The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTES TABULATED)

Re: The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTING IS OPEN)

I was 11 years old, a great time to be a kid. Absolutely no shame in listening to the radio. Not old enough to be all cool and smug about your music. Loved it.

I have vivid memories of a 10-hour trip to the Everglades with a walkman and many of these same songs on the baddest-assed mixed tape in the history of bad-ass mix tapes. I also remember that "thiiis is whaaaat it soouuuundds liiiiiike when doooooooves cryyyyy errrrrrrggggggg" when your batteries are dying.

A mixture of fith- and sixth-grade and family memories.


1. When Doves Cry, Prince (second week in chart) - Bro was a hugh Prince fan. Knew the album backwards and forwards. Genius (no sarcasm). I also own a copy of LoveSexy. Shut up.

2. Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper. (Gorgeous song. I used to do a bad-ass Elmer Fudd version.)
3. Sister Christian, Night Ranger (I am motoring.)
4. The Reflex, Duran Duran
5. Dancing In The Dark, Bruce Springsteen
6. Footloose, Kenny Loggins (20th week in chart)
7. Oh Sherrie, Steve Perry
8. Eyes Without A Face, Billy Idol
9. Let’s Hear It For The Boy, Deniece Williams
10. Borderline, Madonna
11. Head Over Heels, Go-Go's
12. Hold Me Now, Thompson Twins
13. Doctor! Doctor!, Thompson Twins
14. Dancing In The Sheets, Shalamar
15. Dance Hall Days, Wang Chung
16. No More Words, Berlin
17. The Longest Time, Billy Joel
18. Legs, ZZ Top
19. I'll Wait, Van Halen
20. Stay The Night, Chicago

 

Re: The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTING IS OPEN)

The point is reassessing the charts. It's not perfect, but it's just harmless fun.

 

Re: The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTING IS OPEN)

The UK top hits of May 1984

The Top 40 has been broadcast every week on Radio 1 since 1967. In 1984 the Radio 1 Chart Show was a two-hour programme from 5-7pm on a Sunday, presented by Simon Bates. Here are the hits from May 1984:

1 Duran Duran The Reflex
2 The Pointer Sisters Automatic
3 Phil Collins Against All Odds (Take a look at Me Now)
4 Queen I Want To Break Free
5 Deniece Williams Let's Hear It for the Boy
6 Bob Marley & The Wailers One Love / People Get Ready
7 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Locomotion
8 Wham! Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
9 Kenny Loggins Footloose
10 The Flying Pickets When You're Young and in Love
11 Blancmange Don't Tell Me
12 Lionel Richie Hello
13 The Human League The Lebanon
14 Nik Kershaw Dancing Girls
15 Belle & The Devotions Love Games
16 Jocelyn Brown Somebody Else's Guy
17 Break Machine Break Dance Party
18 The Bluebells I'm Falling
19 Hazel Dean Searchin' (I Gotta Find a Man)
20 Ultravox Dancing With Tears in My Eyes
21 Alvin Stardust I Feel Like Buddy Holly
22 The SOS Band Just Be Good to Me
23 Frankie Goes to Hollywood Relax
24 Kool & The Gang When You Say You Love Somebody (In the Heart)
25 Jeffrey Osborne Stay With Me Tonight
26 Womack & Womack Love Wars
27 Terri Wells I'll Be Around
28 Rufus & Chaka Khan Ain't Nobody
29 The Style Council Groovin' (You're the Best Thing/Big Boss Groove)
30 Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson To All The Girls I've Loved Before
31 Evelyn Thomas High Energy
32 The Thompson Twins You Take Me Up
33 Billy Joel The Longest Time
34 Marillion Assassin
35 Shakin' Stevens A Love Worth Waiting For
36 New Order Thieves Like Us
37 Captain Sensible Glad It's All Over/ Damned on 45
38 Status Quo Going Down Town Tonight
39 Everything But The Girl Each and Every One
40 Roland Rat Superstar Love Me Tender

 

Re: The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTING IS OPEN)

Honestly, I hadn't heard/didn't remember "No More Words" before checking it out on YouTube ... really good tune.

 

Re: The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTING IS OPEN)

Trust me, it was played to death in the 1980s.

