#35 - Never Surrender

Artist: Corey Hart

Album: Boy In The Box
Video: From YouTube.

Here we have one of the great songs of the year.  An awesome, inspiring message delivered with earnestness and passion.  Never Surrender, baby!  Timeless.

Corey Hart peaked in 1985 with this epic, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.  But did you know that he continued to record hits well into the late 90's, charting dozens of top 40 singles in Canada?  I certainly did not.

“Never Surrender” is a tour de force, an urgent directive of how to react when you reach your lowest point.  The music is pretty good too.  Great sax solo, instruments, whatnot.

The video is entertaining and provides more than its share of unintentional comedy.  Corey gazes into the camera often and with great intensity.  Hitchhiking through the cold streets of Toronto, exchanging furtive glances with call girls, and getting chewed out by a shopkeeper for who knows what.  And then, taking the stage for a live performance and absolutely killing it.

In other news, I finally was able to post another poll.  I guess we’ll soon find out if anyone is still out there.

#36 - Don't Lose My Number

Artist: Phil Collins

Album: No Jacket Required
Video: From YouTube.

Out of the truckload of hit songs by Phil Collins in 1985, I believe that "Don’t Lose My Number" was the weakest.  Sure it’s energetic with a good beat, and it reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.  But the song is beset by a deep confusion at its core.

First of all, who is this "Billy"?  And why is it so important that he hold on to Phil's number?  Clearly this is a critical matter, for it comprises the title of the song.  We learn that it's because "you're not anywhere that I can't find you".  Well, if Billy can be found so easily, then what possible difference could it make if he lost Phil's number?  Phil can find Billy anytime he wants!

Actually, upon further review, the lyric is "you're not anywhere that I CAN find you".  So never mind about any of that.

The video is a parody of other videos, with several directors pitching ideas to the performer.  In between pitches, we see many ideas acted out.  My favorite is when he’s in an all-white suit with a top hat and cane, walking by models on the beach, a la David Lee Roth in California Girls.

Finally, I can’t get Blogger’s poll widget to work.  So unfortunately we might not have any more polls.  The people’s favorite song of 1985 may have to remain a mystery.

#37 - We Are The World

Artist: USA For Africa

Album: We Are The World
Video: From YouTube.  The original MTV video solicits donations to an address on Wilshire Blvd.

This band, USA For Africa, was really great in 1985.  If only they had stayed together, they could have been amazing.  Bunch of massive egos consumed with their "solo projects".

Seriously though, it's incredible to see all this talent together in one place.  Superheroes joining forces for a good cause.  Sure the song itself is kind of cheesy, but it's instantly recognizable all these years later.

"We Are The World" spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.  USA For Africa raised over $50 million dollars for humanitarian aid to African countries.

Between the performers, a clear hierarchy emerges: the masses in the chorus, stars who are granted a solo verse, and finally the superstars who deliver their own distinctive "We Are The World" chorus.  That elite status is granted to five performers: Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles.  Upper echelon all-time greats, every single one.

It's just compelling to watch every single person in this video.  Everyone you see has made a unique and lasting contribution to the majesty of rock 'n' roll.  And really, when you think about it, they are all absolutely correct.  We ARE the world.  We ARE the children.

#38 - Summer Of '69

Artist: Bryan Adams

Album: Reckless
Video: From YouTube.

This is the second time an artist has had back-to-back videos in the countdown.  It will happen twice more before we're all done.

"Summer of '69" is a song that always gets me pumped, right from the driving guitar riff that starts it off.  It conjures up the feeling of the best summer ever, the last one before you're forced to confront the responsibilities of adulthood.  It peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The debate has raged as to whether the song is about the summer of 1969, or the act of 69.  Adams has asserted the latter, but co-writer and longtime Adams collaborator Jim Vallance offers a straightforward interpretation.  The Vallance link includes insights on many other songs the two wrote together, including "Somebody".  I wish I had discovered it early enough to reference in the last post.

The video captures the camaraderie and good times of adolescence.  Hanging out with friends, falling in love, eluding the cops.  Great scenes throughout.  It was nominated for a 1985 MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video.

Finally, you will notice there is no poll to vote on right now.  I've been having trouble creating a new one, Blogger keeps giving me an unhelpful error message.  I will keep trying though.

Also, I am hopeful that I will be able to post more regularly from now on.

#39 - Somebody

Artist: Bryan Adams

Album: Reckless
Video: From YouTube.

Here's a fun game: get some friends together and watch this video.  Every time Bryan Adams pumps his fist, take a drink.  Have a designated driver and paramedics standing by.

“Somebody” is the second of three Bryan Adams’ videos in the countdown.  One of several hits on the “Reckless” album, it peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It’s a pretty straightforward good-time rocker: simple repetitive chorus, infectious guitar hook, easy to sing along.

There is also a classic Depeche Mode song with the same title, released right around the same time.  Which “Somebody” is better?  You decide.

The video for the Bryan Adams song is a live concert performance.  Just Bryan in jeans and a white t-shirt rockin’ out with the band.  And the crowd is going CRAZY.  They are relentless in their lust and adoration.

Finally, note that the new poll is a bit unusual.  All of the choices for favorite song have already survived a cut.  It will get tougher as we narrow down to a single greatest song of 1985.  You can hardly contain your excitement, can you?

#40 - Take On Me

Artist: a-ha

Album: Hunting High And Low
Video: From YouTube, with over 32,000 comments!  Most are insane, but still.

It's great to be back, especially since today I get to write about one of my all-time favorite videos.  I find it impossible to hear this song without thinking of its accompanying love story adventure in comic book form.

By far a-ha’s most memorable song, “Take On Me” inspires instant nostalgia from the opening notes. It is a light-hearted, upbeat tune about taking a chance on a lover.  It reached the top of the pops.

The most decorated band ever to come out of Norway, a-ha has achieved great success internationally.  Their first eight albums all reached #1 in their home country.  The ninth album stalled at #2.  I guess they’re just not what they used to be.

a-ha’s only American hits were featured on their 1985 debut album (“The Sun Always Shines On T.V.” reached #20).  While the band never again sniffed the top 40 in America, they had dozens of hits internationally over a twenty-five year period.

The legacy of “Take On Me” is one of the most memorable videos of all-time, which won six MTV Video Music Awards in 1986.  It features a young woman who becomes a character in the comic book story she is reading.  The band members are featured as animated characters and also enter the live action world. 

Gotta disappear for a little while.

Hey 1985 Music Fans,

I have a family situation that needs my full attention for a while.  I won't be blogging for a few days, maybe longer.  Don't despair, though - I shall return to finish off the rest of the countdown.  40 more to go!