1984: THE 100 GREATEST SONGS. Concludes with this post.
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1984
THE 100 GREATEST SONGS
MCMLXXXIV
It was in 1984 that famine
worsened in Ethiopia. Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated,
Konstantin Chernenko became Soviet leader and Ronald Reagan was re-elected as
US President. Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympics from which the Soviet
Union withdrew. In England, the year-long Miner’s Strike began against the
Thatcher Government. At the box office, films such as ‘Amadeus’, ‘Beverly Hills
Cop’, ‘Ghostbusters’, ‘Splash’ and ‘The Killing Fields’ drew audiences. The
first Apple Macintosh went on sale as did the first commercial compact disc
players. “The Cosby Show” premiered on US television.
This retrospective on the music
of 1984 highlights the best of the music released during that year. Twelve months that saw Bob Geldof organise
the Band Aid charity disc “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and Tina Turner stage
an amazing comeback.
Listen to all
the songs on the Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6k2ttOy6DZaLtLZ8y3JjoW?si=999f8888aaaa4eea&pt=8406b7494e7aa88b869342e6ad1f32cf
1
WHEN
DOVES CRY
Prince & The Revolution
To fully appreciate the impact of ‘Purple Rain’, one
should put its emergence in context. Prince had been building up his pop
credentials with staples such as “Controversy”, “1999” and “Little Red Corvette”.
In 1983, Michael Jackson became the hottest star in music with his mammoth hit ‘Thriller’.
Instead of being overshadowed by this mega-seller, Prince countered with a
classic album of his own. ‘Purple Rain’ was not only the parent LP
bursting with new signature songs such as “Let’s Go Crazy”, “I Would Die 4 U”, “Take
Me With U”, “Baby I’m A Star”, the title track and “When Doves Cry”, but it was
the soundtrack for his first feature film. The latter song was a recording that
still sounds as compelling today. It catapulted him into pop’s pantheon of
musical giants.
2
WAKE
ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO
Wham!
Wham! had already made popstars out of George
Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, but “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” elevated their
success to a higher trajectory. Nothing they recorded came close to the
infectious pop appeal of this new hit.
3
LOVE
KILLS
Freddie Mercury
Queen’s charismatic lead singer Freddie Mercury
scored a solo hit with “Love Kills”. He co-wrote the song with Giorgio Moroder.
They co-produced the cut with Queen’s frequent producer Mack. The single was
recorded as part of a new soundtrack album for a film classic entitled ‘Metropolis’.
The 1927 Fritz Lang silent film was revamped using music helmed largely by
Moroder in 1984.
4
PRIDE
(IN THE NAME OF LOVE)
U2
One of the most glorious pop moments in the Irish
group’s canon is the anthemic “Pride (In The Name Of Love)”. Recorded as a
tribute to civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, it features Chrissie
Hynde from The Pretenders on backup vocals. This single helped propel U2 into
global success.
5
SMOOTH
OPERATOR
Sade
Sade broke through with “Smooth Operator”. The group
was named after its Nigerian lead vocalist Sade Adu. Fusing jazz, R&B, pop,
soul and adult contemporary sounds, the British band went on to win the Best
New Artist Grammy and continues to this day.
6
YOU’RE
THE BEST THING
The Style Council
Paul Weller had used politics to motivate music fans
as the leader of The Jam. For his next group, the “Modfather” adopted a softer soulful,
but even more enticing sound with The Style Council. “You’re The Best Thing”
was one of the highlights from this new incarnation, essentially a duo formed
with keyboardist Mick Talbot.
7
CARELESS
WHISPER
George Michael
This watershed solo release was key for George
Michael at the time of its release. He was half of the most popular duo on the
planet, but very aware that the time had come to go out on his own. George
tested the water with “Careless Whisper”. Its international success encouraged
him to quit Wham!.
8
SAD
SONGS (SAY SO MUCH)
Elton John
Elton John made his mark with a string of songs that
tug at the emotions, so who better to sing the case for sad songs? So many of
his compositions with Bernie Taupin helped soothe and comfort listeners in a
range of trying contexts.
9
SMALLTOWN
BOY
Bronski Beat
Accompanied by a powerfully moving music video, this
became an instant gay anthem. Few songs encapsulate the despair of a young teen
thrown out of his family home simply because of his sexuality as effectively.
10
I
FEEL FOR YOU
Chaka Khan
The intro announces the arrival of Chaka Khan. She
was already soul / R&B royalty, but this new song thrust her right into
mainstream pop culture. Throw in Stevie Wonder on harmonica and a nod to his
1960s #1 “Fingertips” and you have one of the first rap pop hit singles. This cover
of a Prince song also featured rapper Melle Mel. It all helped to make “I Feel
For You” her own.
