It's True We'll Make A Better Day...

I was listening to an all-80s music station, and was surprised to hear "We Are The World" by USA for Africa.  Because this tune doesn't get a lot of love as an 80s anthem, it's easy to forget how phenomenally huge this song was at the time.

Has this much chart success ever been gathered in one room before or since?

In case you weren't alive in 1985 (or simply don't remember), USA for Africa was a gathering of 40 or so of the top pop music performers of the day, with the goal of raising money to aid famine-stricken countries in Africa.  As their name suggests, USA for Africa was primarily American; only Dan Aykroyd (Canadian) and Bob Geldof (Irish) were not from the US.  Geldof, or course, was the mastermind behind Band Aid, a group of British music stars who recorded "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1983 to raise money for Africa.

Within a few short weeks of entering the US charts in March of 1985, "We Are The World" would take over the top spot and stay there for 4 weeks.  And while that in itself is an impressive feat, it still doesn't do the song proper justice.

Of the 230 or so songs that would hit #1 during the 1980s, performers who were part of USA for Africa were responsible for about 40 of them!  Michael Jackson (9), Daryl Hall & John Oates (5), Lionel Richie (5), Billy Joel (3), Stevie Wonder (3) and Huey Lewis & The News (3) accounted for the majority of them, with other artists like Kim Carnes, Diana Ross, Kenny Loggins, Kenny Rogers, Cyndi Lauper, and Bette Midler also hitting #1 during the decade.

The New Kids Are Just Growing Up So Fast...

A hearty "Happy Birthday!" goes out to the youngest New Kid On The Block, Joey McIntyre (he goes by 'Joe' nowadays).  I was tempted to call him a 'former' New Kid On The Block, but I say once a New Kid, always a New Kid...

Joey's the cute one in the Twins jersey and hat.

Anyhow, cute little Joey is 39 today, and who can believe it's been over 20 years since the New Kids were the raddest thing on radio?  It seems like just yesterday (22 years ago, in 1989) when the New Kids were in the midst of their chart dominance -- 'Cover Girl' had peaked at #2 just a few weeks earlier, and the Christmas (dare I say) anthem 'This One's For The Children' was in the Top 10.  How many of you got a Top 10 hit for your 17th birthday?

Since then, the New Kids have changed their name to NKOTB, and the individual members have gone on to more grown-up things.  But don't let the initials fool you, or the solo albums, or the fancy acting careers.  Keep hangin' tough, New Kids On The Block.

Richard Marx: Is It an Af-Let? Or A Mul-Fro?

I'll admit I'm not a big fan of Richard Marx's music.  Or his hair.  But for two solid years beginning in the summer of 1987, both Marx's music and his hair dominated the American music charts like few other artists ever had.

That is *some* hairdo.  Oh my.

By 1987, Marx had already established himself as a decent songwriter and backup vocalist, working with a number of popular artists such as Kenny Rogers, Luther Vandross and Lionel Richie.  He would embark on his own recording career in 1987, releasing his self-titled debut album and first single, "Don't Mean Nothing" that spring.  "Don't Mean Nothing" and its follow-up, "Should've Know Better" would peak at #3 on the charts in 1987.

"Endless Summer Nights" would do one better, peaking at #2 in 1988.  Marx's next three singles, "Hold On To The Nights", "Right Here Waiting" and "Satisfied" would each top the chart over the next 14 months, and "Angelia" would peak at #4 in late 1989.  All told, Marx would place his first 7 singles in the Top 5.  In spite of his hair.

If At First You Don't Succeed...

What do UB40's "Red Red Wine" and Sheriff's "When I'm With You" have in common?  Well, each record would spend a week atop the Billboard Hot 100 during the late 80s.  "Red Red Wine" would reach the top spot in October of 1988, while Sheriff would hit #1 in February of 1989.  But that's not where the similarities end.

The band was a hit in '89, but these fashions are so '83...

Both songs had been released as singles earlier in the decade, with neither enjoying great success.  Sheriff would debut "When I'm With You" in May of 1983, enjoying 3 weeks on the chart and peaking at #61.  UB40 would ride "Red Red Wine" to #34 in early 1984 (though, to be fair, UB40 did take the song to #1 in Great Britain.

I got high-fived by Astro (middle, with dreads).  Enough said.

Later in the decade, however, both songs were resurrected by DJs in different cities.  An Atlanta dance club DJ began playing "Red Red Wine" in 1988, prompting A&M Records to re-release the song later that summer.  Later that fall, a Las Vegas DJ gave "When I'm With You" new life, and Capitol Records re-released the record.

Sadly, that's where the similarities end.  By the time Sheriff reached the top spot on the charts, the band had been broken up for several years.  UB40, however, was just getting started; they would enjoy several hits throughout the late 80s and early 1990s.

* To be filed in "Brushes With Fame" category:  Sitting in the second row at a 1990 UB40 concert, I was high-fived by Astro during a song.  It has been referred to as "Astro-skin" ever since, and was the highlight of my life up to that point.

And The Band Played On...

