1980's US Hits & UK Misses

Our House was a surprise US Top 10 in 1983, but I don't think any of their other singles made the US charts.

EG.

 

Are you able to list them?

 

Wasn't sure if I'd spoil other people's searches if I listed them all at once, but if you're happy for me to go for it, here we go:

Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall
Blondie - Call Me
Barbara Streisand - Woman In Love
John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over
Blondie - The Tide Is High
Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder - Ebony & Ivory
The Human League - Don't You Want Me
Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger
Men At Work - Down Under
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
David Bowie - Let's Dance
The Police - Every Breath You Take
Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Culture Club - Karma Chameleon
Lionel Richie - Hello
Duran Duran - The Reflex
Stevie Wonder - I Just Called To Say I Love You
Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
Foreigner - I want To Know What Love Is
George Michael (credited to Wham! in the US, I believe) - Careless Whisper
USA For Africa - We Are The World
Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You
The Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls
Madonna - Papa Don't Preach
Berlin - Take My Breath Away
Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
Aretha Franklin/George Michael - I Knew You Were Waiting
Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Madonna - Who's That Girl?
Michael Jackson/Seidah Garrett - I Just Can't Stop Loving You
Tiffany - I Think We're Alone Now
Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is A Place On Earth
Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
Phil Collins - A Groovy Kind Of Love
The Bangles - Eternal Flame
Madonna - Like A Prayer

As I said, I haven't been exactly scientific so there's a good chance I've missed some out or added some erroneously and I will be very happy to be corrected!

 

If anyone is remotely interested 18 of these also went to #1 in New Zealand:

Belinda Carlisle Heaven Is A Place on Earth
Blondie Tide Is High
Bonnie Tyler Total Eclipse Of The Heart
Culture Club Karma Chameleon
David Bowie Let's Dance
Dexy's Midnight Runners Come On, Eileen
Foreigner I Wanna Know What Love Is
Human League Don't You Want Me
Lionel Richie Hello
Madonna Like A Prayer
Men At Work Down Under
Pet Shop Boys West End Girls
Pink Floyd Another Brick In The Wall
Rick Astley Never Gonna Give You Up
Stevie Wonder I Just Called To Say I Love You
Tiffany I Think We're Alone Now
USA For Africa We Are The World
Whitney Houston I Wanna Dance With Somebody

 

Very surprised by this, it went to #6 in Sweden, a song everyone here knows.

 

I think the most surprising bit of information this thread threw up was that 'Into the Groove' wasn't even released as a single in the US - even though it topped the charts in ten countries.

 

You missed Falco Rock Me Amadeus. Which got to #1 in New Zealand too.
Also UB40 - Red Red Wine. Also an NZ #1.

 

One more piece of info. I looked at what went to #1 in New Zealand. While some NZ songs did chart in the US or UK (e.g. Split Enz & Crowded House) the following NZ songs did not make the Top 40 in either country:

1980 Jon Stevens Montego Bay
1981 Dean Warentini Bridge
1981 Howard Morrison How Great Thou Art
1981 Screaming Mee Mees See Me Go
1981 Swingers Counting the Beat
1982 Prince Tui Teka E-Ipo
1983 Dave & The Dynamos Life Begins At Forty
1984 Patea Maori Club Poi-E
1985 Peking Man Room That Echoes
1986 All Of Us Sailing Away
1986 Dave Dobbyn & Herbs Slice Of Heaven
1987 Tex Pistol Game Of Love
1988 Holidaymakers Sweet Lovers
1988 Tex Pistol & Rikki Morris Nobody Else
1988 When The Cat's Away Melting Pot
1989 Margaret Urlich Escaping

And the following international songs got to #1 in NZ but did not make the Top 4o in either the US or UK:

1980 Major Matchbox (UK Group) Rockabilly Rebel DNC
1980 Ritz (European group) Locomotion DNC
1980 Ry Cooder (US Singer) Little Sister DNC
1981 Bily Field (Australian vocalist) Bad Habits DNC
1981 Renee Geyer (Australian singer) Say I Love You DNC
1982 Toots & the Maytals (Jamaican group) Beautiful Woman DNC
1984 Jimmy Cliff (Jamaican singer) Reggae Night DNC
1984 Time Bandits (European group) I Am Only Shooting Love DNC
1987 Jimmy Barnes & INXS (Australian singer & group) Good Times US#47
1988 Big Pig (Australian group) Breakaway US#60
1988 Times Two (US duo) Cecilia US#79
1988 U2 (Irish group) One Tree Hill DNC

Some interesting stuff there.

 

Someone mentioned Roxy Music's Jealous Guy. Bear in mind that when that single was released, it was more than a year before Roxy really broke out in the USA with Avalon. I was a die hard fan so I bought the US single which also had the excellent "To Turn You On" as a b-side. I think Roxy should have added Jealous Guy to Avalon but maybe there was still that resistance in the UK to put an inter-album single on the subsequent album. It might have re-energized the US single chart-wise.

 

It was -- but only as the B-side of a 12-inch single, which by Billboard chart rules of the day made it ineligible for the Hot 100. That single, with an extended version of her then-current single "Angel" as the A-side, was certified Gold by the RIAA, the first 12-incher to be certified Gold in four years (since "Double Dutch Bus" by Frankie Smith). For several years, the only way to get "Into the Groove" in the U.S. was on this 12-inch single; it was not on the Desperately Seeking Susan soundtrack album, and it didn't appear on a U.S. 45 until later in the 1980s as one side of a "Back to Back Hits" reissue (GSRE 0539).

