Every RPM Canadian Content #1 single discussion thread 1964-2000

A classic.

 

My favorite song on this list then would have been "The Safety Dance".
Now it is easily "Danseparc"

 

Thank you Paul C for those entries. Keep 'em coming. I focus on the Top 40 charts due to my schedule. It's fascinating to see what was going on on the other charts as well.

 

Yesterday's post about Dallas Harms' #1 CanCon country song from 1983, "Honky Tonkin' (All Night Long)" led me to the realization that I had missed a CanCon song that had reached #1 on the RPM country chart when we were covering the year 1977, for which I offer my heartfelt apologies.

On May 28, 1977, Texas native Gene Watson hit #1 on the RPM country chart with a cover of a Dallas Harms composition, "Paper Rosie". It reached #3 on Billboard's country chart.

 

On February 4, the Headpins entered the countdown at #50 with "Just One More Time". This was the second single from the band's 1983 release, Line of Fire. It peaked at #49 for the next two weeks before falling out of the chart altogether. Given how much I heard the song on the radio back then, I could have sworn that it was a bigger hit than it actually was.

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247 IT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER
PLATINUM BLONDE
Highest Ranking For 2 Weeks:
1984-02-25 (#31) 1984-03-03 (#31)
Columbia C4-4351




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Singer/bassist Mark Holmes emigrated to Canada from Mansfield England in 1977. Two years later, he formed an early incarnation of Platinum Blonde that was rounded out by bassist Jerry Ciotti and drummer Ray Baillie. The band managed to release an independent single in 1980 before disbanding. Holmes soon assembled a new lineup featuring Sergio Galli (guitar) and Chris Steffler (drums). In 1982, the band recorded a demo which found its way into the hands of renowned British producer David Tickle who agreed to work with the band. The band signed with Columbia Records in early 1983.

The first release under the new deal was the six-song EP Platinum Blonde which was released in October, 1983. “It Doesn’t Really Matter” was released as the first single with the radio edit on Side 1 and the full-lengh version (complete with the “Are you sitting comfortably” intro) on Side 2.

“It Doesn’t Really Matter” entered the RPM Top 50 on January 21, 1984. Coming in at #50, it would spend 9 weeks on the chart peaking at #31. For the weeks of February 25 and March 3, it was the number one Canadian single in the country. With the success of the single, the Platinum Blonde EP was expanded to a 1o-track album and re-released as Standing In The Dark in early 1984. Standing In the Dark went gold upon its release. It would go on to attain triple platinum status in Canada (300,000 units).

 

I had no idea Headpins had that many charting singles, actually.

"it Doesn't Really Matter" had heavy rotation on the after school video show. Was it on CBC. I quite liked it, but they also wore out their welcome for me very quickly.

 

Would that show be Video Hits by any chance?

 

Aw, the wonderful Samantha Taylor! Prior to getting snapped up by the CBC she hosted a similar but much more low budget video show that ran weekday afternoons on Toronto's multi-cultural channel and was occasionally joined by Bob Segarini. Fond memories, pre-Much Music etc.

 

So happy to see my favorite Canadian artist Luba featured on here. She had an incredible voice and a string of hits in the 1980's including "Let It Go", and "How Many (Rivers To Cross)" produced by Narada Michael Walden. She won Best Female Vocalist 3 years in a row at the Juno's (the equivalent of the Grammy's). She even had two tracks on the soundtrack to 9 1/2 Weeks, sadly her American career never happened. Check out her comeback album" From the Bitter To The Sweet" from 2000.

 

I remember. She did very well up here and those hits still sound great. It's a shame she never broke in the U.S.

 

She's pretty active on Facebook and will chat with fans. I'm hoping her other songs will be featured in this post.

 

I'll be mentioning them as they crop up in the time line.

 

One single that caught my ear as 1983 turned into 1984 was "The Flyer" by Saga. It didn't chart on the RPM Top 50 but it was a hit in a few markets including mine.

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I apologize for this entry but it was fair-sized and how I first came to know the song in question. On February 25, Canadian hard rockers Santers entered the countdown with their cover of Free's "All Right Now". Debuting at #48, the single topped out at #39 on March 24. I'll duck now.