11 SHOUT
TO THE TOP The Style Council
12 I
SEND A MESSAGE INXS
13 HERE
COMES THE RAIN AGAIN Eurythmics
14 I
WOULD DIE 4 U Prince & The
Revolution
15 FREE
NELSON MANDELA Special AKA
16 PRIVATE
DANCER Tina Turner
17 LIKE
A VIRGIN Madonna
18 THE
OOH OOH SONG Pat Benatar
19 THAT
WAS YESTERDAY Foreigner
20 JUMP Van Halen
21 RADIO
GAGA Queen
22 OH
BILLY PLEASE Donna Summer
23 PAINTED
DESERT Pat Benatar
24 AGAINST
ALL ODDS Phil Collins
25 TAKE
ME WITH U Prince & The
Revolution
26 LET’S
HEAR IT FOR THE BOY Deniece Williams
27 HEAD
OVER HEELS The Go-Go’s
28 FOOTLOOSE
Kenny Loggins
29 GHOSTBUSTERS
Ray Parker Jr.
30 MIDDLE
OF THE ROAD Pretenders
31 WHAT’S
LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT Tina Turner
32 LEFT
IN THE DARK Barbra Streisand
33 LET’S
GO CRAZY Prince & The
Revolution
34 FREEDOM Wham!
35 IT’S
A HARD LIFE Queen
36 MATERIAL
GIRL Madonna
37 HAPPY
ENDING Joe Jackson
38 WHY? Bronski Beat
39 I
WANT TO BREAK FREE Queen
40 PURPLE
RAIN Prince & The
Revolution
41 ALL
CRIED OUT Alison Moyet
42 HARD
HABIT TO BREAK Chicago
43 REBEL
YELL Billy Idol
44 SEA
OF LOVE The Honeydrippers
45 99
LUFTBALLONS Nena
46
DRIVE The Cars
47 THE
UNFORGETTABLE FIRE U2
48 YOUR
LOVE IS KING Sade
49 HEADSTART
FOR HAPPINESS
The Style Council
50 THAT’S
ALL Genesis
51 TAKING
THE TOWN Icehouse
52 BLUE
JEAN David Bowie
53 DANCING
IN THE DARK Bruce Springsteen
54
THE GLAMOROUS LIFE Sheila E.
55 YAH
MO B THERE
Michael McDonald with James Ingram
56 JOANNA Kool & The Gang
57 INVISIBLE
Alison Moyet
58 THE
POWER OF LOVE Frankie Goes To
Hollywood
59 BORDERLINE
Madonna
60 COVER ME Bruce Springsteen
61 YOU
TAKE ME UP Thompson Twins
62 SEARCHIN’ Hazell Dean
63 AIN’T
NOBODY Chaka Khan & Rufus
64 BABY
I’M A STAR Prince & The
Revolution
65 I
JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU Stevie Wonder
66 EVERYTHING
SHE WANTS Wham!
67 LOVE RESURRECTION Alison Moyet
68 YOU
THINK YOU’RE A MAN Divine
69 CARIBBEAN
QUEEN Billy Ocean
70 THE
RIDDLE Nik Kershaw
71 SEXCRIME
(1984) Eurythmics
72 YOU
CAN’T GET WHAT YOU WANT Joe Jackson
73 HITLER
RAP (TO BE OR NOT TO BE) Mel Brooks
74 WOOD
BEEZ (PRAY LIKE ARETHA FRANKLIN)
Scritti Politti
75 MISSING
YOU John Waite
76 THE REFLEX Duran Duran
77 WOULDN’T IT BE GOOD Nik Kershaw
78 HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO Bonnie Tyler
79 NOBODY
TOLD ME John Lennon
80 WHERE
IS MY MAN Eartha Kitt
81 FLAME
TREES Cold Chisel
82 THINK OF LAURA Christopher Cross
83 SWEPT
AWAY Diana Ross
84 I
WON’T LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON ME
Nik Kershaw
85 THIS CHARMING MAN The Smiths
86 PINK
HOUSES John Cougar Mellencamp
87 TWO
TRIBES Frankie Goes To
Hollywood
88 SELF
CONTROL Laura Branigan
89 I
WANT YOU BACK Hoodoo Gurus
90 ROBERT
DE NIRO’S WAITING Bananarama
91 LOCOMOTION
Orchestral Manoeuvres
In The Dark
92 TOO
LATE FOR GOODBYES Julian Lennon
93 YOU’RE
A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Barbra Streisand
94 WORKING
WITH FIRE AND STEEL China Crisis
95 NO
MORE LONELY NIGHTS Paul McCartney
96 SOMEBODY
Depeche Mode
97 THE WARRIOR Scandal ftg. Patti Smythe
98 SUNGLASSES
AT HEART Corey Hart
99 YOUNG
AT HEART The Bluebells
100 TIME
WILL REVEAL DeBarge
HONOURABLE
MENTIONS:
Our
retrospectives don’t usually include seasonal recordings, but these two 1984
releases deserve a special tribute-
***
DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS? Band Aid
***
LAST CHRISTMAS Wham!
