Definitely recall freestyle tunes that never made the charts, as well.
― Well, that's a fine howdy adieu! (Old Lunch), Thursday, 16 July 2020 13:13 (three years ago) link
Just about every synthwave producer seems to have done a tribute/knockoff of the Miami Vice theme at least once, so that certainly doesn’t seem as much a forgotten relic like the rest of these (“smaller followups to big hits” is spot on).
― Siegbran, Thursday, 16 July 2020 13:15 (three years ago) link
"hey JJ! what you been doin'"
still love "c'est la vie" so that's my vote.
list is a great reminder of how many sappy songs chicago through at the wall over the course of those years. really put us all through the ringer with that shit.
― andrew m., Thursday, 16 July 2020 13:32 (three years ago) link
Regina and Survivor are the only ones that didn't start automatically playing in my head...
I was a big enough fan of that Regina single to actually pick up a promo copy of her album in a cheap bin, and even I couldn't make "Baby Love" play in my head this morning. It's pretty good fake Madonna. But this is absolutely "Neutron Dance" for me.
― Orson Well Yeah (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 16 July 2020 13:51 (three years ago) link
Yeah, this (when I was about 8-10) might be the time I paid the most attention to pop so, even when I can't recall the tune, I do at the least recall the existence or something about the video of at least half of these. (It would probably close to 100% if we were looking at songs from the mainstream rock charts.) "Batdance" is probably best but I really want to vote for "In Your Room".
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Thursday, 16 July 2020 13:52 (three years ago) link
I had no idea "Look Away" was forgotten but I guess I mostly hear "You're the Inspiration" and "Hard to Say I'm Sorry".
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Thursday, 16 July 2020 13:53 (three years ago) link
Chicago 19 was my second vinyl record! My dad bought it for me for Xmas along with the soundtrack to Oliver and Company and my first turntable
― Lady Antibody (Neanderthal), Thursday, 16 July 2020 13:59 (three years ago) link
Cyndi Lauper - Change Of Heart
I love this song so much it's scary.
― Bougy! Bougie! Bougé! (Eliza D.), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:02 (three years ago) link
It's the only one on True Colors that matches the genius of She's So Unusual imo.
― Well, that's a fine howdy adieu! (Old Lunch), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:06 (three years ago) link
Also, I thought that was the only Samantha Fox song anyone knew.
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:08 (three years ago) link
Bangles on backup vocals! xpost
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:08 (three years ago) link
I still ride for all of these:
5. Prince - Batdance10. Cyndi Lauper - Change Of Heart13. Arcadia - Election Day15. Samantha Fox - Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)19. Jan Hammer - Miami Vice Theme20. The Jets - Cross My Broken Heart27. Bangles - In Your Room31. Madonna - Who's That Girl33. Herb Alpert - Diamonds34. Milli Vanilli - Baby Don't Forget My Number37. George Michael - Monkey38. Samantha Fox - I Wanna Have Some Fun39. El DeBarge - Who's Johnny41. The Jets - Rocket 2 U42. Duran Duran - I Don't Want Your Love44. The Pointer Sisters - Neutron Dance45. Madonna - Causing A Commotion47. Huey Lewis & The News - Jacob's Ladder48. Robbie Nevil - C'Est La Vie50. Sting - We'll Be Together
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:13 (three years ago) link
This list is reminding me of how much better off we all would have been had someone locked the New Kids in a basement
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:15 (three years ago) link
Ha, I see there was more than one there. I meant "Naughty Girls".
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:16 (three years ago) link
DJP has most of the good ones, I just have to add a little bit of cheese that's stuck with / stained me.
