Everything Old Is New Again...

Soundtrack to the film 'Stand By Me'

The fall of 1986 saw two classic 1960s songs re-emerge as radio favorites and chart hits -- thanks to two popular movies from that year.

"Stand By Me" had originally cracked the Top 10 all the way back in the summer of 1961, peaking at #4 for former Drifters lead singer Ben E. King.  Rob Reiner directed the film of the same name in 1986, and featured the song at the end of the movie.  The movie's popularity prompted Atlantic Records to re-release King's original, and it cracked the Top 10 yet again - this time peaking at #9.

Ferris Bueller belting "Twist And Shout" in the streets of Chicago

In March of 1964, the Beatles spent four weeks at #2 with their remake of the Isley Brothers' "Twist And Shout".  22 years later, director John Hughes featured the song in his film 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'.  Matthew Broderick famously lip-synchs to the song in the streets of downtown Chicago in the film.  Another 1986 movie, 'Back To School', starring Rodney Dangerfield, also featured the song.  The popularity of the two films prompted Capitol Records to re-release the original as a single.  It didn't fare as well as the original, but still managed to crack the Top 25, peaking at #23.

Who's Gonna Drive You Home Tonight?

Picture sleeve from the Cars' 'Drive' single

They'd been making moderately popular records since the late 70s, but it wasn't until 1984 that the Cars scored their biggest hit, the melancholy ballad "Drive".  The song peaked at #3 in late summer that year.  It was sung by bassist Benjamin Orr, rather than usual vocalist Ric Ocasek.

Paulina Porizkova from the 'Drive' video, wondering who would drive her home

The music video, which would be nominated for an MTV Video Award (back when MTV still showed videos!) was directed by actor Timothy Hutton (who currently stars on TNT's 'Leverage') and prominently featured 19-year old Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Paulina Porizkova.  Ocasek, who is 16 years Porizkova's elder, would eventually marry the model/actress in 1989.  The couple remain married, and have two sons.

Why Does Michael Pare Have To Confuse Everyone?

Michael Pare in 'Eddie & The Cruisers'

In 1984, John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band cracked the Top 10 (#7 to be exact) with "On The Dark Side".  The song had been featured in the film 'Eddie & The Cruisers', about a fictional rock band from the mid-1960s.  Actor Michael Pare portrayed Eddie Wilson, and the music video for the song featured Pare lip-syncing to John Cafferty's singing.  The song became a hit, and few people knew that Michael Pare wasn't the actual singer!

The REAL John Cafferty

Dan Hartman, who is most definitely not black.

Also in 1984, white singer Dan Hartman had a #6 hit with "I Can Dream About You", which was featured in the film 'Streets Of Fire' (which, in an odd coincidence, also starred Michael Pare).  In the movie, the song was performed by an African-American vocal group -- their lip-syncing performance was the basis of the song's music video, leading most of America to believe that Dan Hartman was black.  This was, and remains untrue.

From A To Z...

If you took all the artists who had hits in the 1980s and lined them up alphabetically, who would be at the front of the list, and who would hold up the rear?

Agnetha, Benny, Bjorn, Anna-frid.  Better known as ABBA.

Sweden's ABBA would be up front, notching 5 hits in the decade of the 80s, including a Top 10 in 1980 with "The Winner Takes It All".  ABBA's popularity was definitely on the decline when 1979 turned into 1980, but they still managed to keep folks like Gregory Abbott and ABC from the front of the line...

ZZ Top.  The guy in the middle is named Frank Beard.  Really.

And at the rear, none other than ZZ Top.  The ZZs had been a popular blues-rock band all through 1970s, but enjoyed their greatest commercial and chart success in the 80s, cracking the Top 10 twice, with "Legs" in 1984, and "Sleeping Bag" in 1985.  So, sorry Zebra and Warren Zevon, the line ends with ZZ Top.

7 Hits from a Single Album...

A successful album from the 80s might have one or two Top 10 hit singles on it -- even three or four hits in some cases.  But in two instances, an album managed a whopping 7 Top 10 songs!  Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' album and Bruce Springsteen's 'Born In The U.S.A.' each dropped 7 separate songs in the Top 10.  As a result, each album spent a lot of time at #1 on the Billboard Albums chart -- 37 weeks for 'Thriller' (most all-time!) and 7 for 'Born In The U.S.A'.

