Bucks Fizz – My Camera Never Lies

my camera never lies

17th April 1982 for one week

This is the third time I’ve written about Bucks Fizz and it will be the last. Despite being similar in sound, there’s something about My Camera Never Lies that is just poor. It is as if they were unashamedly pop before and now they are trying to sound a bit more serious. Or something? I don’t know, it is just not as good.

I don’t recall ever hearing it before and I’m not really surprised. I finished listening to it thirty seconds ago and I can’t remember what it sounded like.

Another You have to wonder what was going on in 1982. The Lion Sleeps Tonight was followed by Seven Tears? What were people thinking. Completely forgettable.

2/10

Goombay Dance Band – Seven Tears

seven tears

27th March 1982 for three weeks

You have to wonder what was going on in 1982. The Lion Sleeps Tonight was followed by Seven Tears? What were people thinking.

I have literally never heard this before in my life. Parts of it sound a bit like Auld Lang Syne. That doesn’t make it a good thing.

This is just awful and I hope that listening to it now is the one and only time I ever hear it.

1/10

Tight Fit – The Lion Sleeps Tonight

the lion sleeps tonight

6th March 1982 for three weeks

I know exactly when I first heard this song – it was when watching Friends Season 2 episode 12.

Since then I’ve heard it over the years and heard it loads. What a random novelty hit in the middle of 1982. I guess there have been weirder songs to reach Number 1.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight is one of the cheesiest songs ever and should be celebrated for its unashamed lack of shit what anyone thinks of it.

4/10

The Jam – Town Called Malice/Precious

town called malice

13th February 1982 for three weeks

I cannot for the life of me remember hearing this for the first time. But somehow it is a song that I love. It is just a superb song – instantly memorable and uplifting!

Even when they run out of ideas for words and bop-bop it out, the whole thing just works!

It wouldn’t be out of place on today’s chart, 38 years later!

It is definitely a favourite of mine and it has been used in films and TV shows over the years!

I have literally just listened to Precious for the first time. I’ve never heard it before now. The right song was the big success from the single. Precious is not good.

10/10

Kraftwerk – Computer Love/The Model

computer love

6th February 1982 for one week

Well, I don’t think I’d ever heard Computer Love before writing this blog post. I thought I was streaming the wrong song – I thought it was some sort of bad electronic cover of a Coldplay song. No, apparently I was listening to Computer Love. Talk by Coldplay used the tune. It’s a catchy tune, but it just feels a bit dull. The tune doesn’t go anywhere.

The Model is a song that I have heard over the years. I’m sure it’s been on TV shows or in films – I know that I’ve heard it somewhere. It is a much better song than Computer Love.

I wonder if, when it was first released, this double A-side from Kraftwerk was considered cutting edge. It’s a bit dancy which was not typical of the sound of the time. Nowadays it just feels tame and dull.

4/10

Shakin’ – Stevens – Oh Julie

oh julie.jpg

30th January 1982 for one week

There’s not a lot to say about this. Shakin’ Stevens clearly has a formula for Number Ones – this is the third of his I’ve written about. But it has the same sort of sound as both of his others.

I imagine that if you were called Julie in 1982 you hated this song.

It hasn’t aged well, and that is why you are unlikely to have ever heard this. I don’t think I have until now.

3/10

Bucks Fizz – The Land Of Make Believe

land of make believe

16th January 1982 for two weeks

Ok, if you were to look at the single cover and make an assumption about the quality of the song, you’d say The Land Of Make Believe was pure cheese – dreadful. In fact, the song has an alluring quality which the cheesiness spoils. It’s pure cheese pop and one with a great melody.

It has probably not aged well but it is still nice to listen to. It’s the sort of song I expect to dad dance to at birthday parties at some point. Too slow to dance properly to, so you’d just look like a guy who likes cheesy pop.

7/10

Thoughts on 1979

Had I been old enough to be aware of the music in 1979 I think I’d have been both impressed and appalled by the Number Ones of the year.

The Number Ones seemed to range from the cheesiest pop to the coolest rock with everything in between. It seemed to be a year when music was massive with several million sellers released and all genres of pop seemed to be thriving. Teenagers would have loved it!

The best songs of the year were probably Cars and Message In A Bottle, although I have a secret love for Bright Eyes and YMCA.

The worst song of the year, by a landslide, is Lena Martell’s One Day At A Time. I cannot understand what happened there.

So that’s the end of the Seventies and on to the Eighties where there are 191 Number Ones to write about…

Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall (Part II)

Another Brick In The Wall Part 2

15th December 1979 for five weeks

Another Brick In The Wall (Part II) is probably the coolest song to top the charts in 1979. On the face of it its one for the rebels – “We don’t need no education”. Apparently Margaret Thatcher hated the song for this reason. And if she didn’t like it then that suits me! That’s probably why it has sold over a million copies!

The song is amazing, to be fair. The guitars and vocals all sound brilliant and its instantly engaging and you can see why teenagers at the time would have loved it.

I remember reading in the Nineties that the children singing on the record formed a group claim for royalties.

8/10

The Police – Walking On The Moon

walking on the moon

8th December 1979 for one week

This is not one of The Police’s songs that I’m very familiar with. I know I’ve heard it at some point. But have no strong recollection.

I can see why – it’s not one of their best. You wonder how it ever came to be a Number 1 record. It’s probably simply down to people buying it because it was recorded by The Police and it was their next single after Message In A Bottle.

There’s no real tune but lots of nice guitar playing.

2/10