11. Chicago - I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love15. Samantha Fox - Naughty Girls (Need Love Too)18. Steve Winwood - Don't You Know What The Night Can Do?19. Jan Hammer - Miami Vice Theme21. White Lion - When The Children Cry25. Paul McCartney - Spies Like Us27. Bangles - In Your Room31. Madonna - Who's That Girl34. Milli Vanilli - Baby Don't Forget My Number35. Paul McCartney - No More Lonely Nights37. George Michael - Monkey38. Samantha Fox - I Wanna Have Some Fun39. El DeBarge - Who's Johnny40. Chicago - Look Away42. Duran Duran - I Don't Want Your Love44. The Pointer Sisters - Neutron Dance47. Huey Lewis & The News - Jacob's Ladder48. Robbie Nevil - C'Est La Vie
― Joey Corona (Euler), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:27 (three years ago) link
also
18. Steve Winwood - Don't You Know What The Night Can Do?
reminds that rather little Michelob Rock makes this list, meaning that it must still be in radio playlists somewhere? probably in midwestern bars.
― Joey Corona (Euler), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:28 (three years ago) link
I'm somewhat surprised "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" isn't no here
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:47 (three years ago) link
Rocket 2 U
― trapped out the barndo (crüt), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:50 (three years ago) link
also, special shoutout to Weird Al’s Ed McMahon-themed El DeBarge parody
― trapped out the barndo (crüt), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:51 (three years ago) link
Most of these I can't even bring to mind but Arcadia's "Election Day" started playing in my head, so that one.
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:51 (three years ago) link
haha when I sing "Who's Johnny" around the house (which is often), I end up mixing up the lyrics with "Here's Johnny". maybe Al's best parody?
― Joey Corona (Euler), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:52 (three years ago) link
HEYO! HEY-HEYOOO!
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Thursday, 16 July 2020 14:55 (three years ago) link
Just listened to "Who's Johnny" for the first time in eons. The yuge gated drums! The production reminds me of "Wood Beez," which is odd because the Scritti song came first. I always thought it borrowed from De Barge a bit.
― Orson Well Yeah (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:07 (three years ago) link
Rocket 2 U― trapped out the barndo (crüt), Thursday, July 16, 2020 3:50 PM (ten minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
― trapped out the barndo (crüt), Thursday, July 16, 2020 3:50 PM (ten minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
oh man i don't think i've heard "rocket 2 u" since i was a kid. i've got to vote for it. i have a major attachment to the jets. they were sort of well-known in utah because they were mormon - it's a weird story involving uncomfortable colonial and religious energy i don't exactly know how to explain. one of the few positive contributions to the general culture mormonism is at least partially responsible for. the sets for these videos ("rocket 2 u" and "cross my broken heart") look a lot like the tv show "kids incorporated" which i was obsessed with. i love how cornball and innocent they were, but catchy af and disarmingly substantial in moments.
"crush on you" is obviously their masterpiece though
― carin' (map), Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:11 (three years ago) link
Batdance is one of the greatest songs of all time, so voted that. A lot of these songs are lesser-known hits from people who are either only associated with one song (Rick Astley, Milli Vanilli) or songs that for whatever reason do not rise to the level of their most important work (Duran Duran, Madonna, and yes, Prince in the eyes of everyone but me) - if I'm only going to remember five Duran Duran songs, none of them are going to be "I Don't Want Your Love". Sort of the '80s equivalent of "The Ballad of John and Yoko" of all fucking things becoming a #1 hit - if that record didn't have the Beatles' name on it no way that would have made #1.
I'll also say that while there are a lot of these songs I can't remember, even though they were totally on the radio and stuff, but I do still remember "Look Away", and I fucking hate it.
― Kate (rushomancy), Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:12 (three years ago) link
A decent number of CVS Jams on those 'Lost' lists.
― "...And the Gods Socially Distanced" (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:20 (three years ago) link
If post-Cetera ChicagoIs playing on your radioLook awayBaby, look away
― Well, that's a fine howdy adieu! (Old Lunch), Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:22 (three years ago) link
re: The Jets, I have been and always will be a "Curiosity" partisan
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:38 (three years ago) link
if I'm only going to remember five Duran Duran songs, none of them are going to be "I Don't Want Your Love".
"I Don't Want Your Love" and "Notorious" are the only Duran Duran songs I go out of my way to listen to these days
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:41 (three years ago) link
I've played "Rocket 2 U" on a jukebox as recently as this year, so that one. I like the Regina one also, I own the 12" single.