 

Re: The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTING IS OPEN)

1. Dancing in the Dark - Bruce Springsteen (20 points)
2. Run Runaway - Slade
3. Holding Out for a Hero - Bonnie Tyler (if I had to pick a favorite from the Footloose soundtrack this would be it)
4. The Longest Time - Billy Joel
5. Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry
6. Almost Paradise - Mike Reno & Ann Wilson
7. Sister Christian - Night Ranger
8. Heart of Rock & Roll - Huey Lewis and the News
9. Legs - ZZ Top
10. Head Over Heels - Go Gos
11. Magic - The Cars
12. When Doves Cry - Prince
13. Footloose - Kenny Loggins
14. Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
15. Sunglasses at Night - Corey Hart
16. Rock You Like a Hurricane - Scorpions
17. Borderline - Madonna
18. The Reflex - Duran Duran
19. Self Control - Laura Brannigan
20. Against All Odds - Phil Collins

Worst song: Let's Hear It For The Boy, Deniece Williams

 

Re: The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTING IS OPEN)

When's the deadline?

I want to do my list, but I need a nap right now.

 

Re: The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTING IS OPEN)

A lot of that sounds familiar. Quoted so that it still exists when you nuke for the 90,210th time.

The "Purple Rain" soundtrack is among my top five albums of all-time, yet "When Doves Cry" didn't even make my top 20. Part of that is b/c the song was way overplayed and is probably my least favorite song on the album, but also b/c it reminds me of the late summer, for some reason, and not the late spring.

 

Re: The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTING IS OPEN)

"Turn Me Loose" was actually their debut, was a better song and a bigger hit - No. 35 stateside.

 

Re: The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTING IS OPEN)

1. The Reflex, Duran Duran (the remix for the single was quite simply their finest hour)

2. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now), Phil Collins (just a brilliant, brilliant pop song)

3. Dancing In The Dark, Bruce Springsteen (Dave Marsh loves it and so do I - especially the "heeeey, baby!" just before the sax that takes the record to its fade-out - but the lyrics have always resonated with me too)

4. Sunglasses At Night, Corey Hart (it sparked the creation of a legend in Canada that still exists even though he hasn't had a hit record in 20 years)

5. Self Control, Laura Branigan (a very understated record that, as with everything she did, kinda got lost because it wasn't quite the massive hit that "Gloria" had been)

6. Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper (she could not have chosen a better song to follow up "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" - it was irrefutable proof that here was no silly bubblehead)

7. What Is Love, Howard Jones (a very catchy pop song with a great synth sound)

8. Hold Me Now, Thompson Twins (I honestly can't say what I like so much about this record or its predecessor - they just have a sound that I like)

9. Borderline, Madonna (just catchy pop, nothing overly special but it does stick with you)

10. Who's That Girl?, Eurythmics (a bit of a departure for them, and I always thought it worked)

11. Eyes Without A Face, Billy Idol (a huge departure for him, and I always thought it worked)

12. Head Over Heels, Go-Go's (a good single but for me it doesn't quite measure up to some of their other stuff, notably "Our Lips Are Sealed," the greatest record they ever put out)

13. Jump (For My Love), Pointer Sisters (it's no "Neutron Dance," but it's a good record)

14. The Longest Time, Billy Joel (a very strange record, to be honest, but it sticks in your mind and not in a bad way, so it's Top 15)

15. Footloose, Kenny Loggins (you can't ignore or deny its presence or its quality, much as I would sometimes like to)

16. Rock You Like A Hurricane, Scorpions (ditto)

17. Doctor! Doctor!, Thompson Twins (I have to include it because of its similiarity to "Hold Me Now," but I'll give it the lower of the two rankings)

18. When Doves Cry, Prince (a great song, but it drags on too long, I've always thought - Prince's biggest problem has always been his inability to edit and refine his own work)

19. Oh Sherrie, Steve Perry (as others have said, the best Journey song never released by Journey, although it barely beats out "When I See You Smile" for that title)

20. Dance Hall Days, Wang Chung (an unusual but catchy pop song, and it stands out for me because it's so unlike the later and much bigger "Everybody Have Fun Tonight")

Worst Song - To All The Girls I've Loved Before, Julio Iglesias & Willie Nelson (simply fucking awful - it actually went to No. 1 on the Billboard country chart, I'm ashamed to say)

 

Re: The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTING IS OPEN)

No way I could pass this up. I was just about the start my senior year in high school in the summer of '84.

1. Joe Jackson, "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)" (Couldn't let Huggy down here. I'm a huge Joe Jackson fan, but I'll be honest, I had no idea this song got anywhere near the charts.)

