CHART ATTACK! #44: 8/16/86
Hooray! CHART ATTACK! is back and this time, it’s personal. Won’t you join me in attacking yet another pop chart? This time, let’s take a look at August 16, 1986!
10. The Edge Of Heaven – Wham! Amazon iTunes
9. Take My Breath Away – Berlin Amazon iTunes
8. Rumors – Timex Social Club Amazon
7. Dancing On The Ceiling – Lionel Richie Amazon iTunes
6. Venus – Bananarama Amazon iTunes
5. We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off – Jermaine Stewart Amazon
4. Higher Love – Steve Winwood Amazon iTunes
3. Mad About You – Belinda Carlisle Amazon iTunes
2. Glory Of Love – Peter Cetera Amazon
1. Papa Don’t Preach – Madonna Amazon iTunes
10. The Edge of Heaven – Wham! (download)
We all know that I have an unexplainable, slightly embarrassing affection for most Wham! songs, right? Okay, good. Then I can just go right ahead and say that I love this song. I think it’s absolutely stupid, but extremely catchy and I love the horn section. Taken from their last album – The Final in the UK and Music From The Edge Of Heaven in the US – this song was promoted as the band’s "swan song", and featured yet another video proving that Andrew Ridgeley had little else to do other than pretend to play guitar. Plus, as it’s their "goodbye" message, there are tons of clips from previous videos, and a poignant "goodbye" message at the end. What? It’s not poignant? Well, I sure as hell thought so when I was 9. Either way, though, you gotta love George Michael in fringe.
[youtube]dy14ywPAnLQ[/youtube]
George has actually performed this song on his recent European tour, which shocks the hell out of me. Now all I need to hear is "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" live and I’ll be set.
9. Take My Breath Away – Berlin
Here’s what you may already know about "Take My Breath Away:"
– from the soundtrack to Debbie Does Top Gun
– huge hit (reached #1 for a week in September, ousted by Huey Lewis, that rat bastard)
– award winning (Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Song)
– officially the last we heard, or cared, about Berlin (the band, not the city)
But here’s what you may not know about "Take My Breath Away:" technically, it could be considered a cover. Soundtrack guru/Donna Summer svengali Giorgio Moroder, who wrote and produced the song, asked Martha Davis, lead singer of The Motels (discussed over at this week’s Chartburn, by the way) to sing on the demo. Davis wasn’t chosen to sing the "official" version, though, and the song remained unreleased until The Motels released it on their Anthologyland CD. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a digital version for you in time for this week’s Attack, but you can still hear it at the same place I first heard it – surprise, surprise – Coverville. (Are you still not listening to Coverville?) The demo, although recorded in a lower key, sounds eerily similar to the Berlin version, which goes to show how much influence Giorgio Moroder had on the production of the track.
Here’s what Martha had to say about it (courtesy of Pause and Play):
"It was one of two songs I heard where I said, ‘That is a hit’ (The other being The Police’s ‘Every Breath You Take’). You can say, ‘That sounds like a hit,’ but very seldom do you go ‘That song is a hit.’ Giorgio (Moroder) called me, ‘Martha, I have this song for this movie, can you come over and see me?’ I said sure. I sang it and he gave me a cassette of what I had done that day. That very cassette is the only remaining copy. No one has the actual reel-to-reel of it. (For ‘Anthologyland,’ they used the best technology to give it a rich sound.) Next thing I know, Teri Nunn had it and I was like, ‘C’est la vie.’ I’m a writer, and I’d much rather be known for something I had done. What if I had been known for doing ‘Take My Breath Away’? Would I have been overlooked for the other things that I do? So maybe it’s better that it happened that way."
That sounds exactly like what I would say if a huge hit like "Take My Breath Away" was taken away from me!
8. Rumors – Timex Social Club (download)
I take pride in boasting that I know the majority of songs that cracked the top 10 in the ’80s. However, I could not place this song for the life of me – and even when I heard it, I still had no recollection of ever hearing it. Clearly I’m alone on this one – even my wife scolded me for not remembering this song. (All night: "Are you sure you don’t know this song? How can you not know this song?") So download and let me know if you have any memories surrounding it. I did like the extreme overuse of the TR-808 cowbell (discussed in CHART ATTACK! #36). And how about some of these lyrics:
Hear the one about Tina, some say she’s much too loose
That came straight from a guy who claims he’s tastin’ her juice
Hear the one about Michael, some say he must be gay
I try to argue, but they said if he was straight he wouldn’t move that way
Hear the one about Susan, some say she’s just a tease
In a camisole she’s six feet tall, she’ll knock you to your knees
Charming. Please don’t make me write any more about Timex Social Club. Watch the video if you’d like – it’s a poor mix of live-action and cartoons. The section with the lyrics above is equally appealing.