― Josefa, Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:41 (three years ago) link
All She Wants Is >>> IDWYL
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:47 (three years ago) link
agreed! I really love All She Wants Is
― Joey Corona (Euler), Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:48 (three years ago) link
Not only have I never heard "I Like It" before, I have no memory of the career/existence of Dino. (I think the later in the 80s, the more gaps in my knowledge.)
― Orson Well Yeah (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:52 (three years ago) link
He's kinda shit, I guess, but I have a massive soft spot in my heart for him.
S-S-SUMMERGURLS
― Well, that's a fine howdy adieu! (Old Lunch), Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:58 (three years ago) link
"All She Wants Is" is garbage
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:08 (three years ago) link
I was confused to see Miami Vice Theme on there too, but was getting it mixed up with Crockett's Theme, which I think is much more popular. I have no memory of ever hearing the actual Miami Vice Theme before today.
― Dan I., Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:14 (three years ago) link
29. Regina - Baby Love
Aww, I love this song!! Think it was actually originally written for Madonna, but when she rejected it Regina sung it herself. Co-writer was Stephen Bray who also wrote Angel, Over & Over and True Blue with Madonna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4IwsyBFoS0
― Boris the Spreader (NickB), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:21 (three years ago) link
I bought Election Day and Spies Like Us not because they were good songs but for the Fairlight enhanced bits. I bought C'Est La Vie because it was a CD single and there weren't that many. The El DeBarge might be the pick here without actually listening to any of them.
― All Diacritics Love Ü (Noel Emits), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:21 (three years ago) link
wow platonic ideal 80s sax solo in "baby love"
― carin' (map), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:28 (three years ago) link
david sanborn, no less!
― Boris the Spreader (NickB), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:29 (three years ago) link
I love Taylor Dane. There, I said it.
― Migdalia Amygdala (Dr. Joseph A. Ofalt), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:36 (three years ago) link
*Dayne
― Migdalia Amygdala (Dr. Joseph A. Ofalt), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:37 (three years ago) link
"Don't Rush Me" is my favorite Taylor Dayne single.
Because he coded as freestyle fellow traveler, Dino got LOTS of SoFla airplay ("I Like It," "Romeo," "Summer Girls").
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:40 (three years ago) link
crockett's theme is one of the greatest pieces of recorded music in history.
xp
― andrew m., Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:47 (three years ago) link
"Who's Johnny"
― A White, White Gay (cryptosicko), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:48 (three years ago) link
yeah, I also noted how "Who's Johnny" sounds like second-rate Scritti but with a first-rate vocalist.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:50 (three years ago) link
Y'all can shoot me, but I'll take David Gilmour's solo in "No More Lonely Nights" -- scrappy, impatient -- over most of his Floyd contributions. It's one of McCartney's best ballads.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:52 (three years ago) link
Day or night, it's always there
― Lady Antibody (Neanderthal), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:53 (three years ago) link
can we talk about how absurd Milli Vanilli werehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhyzGDPwmYU
― trapped out the barndo (crüt), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:55 (three years ago) link
^^^ their best single!
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 16 July 2020 16:56 (three years ago) link
the organ trills on “we’ll be together” are hideous
― brimstead, Wednesday, 22 July 2020 16:51 (three years ago) link
well, "organ." It sounds like a Casio preset.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 16:58 (three years ago) link
I like We'll Be Together.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 22 July 2020 17:00 (three years ago) link
iirc the video had not just Sting video acting, but a Rhythm Nation like dance breakdown.
Ha, it's actually worse than I remembered it being.
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 17:05 (three years ago) link
I know and love a lot of these songs. Voted Change of Heart. Baby Love is gr8; C'est La Vie is gr8 as well.
Spies Like Us, Who's Johnny*, and of course Batdance were from movies, which explains a bit about why they appeared and then mostly vanished: they made little sense once the
Who's That Girl, Neutron Dance, Shake Your Love, and Causing a Commotion were all very big and am surprised that they've faded from pop fans' memories.