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"The Flyer" Like so many songs you've posted, I think I don't know this. I don't think this had a lot radio or video airplay. I must have heard it on Regina's Z99. I am surprised how much Saga gets mentioned on other threads in this forum.

Never even heard of Santers. How regional was their success?

 

Produced by Rik Emmett (of Triumph).

 

Santers was a Scarborough band ..

 

I'm not sure how they did nationally. "All Right Now" got a lot of airplay in my area in early 1984 but fell out of rotation pretty quickly.

 

Thats the problem with covering a classic and bringing nothing different to the table. Most people had not yet forgotten the original.

 

Which is ironic in my case because I heard this before I knew who Free were.

 

248 SUNGLASSES AT NIGHT
COREY HART
Highest Ranking For 4 Weeks:
1984-03-10 (#25) 1984-03-17 (#24)
1984-03-24 (#25) 1984-03-31 (#25)
Aquarius AQ 6007



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Hailing from Montreal, Corey Hart (born May 31, 1962), got his first taste of performing experience when he sang the Michael Jackson hit “Ben” for Tom Jones in Miami at age 11. In 1980, Hart participated in the World Popular Song Festival which was based in Tokyo. Representing Canada, he performed his own songs for a large audience for the first time. Shortly after returning to Canada, Hart contacted Billy Joel, who was passing through Montreal while on tour. With Joel’s help, Corey Hart recorded some demos in Long Island, New York utilizing Joel’s backup band. Hart subsequently returned to Canada where he recorded more demos with Canadian session players. These demos eventually netted him a record deal with Aquarius Records in 1982.

Shortly after signing with Aquarius, Corey Hart decamped to England and started work on his debut album. Co-produced by John Astley and Phil Chapman, First Offense was recorded at Revolution Recording Studios in Cheshire as well as Eel Pie Recording Studios in London. The album was finally completed by August 1982. Well….almost. Upon returning home, C, Corey Hart wrote an additional song, one that would prove to be crucial in his rise to stardom. In a 1985 interview with CHUM FM, Hart stated "I wrote 'Sunglasses' and I said to the record company "I gotta do this song. I've just got to put it on the album" because ... it's just such an immediate song for me that when I wrote it, when I wrote the riff to that song, I said there's just something about it, some magic about this song. It was one of the only songs that I've written where I actually thought of the video at the time that I was writing it. I had that same gut feeling about 'Sunglasses' the minute I wrote it."

First Offense was finally released in Canada in November of 1983 along with the first single “Sunglasses At Night” b/w “Don’t Keep Your Heart”. With its soon-to-be-iconic synth hook, the single became a radio hit almost immediately and the accompanying video (which featured a cameo from future MuchMusic VJ Laurie Brown) helped to make Corey Hart one of the first Canadian music stars of the music video age. A 3:53 edit of “Sunglasses At Night” entered the RPM Top 50 eat #50 on February 11 beginning a chart run that would last for 12 weeks. By the second week of March, it was the number one Canadian single in the country and would remain so through the end of the month. “Sunglasses” would peak at #24 on the RPM Singles Chart for the week of March 17.

With Hart establishing himself on the Canadian music scene, an international deal was worked out with EMI America and First Offense was issued internationally in early 1984. “Sunglasses at Night” was issued that Spring and soon became Hart’s first American Top 40 hit peaking at #7 in September. The single proved to be successful in other international markets such as Australia (#16), New Zealand (#17), and Germany (#21). With the success of he album and single, Corey Hart toured extensively throughout Canada and the United States initially as an opening act for such acts as Culture Club, Rick Springfield, and April Wine. By the end of the tour, he was headlining in a few markets.

“What’s with the title?”, you might ask. According to co-producer Richard Chapman, the studio’s air vents were located directly above the mixing console. The recording technicians wore sunglass to protect their eyes from the air that was blowing into their faces.

 

And here’s the U.S. EMI America ish’ (with pertinent pic sleeve):


The open reminded me a tad of that of the Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This).”

 

A tad is an understatement.