1980s

80s Song of the Day: Don’t Stand So Close to Me by The Police

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Her friends are so jealous
You know how bad girls get
Sometimes it’s not so easy
To be the teacher’s pet

dont-stand

Don’t Stand So Close to Me by The Police was released in the United Kingdom on September 19, 1980, with Friends as the B side. The song, about an affair between a teacher and a student, was the lead single from the band’s third album Zenyatta Mondatta.

In the United Kingdom, the song reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart and was the biggest selling single of 1980. In the United States, it reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: Heaven Is a Place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle

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When you walk into the room
You pull me close and we start to move
And we’re spinning with the stars above
And you lift me up in a wave of love

heaven

Heaven Is a Place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle was released on September 18, 1987, with We Can Change as the B side. It was the lead single from Carlisle’s second studio album Heaven on Earth.

The song reached No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. It was also a No. 1 hit in several other countries. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: When I See You Smile by Bad English

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Sometimes I want to give up
Want to give in
I want to quit the fight
And then I see you baby
And everything’s alright

bad-english-when-i-see-you-smile

When I See You Smile by rock super-group Bad English was released on September 16, 1989, with Rockin’ Horse as the B side. It was the second single from the band’s self-titled debut album.

Formed in 1987, Bad English included Journey members Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain, former Babys bandmates John Waite and Ricky Phillips, and drummer Dean Castronova. When I See You Smile was their first and only No. 1 hit in the United States, where it spent two weeks at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached No. 1 on the Canada Top Singles chart. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: Smooth Operator by Sade

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Coast to coast, LA to Chicago, western male
Across the north and south, to Key Largo, love for sale

smooth-operator

Smooth Operator by Sade was released in the United Kingdom on September 15, 1984, with Spirit as the B side. It was the fourth and final single from the band’s debut album Diamond Life.

Smooth Operator reached No. 19 on the UK Singles Chart. After its release the following year in the United States, it became Sade’s first Top 10 hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached No. 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: Learning to Fly by Pink Floyd

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Can’t keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I

learning-45

Learning to Fly by Pink Floyd was released on September 14, 1987, with Terminal Frost as the B side. It was the first single from A Momentary Lapse of Reason, the band’s thirteenth studio album and its first following the departure of Roger Waters.

The song was primarily written by David Gilmour, who assumed leadership of Pink Floyd following Waters’ departure. Learning to Fly reached No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100. It spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: Centerfold by The J. Geils Band

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Years go by I’m lookin’ through a girly magazine
And there’s my homeroom angel on the pages inbetween

centerfold-2

Centerfold by The J. Geils Band was released on September 13, 1981, with Rage in the Cage as the B side. It was the first single released from the album Freeze Frame.

The song spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart, the first and only major hit for the band in the United Kingdom. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: Love Is a Battlefield by Pat Benatar

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You’re making me go, you’re begging me stay
Why do you hurt me so bad?
It would help me to know
Do I stand in your way, or am I the best thing you’ve had?

love-is-a-battlefield

Love Is a Battlefield by Pat Benatar was released on September 12, 1983, with a live version of Hell Is for Children as the B side. It was one of two studio tracks (the other being Lipstick Lies) featured on Benatar’s live album Live from Earth, recorded during the Get Nervous world tour in late 1982/early 1983.

Love Is a Battlefield reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart. In 1984, the song won Benatar her fourth consecutive Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: It’s Raining Men by The Weather Girls

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God bless Mother Nature, she’s a single woman too
She took off to heaven and she did what she had to do
She taught every angel to rearrange the sky
So that each and every woman could find her perfect guy

weather_girls_raining_men

It’s Raining Men by The Weather Girls was released on September 10, 1982, with an instrumental version of the song as the B side. It was a single from the album Success.

The song, which had previously been rejected by Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Cher, and Barbara Streisand, was an international hit, selling 6 million copies worldwide. It reached No. 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: No Reply At All by Genesis

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I get the feelin’ you’re tryin’ to tell me;
Is there somethin’ that I should know?
What excuse are you tryin’ to sell me?
Should I be readin’ stop or go?
I don’t know

no_reply_at_all_single

No Reply At All by Genesis was released September 9, 1981. Some versions featured  Naminanu as the B side; others featured Dodo. It was the first single released in the United States from the album Abacab.

The song spent 18 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 29. It went all the way to No. 2 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart. Continue reading →

80s Song of the Day: Lucky Star by Madonna

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You must be my lucky star
‘Cause you make the darkness seem so far
And when I’m lost you’ll be my guide
I just turn around and you’re by my side

lucky-star

Lucky Star by Madonna was released in the United Kingdom on September 8, 1983, with I Know It as the B side. It was the fourth single from her eponymous debut album.

The song reached No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart. In the United States, it was Madonna’s first Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 4. It became the second single in her record-breaking string of 17 consecutive Top 10 hits. Continue reading →