Here are the songs from each album that dominated radio from 1983-1985:


Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'

1. "The Girl Is Mine" (duet with Paul McCartney) - #2
2. "Billie Jean" - #1
3. "Beat It" - #1
4. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" - #10
5. "Human Nature" - #7
6. "Wanna Be Startin' Something" - #5
7. "Thriller" - #4

Bruce Springsteen's 'Born In The U.S.A.'

1. "Dancing In The Dark" - #2
2. "Cover Me" - #7
3. "I'm On Fire" - #6
4. "Born In The U.S.A." - #9
5. "Glory Days" - #5
6. "My Hometown" - #6
7. "I'm Goin' Down" - #9

We're #2! We're #2!

Picture sleeve from Foreigner's "Waiting For A Girl Like You" single

In November of 1981, Foreigner's ballad "Waiting For A Girl Like You" reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It would stay at the #2 spot for 10 consecutive weeks, being held at bay for 9 weeks by Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", and for a final week by "I Can't Go For That" by Daryl Hall & John Oates.  No song before or since has spent so many weeks at #2 without ever reaching the top spot.

It wasn't Foreigner's first experience with the #2 spot; three years prior, in 1978, their "Double Vision" spent two weeks at #2 (without ever reaching #1).  Donna Summer's memorable "MacArthur Park" kept it 'out in the rain' for those weeks.

When Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is" hit #2 in January of 1985, I'm sure the band was prepared for another near-miss.  Fortunately for them, the song reached #1 the following week, and stay there for two weeks.

6 That Dominated The Decade

If we consider the decade of the 1980s (1980-1989), there are 6 artists who hold the distinction of spending at least one week on the Billboard Hot 100 in each of the 10 years of the decade.  Who do you think they are?  Michael Jackson?  Nope.  Bruce Springsteen?  Nope.  Madonna?  Not her, either.  A couple of the answers may surprise you.

First, Elton John.  He placed a total of 22 different songs on the Hot 100 during the 80s, including 6 Top 10 songs and one #1 (a duet with Dionne Warwick).  Next up, Prince.  27 songs in all, including 10 Top 10s and 4 #1 songs.

Phil Collin's 'No Jacket Required' LP, from which several of his 80s hit came

Third, John Mellencamp.  He placed 20 songs in the Hot 100 during the decade, including 6 as 'John Cougar', and 14 as 'John Cougar Mellencamp'.  Eight Top 10s and a single #1 ("Jack & Diane") for him.  next, Rod Stewart.  Rod was certainly more successful during the 1970s, but he still managed 21 different Hot 100 appearances during the 80s, including 7 Top 10 songs.

Number five on our list is Phil Collins.  He cheated a bit, because he needed his involvement with the band Genesis in order to hit the charts in 1980 and 1987.  Still, 30 hits in all (15 solo, 15 with Genesis), including 9 Top 10 songs and 8 #1s.

Last up, and most surprising, is the band Survivor.  They only managed 18 hits in the decade, including 4 Top 10s and a #1 ("Eye Of The Tiger").  Their peak years were 1982-1986, but they still cracked the charts in the remaining years.

1985: The Year of The Soundtrack?

Picture sleeve from "Separate Lives" single; it hit #1 on 11/30/1985

Twenty-six different songs topped the Billboard Hot 100 during the year of 1985, including multiple songs from Phil Collins, Wham!, and Tears For Fears.  But the fact that stands out among these 26 tunes is that no fewer than 9 of them were featured in popular movies or TV shows.

1. "Crazy For You" by Madonna (VisionQuest)
2. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds (Breakfast Club)
3. "Heaven" by Bryan Adams (A Night In Heaven)
4. "A View To A Kill" by Duran Duran (A View To A Kill)
5. "The Power Of Love" by Huey Lewis & The News (Back To The Future)
6. "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" by John Parr (St. Elmo's Fire)
7. "Miami Vice Theme" by Jan Hammer (Miami Vice - TV Show)
8. "Separate Lives" by Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin (White Nights)
9. "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie (White Nights) (song was featured in the film, but was not included on the soundtrack)

For Phil Collins, "Separate Lives" was his second #1 from a film soundtrack -- "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)" (from the film Against All Odds) had reached the top in 1984.  Collins would take two additional movie songs to the top later in the decade:  "Groovy Kind Of Love" and "Two Hearts" were featured in the movie Buster (which Collins starred in), and hit #1 in 1988 and 1989, respectively.

Pat Andrzejewski/Giraldo/Benatar...

Pat Benatar was a mainstay of 80s rock, leaving behind a string of hits, including several songs that cracked the Top 10:  "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", "We Belong", "Love Is A Battlefield" and "Invincible".