[youtube]DRte0S2a_dA[/youtube]
7. Dancing On The Ceiling – Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie was on fire in 1986. "Dancing On The Ceiling" is a testament to his popularity. This song is really, really stupid. However, it’s Lionel, and it’s catchy, so it was a hit. Another song that was just perfect for MTV viewers, the video didn’t have any computer tricks: instead, it featured an expensive rotating set that gave the effect of, yes, dancing on the ceiling (and the walls). I vaguely remember seeing a documentary on MTV at the time of the video’s release, but doggone it, it’s not on YouTube. The Pop-Up Video (I love Pop-Up Video) version used to be on YouTube, but it’s been taken down. Among the facts I remember, though, are that it was the most expensive video since "Thriller" in 1984, and the director also directed Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling in 1951’s Royal Wedding. (!!!)
Take the time out to watch this video. It’s really a classic. The outfits, the hairdos, the choreography, the keytar, Lionel’s ‘stache, the inexplicable cameo by Cheech (and one other comedian, which I won’t spoil), and the fact that you’ll probably watch the video and still wonder, "how’d they do that?"
[youtube]5XxshEdcfAM[/youtube]
6. Venus – Bananarama
Another cover on the charts! Actually, 1986 was the third time that "Venus" topped the charts.You may know the original version by Shocking Blue hit #1 in February of 1970, and portions of the song were included in Stars on 45’s "Medley," which hit #1 in June 1981. Okay, maybe that last one is stretching it a bit, but what the hell, let’s include it: that way, we can say it’s the only song to hit #1 three times, ever!
5. We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off – Jermaine Stewart
I guess, for the purposes of pop culture, we’ll consider Jermaine Stewart a one-hit wonder, although I’m sure one of you will point out that he did have a Top 30 in ’88. Stewart was a dancer on Soul Train and American Bandstand, and also a popular session musician. His backing vocals are all over Culture Club’s Colour By Numbers, and the band was party responsible for Stewart getting a contract with Arista Records. Another interesting fact: he released a song called "Jody," a tribute to Jody Watley (who was still in Shalamar at the time). However, this was his big hit, peaking here at #5 this week. Apparently, this song was a hit because it was in support of some sexual moderation at a time when AIDS was finally national news. Stewart unfortunately died in 1997 of liver cancer, brought on by, um, AIDS.
Honestly, I had no idea that a guy was singing this song until a few years ago. Growing up, I was convinced it was a woman. I don’t know if it’s because Stewart sounded feminine, or because even at the age of 9, I couldn’t conceive the thought of a guy making this kind of plea to a woman.
Here’s the video, which sadly edits out the really awkward spoken breakdown: "Yes, I want your body. But we don’t have to rrrrush the afaihhhhr. So you said you wanna taste my wine? Heheheheh…not yet." I try to never write things like this, but this sounds totally gay.
[youtube]ID_N7rv-iN8[/youtube]
Mike and I are in rehearsals for our next Acoustic ’80s gig (tentatively set for September 8th if you’re in town). I usually don’t spoil our song choices, but I’ll tell you that we’ve figured this one out on guitar and are debating who’s going to sing it. We both do a pretty good job. (I have to lower the song a key, though.)
4. Higher Love – Steve Winwood
Embarrassing Jason Hare story: in fifth grade, our teacher decided we were going to put on a show for the school, featuring kids in the class singing, dancing, etc. (If I remember correctly, I played a few songs on piano and bored an entire auditorium to tears.) There was only one "group" number, and it involved the entire class doing a choreographed dance to "Higher Love." Why "Higher Love?" No clue. Why was I placed FRONT and CENTER? Well, because I was the best dancer, dammit. It actually wasn’t even dancing. It was very easy moves back and forth, some turns, and I’ve psychologically blocked the rest out. My face is turning red. I have to talk about something else. "Higher Love" was yet another collaboration between Winwood and Will Jennings, who had been successfully collaborating for a number of years (we covered their collaboration a bit in CHART ATTACK! #28), and although it performed admirably (#1 hit, won Grammy Awards for both Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and Record of the Year), it actually wasn’t Winwood’s biggest hit – I was surprised to find out that "Roll With It" actually did just a bit better on the charts. Still, it remained in the Top 10 for six weeks, and featured some great backing vocals by Chaka Khan. (Chaka Khan. Chaka Khan Chaka Khan.)