The Pretenders' debut album, with Farndon (far left) and Honeyman-Scott (far right)

Many a band has found success after firing one of its members.  80s bands such as Van Halen (who fired David Lee Roth) and Survivor (who fired "Eye of the Tiger" vocalist Dave Bickler) went on to continued success after the firing.  Likewise, many successful bands have had members die, and continued to find success afterward.  80s bands such as Metallica (original bassist Cliff Burton) and Red Hot Chili Peppers (original guitarist Hillel Slovak) became even bigger after the deaths.

The Pretenders fit into both of these categories, and the two events happened in the same week!  After appearing on the scene in 1978, the Pretenders found success on both sides of the ocean with their first two albums, Pretenders and Pretenders II.  Original bassist Pete Farndon was working on forming a band of his own outside the Pretenders, and was fired from the group on June 14, 1982.  Two days later, on June 16, 1982, original guitarist James Honeyman-Scott died of a cocaine overdose.  The once successful 4-piece band was now reduced to a duo.

Learning To Crawl album, with original members Chambers (far left) and Hynde (2nd from left)

In late 1982, remaining members Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers would record a single with fill-in bass and guitar players:  "Back On The Chain Gang" would go on to be the band's biggest hit, peaking at #5 in the US in 1983.  Permanent bass and guitar players would be added to the band to record the subsequent album Learning To Crawl.  The band, still with founding members Hynde and Chambers, continues to record and play today.

As a sad footnote, Pete Farndon, fired from the band on June 14, 1982, would die of a heroin overdose less than a year later on April 14, 1983.  "Back On The Chain Gang" had just finished its run in the US Top 10 when Farndon died.

Rockin' The Headband!

The headband has long been an important piece of many a rock-and-roll wardrobe.  And while there were certainly plenty of 80s artists who sported a 'band around their noggin every once in a while, none are more closely associated with the headband than Mark Knopfler and Mike Reno.

You're balding, Mark.  The headband doesn't hide that.

Knopfler, lead singer and guitarist for the British band Dire Straits, burst on the music scene in 1978, but it wasn't until 1985 that he brought his headband to center stage.  Dire Straits was topping the charts worldwide in 1985 with the MTV anthem "Money For Nothing" and its parent album Brothers In Arms.  Knopfler's headband, the standard elastic kind worn by many athletes, made appearances in Dire Straits' music videos.  "Money For Nothing" and the follow-up single "Walk Of Life" both featured a 'banded Knopfler.  Even Dire Straits' 1988 greatest hits compilation, Money for Nothing, featured a Knopfler's neon silhouette, including his trademark headband.

Mike Reno (center), probably wearing red leather pants.

Mike Reno, lead singer of the Canadian band Loverboy, rocked the headband from Day 1.  Loverboy first cracked the US charts in early 1981, and recorded a string of hit singles and albums over the next 8 years before their break-up in 1988.  Reno opted for the bandana-style headband, always in red, and most always matching his red leather pants.  In some cases he would even add a bandana around his neck for added effect.



Honorable mention goes to Bruce Springsteen, who would occasionally trot out the bandana-style headband, usually in tandem with a blue denim jacket.  But Bruce is not defined by the headband, so he is relegated to Honorable Mention status.

Happy Birthday, Matthew Modine!

Matthew Modine was a staple of 80s films, appearing in such classics as Private School, Full Metal Jacket, Gross Anatomy, and Married To The Mob.  For many, however, Modine's foremost 80s role was as a high school wrestler in the 1985 film Vision Quest.  In celebration of Modine's birthday, today we'll look at Vision Quest's impact on pop music.

March 22 Birthday Boy Matthew Modine on the soundtrack's cover with Linda Fiorentino

Released in early 1985, the soundtrack to Vision Quest would spend nearly 4 months on Billboard's Album Chart, peaking at #11.  With a cast of artists as diverse as Dio, the Style Council and Red Rider, the soundtrack would land 3 singles in the Top 100 in 1985, including two that would crack the Top 10.

The first single from the soundtrack to hit the charts was Journey's "Only The Young".  The song was recorded three years earlier, and was initially intended for the band's 1983 Frontiers album.  The band was on hiatus when the song was picked for inclusion on the Vision Quest soundtrack.  It would ultimately peak at #9 in March of '85.

The other two hits would enter the charts on the same day, March 2.  John Waite was fresh off a 1984 #1 single, "Missing You".  The song "Change" was originally included on Waite's 1982 Ignition album, and was picked for the soundtrack almost three years later.  It would become a minor hit for Waite, peaking at #54.

The blockbuster from the soundtrack was Madonna's "Crazy For You".  Madonna was on top of the music world in early 1985, riding the success of both her solo debut and its follow-up Like A Virgin.  Her #2 song "Material Girl" was just beginning to fall from the top of charts when "Crazy For You" neared the top of the charts.  In fact, the two songs would spend two weeks together in the Top 5, a rare feat for any artist.  "Crazy For You" would ultimately unseat "We Are The World" and spend a single week at the top spot, becoming Madonna's second #1 single.