Pat Benatar's 1980 'Crimes Of Passion' album

Pat was born in New York in 1953 as Patricia Mae Andrzejewski; in 1982, she would marry guitarist Neil Giraldo (who she is still married to, and has two children with).  So where did the name 'Benatar' come from?  It came from Pat's high school sweetheart Dennis Benatar, who she would marry in 1972 at the age of 19.  The two would divorce in 1979, but Pat's career had already begun to take off, and she elected to keep the name.

New Singer? No Problem...

What do Van Halen, Survivor, and Animotion have in common?  After a successful run with one lead singer, each band found success with a new vocalist.

Van Halen, with a bearded Sammy Hagar in the center

Van Halen, of course, was fronted by David Lee Roth until 1984 -- the Roth-led band topped the charts in '84 with "Jump".  After Roth's departure, the band added Sammy Hagar (who'd already had some success as a solo act), and found the Top 10 again in 1985 ("Why Can't This Be Love?") and in 1988 ("When It's Love").

Survivor, with new lead singer Jimi Jamison in the middle

Survivor's "Eye Of The Tiger" (from the film 'Rocky III') spent 6 weeks at #1 in 1982, with singer Dave Bickler fronting the band.  Jimi Jamison replaced Bickler in 1984, and took the band back to the Top 10 four more times, most notably with another 'Rocky' anthem (Rocky IV, to be exact), "Burning Heart".

Animotion, with original vocalists Astrid Plan and Bill Wadhams in the middle

Animotion's "Obsession" climbed all the way to #6 in 1985, featuring Astrid Plane and Bill Wadham on lead vocals.  Plane and Wadhams left in 1988, and were replaced by Paul Engemann and Cynthia Rhodes.  The new singers took the band back to the Top 10 in 1989 with "Room To Move".  Incidentally, Rhodes is married to another 80s stalwart, singer/songwriter Richard Marx.

Know of any other 80s bands who found success with more than one singer?  Post in the comments below...

We'll Get Wild, Wild, Wild...

Picture sleeve from "Cum On Feel The Noize" single

In the fall of 1983, Quiet Riot became the first heavy metal band to score a Top 5 single on the Billboard Hot 100.  "Cum On Feel The Noize" was played heavily on MTV, helping it peak on the charts at #5 in November.

British glam rockers Slade.  Odd looking bunch, eh?

The song was not a Quiet Riot original, however; British rockers Slade took the song to #1 in England 10 years earlier.  The song continued Slade's tradition of intentionally misspelling titles, joining "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me", "Mama Weer All Crazee Now" (which Quiet Riot would also cover), "Coz I Luv You" and "Look Wot You Dun" in Slade's discography.  Despite Slade's huge success in England, their only substantial US chart success came in 1984, when "Run Runaway" cracked the Top 20.

Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads

Although "Cum On Feel The Noize" was Quiet Riot's chart debut, they were hardly newcomers to the music world.  Guitarist Randy Rhoads founded the band in 1973.  Rhoads achieved greater fame as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist, co-authoring Ozzy's signature song "Crazy Train".  Rhoads was killed in a plane crash in 1982.

Hall & Oates & Saturday Night Live...

Daryl Hall and John Oates were staples of early-80s radio, landing a string of hits near the top of the charts. 'Maneater', 'Private Eyes', 'Out Of Touch', 'Kiss On My List', and 'I Can't Go For That' all hit #1, and 8 others cracked the Top Ten during the decade.

On the majority of these hits, Hall & Oates' band featured G.E. Smith on lead guitar and Tom 'T-Bone' Wolk on bass. Smith was married to Saturday Night Live star Gilda Radner from 1980-1982, and, after leaving Hall & Oates' band, he was the SNL band leader from 1985-1995. Wolk played bass in the SNL band during Smith's tenure as band leader.

Hall & Oates' band circa 1982: (clockwise from top left) Charlie DeChant, G.E. Smith, Daryl Hall, Tom 'T-Bone' Wolk, Mickey Curry, John Oates

Tom 'T-Bone' Wolk and G.E. Smith on SNL sometime in the late 1980s

The Thompson (ahem) Twins...

The British group known as the Thompson Twins managed to crack the Top 40 here in the US on seven different occasions throughout the 1980s, peaking at #3 in 1984 with 'Hold Me Now'. Not only were there no twins involved in the group, there were 3 members in the band (during their most successful period), and none of them were even related! In fact, the band derived their name from two characters in the comic strip 'The Adevntures of Tintin', which was a popular comic in Europe throughout the 20th century.