2. Icicle Works, "Whisper To A Scream (Birds Fly)" (Great song, had the album, don't remember a single other song from it)

3. Style Council, "My Ever Changing Moods" (HATED it at the time. I was a huge Jam fan, and it pissed me off to no end that Paul Weller broke up the band for THIS. Now I really like, and actually prefer the later Jam/early Style Council period to the early, punkier Jam classics.)

4. GoGos, "Head Over Heels" (I've always thought their second album was really underrated. They never seem to come up in the annual debates here, but.. Hall of Fame? You could make the case for being groundbreakers as an all-girl rock band. It would be easier to make the case if there weren't so few to come along since then.)

5. Prince, "When Doves Cry" (Not even close to his best, though.)

6. Howard Jones, "What is Love?" (He was surprising good live. I saw him open for Joe Jackson, that summer, then again headlining a club. His live show got pretty embarrassing, though, when he added the freakin' mime.)

7. The Cars, "Magic" (Sentimental pick here - bought this cassette somewhere in Colorado, as I was on a trip to look at colleges with my parents and we were tired of the tapes we had with us. It was one of the few things my mom and I both liked and it was OK with my dad.)

8. Slade, "Run Runaway" (As close to Spinal Tap as you're ever going to get.)

9. Psychedelic Furs, "The Ghost in You" (Again, far from their best, but a pretty decent song.)

10. Thompson Twins, "Hold Me Now" (Saw The Police in '85 at Hollywood Park and the Thompson Twins were on the bill. I was never a big fan, but they were much better than the Police that night)

11. Berlin, "No More Words" (Also on the bill with the Police, and also better live. Alas, the third opening act was The Fixx, and they were godawful.)

12. Madonna, "Borderline" (A reminder that she wasn't always pathetic. She was actually cute then, particularly in this video. This may be the last Madonna song I liked.)

13. Phil Collins, "Against All Odds" (May be the only Phil Collins song I can stomach.)

14. Wang Chung, "Dance Hall Days" (Decent song. Their best work, though, was the fantastic soundtrack to "To Live and Die in LA.")

15. Van Halen, "I'll Wait" (What was this, like the eighth single from "1984"?)

16. Bruce Springsteen, "Dancing in the Dark" (Much as people like to trash it, it's really not that bad.)

17. Rod Stewart, "Infatuation" (One of the better ones from his embarrassing period.)

18. ZZ Top, "Legs" (Strictly for the video. The shoe store clerk who gets the makeover is gorgeous. And I didn't know until I just Googled her that she was one of the bimbos from "The Real Housewives of Orange County.")

19. The Scorpions, "Rock You Like a Hurricane" (Hated heavy metal back then... and still kind of liked this.)

20. Night Ranger, "Sister Christian" (In a purely ironic, I-think-it's-so-awful-that-I-almost-like-it kind of way. Sorry, Beej.)


Worst: There are a number of songs on the list that I loathe, starting with "Oh Sherrie," which is just horrid. Still, I'll have to vote for "The Reflex" by Duran Duran, which is stupid even by Duran Duran standards.

The reflex is an only child, he's waiting in the park
The reflex is in charge of finding treasure in the dark
And watching over lucky clover isn't that bizarre
Every little thing the reflex does leaves you answered with a question mark

 

Re: The Top 40 "Re-Poll" ... June 9, 1984 (VOTING IS OPEN)

Love me some Prince, especially Purple Rain.

1. When Doves Cry, Prince
2. The Reflex, Duran Duran
3. Sister Christian, Night Ranger
4. What's Love Got To Do With It, Tina Turner
5. Borderline, Madonna
6. Rock You Like A Hurricane, Scorpions
7. Hold Me Now, Thompson Twins
8. Footloose, Kenny Loggins (20th week in chart)
9. Sunglasses At Night, Corey Hart
10. The Heart Of Rock & Roll, Huey Lewis & The News
11. Hello, Lionel Richie
12. Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper
13. Eyes Without A Face, Billy Idol
14. I Can Dream About You, Dan Hartman
15. Let's Hear It For The Boy, Deniece Williams
16. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now), Phil Collins
17. Legs, ZZ Top
18. Jump (For My Love), Pointer Sisters
19. Infatuation, Rod Stewart
20. Holding Out For A Hero, Bonnie Tyler