3. Mad About You – Belinda Carlisle
And here we have the song that introduced Belinda Carlisle, the solo artist. "Mad About You" was Carlisle’s first post-Go-Go’s single, and peaked this week here at #3. Of Belinda’s Top 20 singles, I think "Mad About You" is probably the least earworm-y of the bunch. Also, I think I may have mentioned this before, but Belinda Carlisle is ridiculously hot, and therefore I will forgive her for just about anything. Even the stuff co-written by Diane Warren.
Here’s the video! The object of her affection in the video is Morgan Mason, who became her husband. Also, look for a cameo from Andy Taylor from Duran Duran. It’s not as exciting as Cheech, but we’ll take it.
[youtube]KXj0QcSDVRE[/youtube]
2. Glory of Love – Peter Cetera
In Chartburn this week, I defend Phil Collins’ "You’ll Be In My Heart." I knew I’d be in the minority (only Robert agreed with me), but I was comfortable standing up for the song. My point, although somewhat convoluted, is that I can’t imagine anybody standing up for "Glory Of Love." If you want to defend it, by all means, do so in the comments. But this song doesn’t just suck. It suuuuuuuuuucks. Plus, it’s an earworm. So take the suckiness, add the earworm, and cap it off with the fact that Mike and I were forced (forced!) to sing it in middle-school chorus, and you can see why I hate it so much, right?
And the video! Oh, the video. The problem with…wait a minute. Who’s that? Could it be…?
Yes! It’s CAPTAIN VIDEO! And he’s performed his bravest, noblest task of all – he’s watched extreme close-ups of Peter Cetera. Bless you, CAPTAIN VIDEO!, for all that you have done in the name of snark. Read on, my friends.
1. Papa Don’t Preach – Madonna
Madonna goes political, y’all. And she doesn’t care what Danny Aiello says. She’s made up her mind: she’s keeping her baby. Uhnnh. She’s gonna keep her baby. Oooh! Ohhh! Although Madonna refused to take a stance on the issue of abortion, the song clearly put forth a strong opinion, and marks the last time she was ever commended by Catholics. Also, here’s a bone-chilling thought: Dave Marsh, in his review of the song, called the opening cellos "Beatlesque."
Take a look at the dramatic video! And keep in mind, Danny Aiello was really an unknown at this point in his career. You’re welcome, Danny!
[youtube]TgnmHbPR3ps[/youtube]
And thus concludes this week’s CHART ATTACK! See you next Friday!
August 17th, 2007 at 10:35 am
I can honestly say I’ve never heard that Timex Social club song either. I’d say I’m about the same age as you (born in ’76) so perhaps they just weren’t playing this on the type of radio stations we would have been listening to.
As for Lionel, I believe the making of the “Dancing on the Ceiling” video is on his greatest hits dvd. Don’t know if i should admit to owning that one. I suppose I could post it on you tube if i find the time.
August 17th, 2007 at 10:40 am
It’s all right, George. I’ll probably just buy it!
August 17th, 2007 at 10:42 am
George… born in ’78. I heard this song more times than I can count… I even know the words! I recognized the song from *reading* the lyrics, not even hearing the song. I can’t believe you people.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:12 am
"Huey Lewis, that rat bastard"… Hey, now. Let’s not offend the rat bastards in the audience. How can you not have heard "Rumors"? I’m with J: I can’t believe you don’t know that song.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:28 am
A friend of mine who was a program director of a radio station in Miami in the 80s says they used to always sing "we just have to take our clothes off…" instead.
I just saw Justin Timberlake at MSG on Wednesday, and he and two members of his band were all briefly playing keytars at one point. The show (and his performance) was incredible enough I was able to overlook how dorky the instrument (still) is.
And not that I’m trying to defend "Glory of Love" as a song – because I’m not – but I do feel that it should be pointed out that it was the main love theme from "The Karate Kid 2". Plus, Cetera was known for ballads anyway.
August 17th, 2007 at 11:35 am
You forgot to mention the oft-mentioned wardrobe malfunction in the "Papa Don’t Preach" video. (Yes, if you freeze frame while she’s dancing, you can actually see it). Aiello actually put together an excruciatingly bad response video with a Madonna lookalike seen only from the bike. "Papa Just Wants the Best For You" is the title. Don’t know if it’s on Youtube or not.
August 17th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
I’m not a big Warren Zevon or anything but he turned in a fine performance of "Back In The High Life" on his last album. It’s kind of like what Johnny Cash did for his Rick Rubin albums. That said, "Higher Love" always got on my nerves!
August 17th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
I will admit that as soon as I saw the chart my heart fluttered with the anticipation that you’ve shared the Timex Social Club track (Despite the torture that was leveled at me with that song, what with the line "Hear the one about Michael, some say he must be gay" ). You made my day sir! Thank you kindly!