On the Radio & Records chart, which was 100 percent based on airplay, "Into the Groove" peaked at #6. This is with no sales element and competing against herself ("Angel" debuted two weeks before "Groove" and peaked at #4 on the R&R chart).

 

Good ones!

Is that the list completed then, do you think?

 

The list of New Zealand bands doesn't have a single one I've heard of. Any of them any good?

I might have a small correction in the International section. You've got "Major Matchbox" having a hit with Rockabilly Rebel. That got to #18 in the UK but the band was called simply "Matchbox" so I'm assuming it is the same band.

 

Margaret Urlich is excellent, that song was later covered by Dina Carroll in 1996 and went Top 3. But the original is better, and her albums are really good.

Of the NZ #1s in the 2nd list, Big Pig and Time Bandits are worth checking out.

EG.

 

That's fab. Thanks! I'll follow up on your suggestions.

There's a thread about obscure (to the rest of the world, at least!) Australian bands kicking about somewhere and I've discovered a raft of fine music from that so it'll be nice to learn a little bit more about New Zealand's music scene!

I have some albums by a different band called The Time Bandits. The play Renaissance traditional music with a folk-rock twist. Excellent for ceilidhs!

 

I just checked against what went #1 in NZ so I'm not sure.

 

I imagine they are all on youtube if you just wish to hear them. In terms of getting "hard" copies they'll be available on various compilations. I have most of them on 45 and CD comps. Let me know if there is something you want to pursue.

 

That'll be right. I was looking up under "Major". That one I was surprised didn't chart.

Still. It clearly resonated more in NZ where it got to #1 versus #18.

 

1980 Jon Stevens Montego Bay
1981 Dean Warentini Bridge
1981 Howard Morrison How Great Thou Art
1981 Screaming Mee Mees See Me Go
1981 Swingers Counting the Beat
1982 Prince Tui Teka E-Ipo
1983 Dave & The Dynamos Life Begins At Forty
1984 Patea Maori Club Poi-E
1985 Peking Man Room That Echoes
1986 All Of Us Sailing Away
1986 Dave Dobbyn & Herbs Slice Of Heaven
1987 Tex Pistol Game Of Love
1988 Holidaymakers Sweet Lovers
1988 Tex Pistol & Rikki Morris Nobody Else
1988 When The Cat's Away Melting Pot
1989 Margaret Urlich Escaping

I think I've got every one on 45. Favourites?

1984 Patea Maori Club Poi-E
1985 Peking Man Room That Echoes
1986 Dave Dobbyn & Herbs Slice Of Heaven
1987 Tex Pistol Game Of Love
1988 Holidaymakers Sweet Lovers
1988 Tex Pistol & Rikki Morris Nobody Else

They're pop songs.

 

As far as the Rockabilly revival of the late 70s, early 80s went, Match box were probably the second most popular band after The Stray Cats. Niche, for sure, but bothering the mid reaches of the charts with reasonable regularity for a few years. Just the one top ten though (a cover of When You Ask About Love).

They're still going strong. Saw them at a festival a few years ago and they were terrific.

 

A lot of the local number ones were MOR pap (Foster and Allen's 'Maggie' also topped the charts here for weeks in the 80s, but I assume that also charted in the UK), or cover versions of well-known songs.

The most interesting ones are:
See Me Go - Screaming Meemees: Cure-ish post-punk band with such a strong local following that this was the first local single (maybe first single, period) to debut at number 1 on the NZ charts. Unfortunately, the small independent record company that released it could only afford a small pressing, and it rapidly dropped off the charts because nobody could buy it. It's not the band's best song: their final single 'Stars in My Eyes' probably holds that honour.


Counting the Beat - The Swingers: A pop classic, from the punk band formed by the founder of Split Enz, Phil Judd. I believe this was the biggest selling single in Australia and in New Zealand for the year, and it's remained an Antipodean perennial. Personally, I think it's not as good as their first single 'One Good Reason'.
The Swingers - Counting The Beat - 1981 - Official Music Video

Poi E - Patea Maori Club: Pioneering blend of traditional Maori waiata, dance music and hip hop. It's such an iconic song in New Zealand they even made a (terrific) movie about it.
Poi E - Patea Maori Club

Room That Echoes - Peking Man: This probably looks and sounds impossibly cheesy now, but I remember it as a great synth pop song with a memorable video.
Peking Man - Room That Echoes

Slice of Heaven - Dave Dobbyn & Herbs: Another pop perennial down under (I think this also topped the charts in Australia). Both this song and the dreadful 'Sailing Away' topped the charts during an odd period where a dispute between record companies and television stations meant that no music videos could be televised. Both of those songs qualified as exceptions and the videos were played to death on TV. 'Sailing Away' was a charity single to raise money for New Zealand's America's Cup challenge, and 'Slice of Heaven' was an ad for the Footrot Flats film. 'Slice of Heaven', however, is a great pop song with a fantastic vocal arrangement by the venerable reggae band Herbs.
Slice of Heaven - Dave Dobbyn

 

That's great info. Thanks very much!