, from the Canadian chart...a great song and a minor hit here in the USA!

 

I picked "Smooth Operator" with the spoken word intro. This song crossed over various radio formats: Top 40 rock, adult pop and even non music formats such as news/talk when that format still played some music.

A few words about "Axel F": Crazy Frog did a remake of this song with the sound of, hmmm I'm not really sure, a squeaky axle? It sounds something like bing bing bing bing badum badum badum badum bing bing bing bing. The local Disney station KDIS 1110 AM is very strong at my house and when conditions are right, or I should say wrong, KDIS sometimes interferes with other AM stations I am listening to until I re-position the radio. A few months ago the Disney station was playing "Axel F" about every hour and even at a lower volume the interference would cut through everything. On the annoying scale of 1 to 10, Crazy Frog's "Axel F" is a 30. Crazy Frog's crazy version ruined for me Harold Faltermeyer's great hit.

 

85 RADIOACTIVE
The Firm (Atlantic 89586) 60 58 39 14
86 LITTLE BY LITTLE
Robert Plant (Es Paranza 99644) -- -- -- 1


Robert Plant and Jimmy Page back to back.

 

90 ALONE AGAIN
Dokken (Elektra 69650) -- -- -- 1


This song should have been much bigger than it was.

 

Hey, no fair!

I love "Black Cars", would've been my pick, easily.

 

"Smooth Operator" basically because it was so different from the rest of the stuff that was about at the time - very cool and jazzy.

 

The Murray Head track for me. I don't mind the Simple Minds track but it has not aged as well for me compared to classics on the New Gold Dream and Sparkle in The Rain LP's

 

Went with "Smooth Operator". Sade was so innovative and the whole album (Diamond Life) got tons of airplay in the apartment I rented with some college buddies during our senior year. The Simple Minds tune is a distant second.

 

This was a bittersweet time for me. In May, my younger brother was very sick; he would pass away on July 16, 1985, eight days before his 22nd birthday.

On New Year's Eve of 1985, heading into 1986, Philadelphia's "Hot Hits" radio station, WCAU-FM, was counting down its top 98 hits of the year. That night, as was my parents' tradition, we had a New Year's Eve party, and many of my late brother's friends -- who were also friends of my parents and many of my sisters -- were invited and welcomed. When #1 came on, just after the stroke of midnight, one of my brother's friends said, "That was (his) favorite song." It came as a complete surprise to me, because my brother had always been a hard rocker -- for example, growing up he loved "Helen Wheels" and "Junior's Farm," the heavy side of Paul McCartney. Or he had been sort of a country fan; he also loved truckin' songs such as the CB hits of the mid-1970s.

That song was "Crazy for You" by Madonna.

I had to choose it. It has meaning to me, too, but I'll never forget my brother's last favorite song.

It's one of two of the WABC Top Ten that are on my "Favorite Things" CD-R series. "Some Like It Hot" is the other -- I love this record; it made Robert Palmer relevant again. "One Night in Bangkok" will be on a future volume.

None of the others do much for me.

"Axel F" is neat to hear once in a while; parts of "We Are the World" are incredible (mostly the gospel-like call and response with Bruce, Dylan and Brother Ray in the last two minutes of the record), but other parts are lame.

The others -- "Don't You (Forget About Me)" is dreadfully overplayed and has aged badly; the same is true of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." The others are nice once in a while, but they don't rank higher than 6 or 7 out of 10 in my book.

 

Probably a reflection of the growing homogenization of CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio), the 10 songs in the top 10 on Billboard are exactly the same as on the WABC chart, except in a slightly different order.

1. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" -- Simple Minds
2. "Crazy for You" -- Madonna
3. "One Night in Bangkok" -- Murray Head
4. "Everything She Wants" -- Wham!
5. "Smooth Operator" -- Sade
6. "Some Like It Hot" -- The Power Station
7. "Rhythm of the Night" -- DeBarge
8. "We Are the World" -- USA for Africa
9. "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" -- Tears for Fears
10. "Axel F" -- Harold Faltermeyer

The next 10, for those who are wondering:

11. "Suddenly" -- Billy Ocean
12. "Obsession" -- Animotion
13. "Don't Come Around Here No More" -- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
14. "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" -- Don Henley
15. "Things Can Only Get Better" -- Howard Jones
16. "In My House" -- Mary Jane Girls
17. "Fresh" -- Kool and the Gang
18. "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" -- David Lee Roth
19. "New Attitude" -- Patti LaBelle
20. "Heaven" -- Bryan Adams

 

None of the above.

 

The top 20 on the Billboard Top LPs and Tapes (as it was called) the week ending May 18, 1985:

1. Phil Collins -- No Jacket Required
2. USA for Africa (various artists) -- We Are the World
3. Movie soundtrack -- Beverly Hills Cop
4. Bruce Springsteen -- Born in the U.S.A.
5. Prince and the Revolution -- Around the World in a Day
6. Sade -- Diamond Life
7. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- Southern Accents
8. Madonna -- Like a Virgin
9. Wham! -- Make It Big
10. John Fogerty -- Centerfield

11. Bryan Adams -- Reckless
12. Tears for Fears -- Songs from the Big Chair
13. The Power Station -- The Power Station
14. Commodores -- Nightshift
15. Tina Turner -- Private Dancer
16. David Lee Roth -- Crazy from the Heat
17. Movie soundtrack -- The Breakfast Club
18. REO Speedwagon -- Wheels Are Turnin'
19. The Pointer Sisters -- Break Out
20. Foreigner -- Agent Provocateur