August 17th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
I hate to be predictable, but I’ll defend "Glory of Love." To me, it’s kinda like E. Iglesias’ "Hero" from about 5 or 6 yrs ago. It’s so over-the-top in its attempt to cater to the Emo female, it needs some credit. Do I personally feel comforted by the song? No, of course not. Is the world a better place with it around? Sure! That’s why it gets my vote. Iglesias, you too.
August 17th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
[…] Jason Hare attacks the charts for the week of August 16, 1986. addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fjefitoblog.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D1362’; addthis_title = […]
August 17th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Defending Peter Cetera with Enrique Iglesias is like defending Charles Manson with John Wayne Gacy. Do you think Sufjan Stevens will ever write a tender ballad about Charles Manson? I don’t know Timex Social Club, and that’s a good thing. The song bites hog choad. And finally, I too suffered stiffly at the sight of Belinda Carlisle, but this’ll take the starch out of your collar: her first musical foray was as drummer for The Germs, because she was dating Pat Smear (at least that’s what the Rhino Records liner notes say). DwD
August 17th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
And if you look not-too-closely, you can see Charlotte Caffey (sp?) formerly of the Go-Go’s in that video as well.
August 17th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
I love your Chart Attack columns.
I was born in ’76 and I OWNED the 45 single for "Rumors" (still do). I thought it was great, for some ungodly reason. At the time I had absolutely no idea what "tastin’ her juice" meant. I was so innocent, I really thought he meant, like, some Minute Maid. But I bet my mom was pretty worried.
August 17th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
I remember the Timex Social Club became the Social Club, because Timex the watch company said ..no, no ,no . Also being almost a decade older than you cats, I was more interested with Susan the tease in the camisole who’s 6 Feet tall( Love them tall) knocking me to my knees. I however never understood the "Juice" part..Teenagers in the 80’s were much less advanced than you grunge lovin’ nintendo playing, flannel wearing Teens of the 90’s.
Wham!! Forgot about this one..Geezz.What the hell did Mr Ridgley do??? He did have cool Gretsch in the Wake me Up Before You GoGo video…He also is married to one of the broads in Bannannaramalama ding Dong.
Venus Stunk up the joint.
Cetera’s tune was ..geez that whole summer of 86…Take that song and mix it with the other Chicago tune…"Your the Meaning in My Life, Your my inspiration" same tune..cant tell them apart. Cetera recovered well from his 70’s look and had a great 80’s hair..and those teeth.
This whole chart reminds me of trying to score all summer…..and dammit I never scored..I’m never going to score..ahhhh…settle down Beavis
August 17th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
Wow, the Timex Social Club. The leader of that group, Jay King, went on to form Club Noveau, which — in 1986-87 — had four consecutive hits: “Jealousy,” “Situation #9,” a cover of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me,” and “Why You Treat Me So Bad.” God, that cover of “Lean on Me” was all over my third grade school bus experience.
Didn’t Jefito write something about Ridgley’s “Son of Albert” solo album? I thought Hugh Grant did a great job “playing Ridgely” in “Music & Lyrics”.
And no one rocked the keytar like Jan Hammer. No one.
August 18th, 2007 at 3:38 am
Speaking of much beloved and dead VH1 shows, I recall an episode of The List where the panelists had to name, like, the hottest female singers. Patton Oswalt gushed about Belinda Carlisle, but restricted it to "when she was still kinda chubby." Tom Sizemore was unfamiliar with the name, so Patton says, "She was in the Go-Go’s." Tom replies, "Oh, I LOVE the Go-Go’s!"
Lord/Lionel knows why I remember these things.
August 18th, 2007 at 9:52 am
One time — I’d guess it was sometime in 1986 — I was given the task of renting a video for our family to watch after dinner. My mom gave me two dollars and I rode to the video store with our neighbors. I immediately grabbed the VHS copy of the The Making of Dancing on the Ceiling. I loved that video, plus it was only a dollar due to it only being, like, 45 minutes or something.I was never allowed to pick out a movie again.
August 18th, 2007 at 11:20 am
More Acoustic 80s on Sept 8th!! I am SO there & bringing friends! Yay to Jason and Mike for more Acoustic 80s!!!!
August 18th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Hey, I knew Danny Aiello then! (Not personally, but …)
August 19th, 2007 at 2:03 pm
“Huey Lewis, that rat bastard …” Hey, Jason, have you ever read the article about Huey’s adoring fan base of developmentally disabled kids? (I’ll never pass up any opportunity to mention this from now on.)
Great Attack! I loved the summer of ’86. “The Edge of Heaven” is one of Wham!’s better songs, but I never noticed the lyrics about getting it on in a movie theater until a few years ago. I now think the idea of a farewell video is kind of pretentious, but I’ve always been a sucker for songs like “The Long and Winding Road” and series finales of TV shows, e.g. the only episode I saw of “Frasier” was the last one.
“That sounds exactly like what I would say if a huge hit like ‘Take My Breath Away’ was taken away from me!” Yeah, I don’t quite buy Davis’s statement either, but I probably would’ve said something similar in the same situation. Only I would’ve sounded whinier. (By the by, Berlin’s episode of “Bands Reunited” was pretty poignant, I thought.)
I do remember “Rumors” being on the Top 40 station in Macon, but I don’t remember the video at all. My brother still has the song on a taped-from-the-radio cassette somewhere.
Stanley Donen directed “Dancing on the Ceiling”? I’d forgotten that. I think the last movie he directed was 1983’s “Blame It on Rio,” which is awful but contains great gratuitous ’80s nudity in addition to Michael Caine’s vintage windshield-size eyeglasses. A few months after “Dancing in the Ceiling” debuted, Donen was credited with choreographing a long dance sequence in an episode of “Moonlighting” that was set to Billy Joel’s “Big Man on Mulberry Street.” Great episode, great sequence, great song, great television that stands the test of time. (Joe, I loved your story about the video-store selection you made. You’re not alone.)
I think Bananarama’s “Venus” is better than the Shocking Blue version.
I’ve never heard the spoken breakdown in “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off.” I must find this version of the song now!
I may be repeating myself, but two years ago I was in a sketch-comedy show in which a silent scene about a girl’s “walk of shame” after a one-night stand was originally set to Savage Garden’s “I Want You”; the director is a huge fan of that group. Thankfully he decided to use “Higher Love” in place of “I Want You” a week or so before the show went up.
Belinda Carlisle started out as much more of a punk than she eventually became. It’s not like she’s the only one, and it’s not the female equivalent of Johnny Rotten turning to Peter Cetera-style ballads later in his career, but she did stray pretty far from her roots, it seems.
I won’t defend “Glory of Love,” but I do enjoy trying to imitate Cetera when singing the bridge. “Like a knight in shining ah-mor from a long time a-GO / Take you to my castle far awaaaaaay …” Cue guitar solo. Or whatever. It does bug me that you and Mike got to sing pop songs in middle-school chorus while I was stuck singing crap from “The Music Man” and “The Sound of Music.” No fair.
Rob, you must find that Danny Aiello “answer” video for us. That sounds amazing. I’ll admit I had no clue who Aiello was when this video was on MTV all the time.
August 19th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
Couldn’t find the Danny Aiello video on YouTube. And there is very little mention of it anywhere on the Internet. The only reason I know about it is that I used to work for U-68, NYC’s broadcast music video channel in the 80s. And it was one of the woeful submissions we received. Not sure if it ever made it on the air.
August 20th, 2007 at 12:18 am
Any guesses as to why Aiello made it? To further his career? Or is he a devoted Catholic who felt “Papa Don’t Preach” didn’t tell the whole story? I hope he submitted it to Norman Jewison and Spike Lee as part of his audition reel for “Moonstruck” and “Do the Right Thing.”
August 20th, 2007 at 8:22 am
Belinda C, Bananarama and Altered Images played their 80’s repitoure in the park next door to my flat last Saturday night. I sat outside on our little patio to listen with my biography of Jimi Hendrix and a nice warm rug, cup of tea and couldn’t help but think back to the days when I would have killed to see any band play live – no one ever came to my home village. Now I just wish Jimi was playing and not belinda. Never satisfied.
August 22nd, 2007 at 9:11 am
Anyone else notice that Edge of Heaven is in mono, bar one or two overdubs? always thought it was a bit strange to do that in1986, still Edwin Collins pulled the same trick 10 years later with A girl like you
May 18th, 2011 at 10:40 am
Yes, I’ve noticed a few times and having just listened to it on my iPod searched on the internet to see if anyone else had noticed. It’s an awesome track but could have had so much more life if it were in stereo.
December 1st, 2007 at 1:37 am
Well it’s been 3 1/2 months since this CHART ATTACK!, but I guess I’ll take the bait and be the one to mention Jermaine Stewart’s other Top 30 hit (“Say It Again”, this tune actually has a nice funky groove to it; got a bit of airplay in Chicago back in the day).
There. Aren’t you glad?
December 1st, 2007 at 9:41 am
Ray, you are the King of reviving old CHART ATTACKS! I’m tremendously glad whenever you post a comment.