* = Short Circuit, in case you don't know
― Please, Hammurabi, don't hurt 'em (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 17:11 (three years ago) link
I just listened to a re-recorded version of "We'll Be Together" from some best-of and it was super terrible, so I went back to the ...Nothing Like The Sun version and it's very similar but the slight differences are enough for me to be like "yes, this is a jam".
Basically, the backing vocal arrangement makes this entire song for me.
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 17:12 (three years ago) link
You do remember that "Who's That Girl", "Neutron Dance", and "Causing a Commotion" were ALSO soundtrack songs, right?
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 17:14 (three years ago) link
I feel like this belongs in this thread (I bought the 12" when it came out lol):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_A8Xe9M0NY
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 17:17 (three years ago) link
xp LOL (I think "Neutron Dance" had even been released a few years earlier, but only became huge after appearing on the "BHC" soundtrack?)
― Your dream has symbolic content (morrisp), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 17:17 (three years ago) link
T/S: Steve Winwood, "Don't You Know What The Night Can Do?" vs. Genesis "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" vs. Eric Clapton's 1987 version of "After Midnight."
Only the third was created specifically for a beer commercial but in my memory these three songs share a beer-commercial vibe.
― Please, Hammurabi, don't hurt 'em (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 17:25 (three years ago) link
I saw that Michelob commercial as a kid and immediately thought drinking beer would be that amazing.
It's not
― Lady Antibody (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 17:30 (three years ago) link
I think you mean "drinking Michelob would be that amazing."
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 17:32 (three years ago) link
True. When i drink St Bernardus ABT 12 i leave the planet
― Lady Antibody (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 17:35 (three years ago) link
Only the third was created specifically for a beer commercial but in my memory these three songs share a beer-commercial vibe.The other two songs were also used in Michelob ads, though.
― Your dream has symbolic content (morrisp), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 18:01 (three years ago) link
Hah, I knew it.
And DJP, thanks for the expansion on the movie songs - I should have recalled the filmic origins of at least "Who's That Girl" but it evaded my mind.
Though there is still, I think, a useful distinction between "created for a movie" vs. "used in a movie."
― Please, Hammurabi, don't hurt 'em (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 18:05 (three years ago) link
"Who's Johnny" will always be remembered by its middle-school parody version: "'Who farted?' she said / Then turned, and walked away..."
― Your dream has symbolic content (morrisp), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 18:24 (three years ago) link
Sure, but the only songs in your list that weren't created specifically for a movie were "Neutron Dance" and "Shake Your Love", and "Neutron Dance" didn't become a hit until it was included on a movie soundtrack, so I'm not sure it's as big a distinction as one might think it should be.
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 18:31 (three years ago) link
I greatly prefer the ‘87 beer commercial version of “After Midnight” to the original.
― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 22 July 2020 18:45 (three years ago) link
Which I only ever knew about because of its inclusion on the Crossroads box set. I didn’t watch no damn TV in 1987!
― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 22 July 2020 18:47 (three years ago) link
Yeah the remake of After Midnight is a pretty solid rock track
― Please, Hammurabi, don't hurt 'em (Ye Mad Puffin), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 18:49 (three years ago) link
Sure, but the only songs in your list that weren't created specifically for a movie were "Neutron Dance"
Some interesting trivia that I absolutely have known for a long time, and did not only learn about via Wikipedia earlier:
According to Allee Willis, "Neutron Dance" was written in hopes of being placed on the soundtrack of the film Streets of Fire: "We were told that there was a scene on a bus that was leaving town after there had been this nuclear holocaust, and that a '50s doo-wop black group was going to be at the back of the bus that the lead couple was escaping on ...
― Your dream has symbolic content (morrisp), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 19:07 (three years ago) link
ahahahahahahahaha classic
― shout-out to his family (DJP), Wednesday, 22 July 2020 19:30 (three years ago) link
I also prefer the bullshit beer commercial version of After Midnight, though it's extremely tacky that Eric Clapton of all people, with his infamous struggles with substance abuse, should do a beer commercial at all. The Genesis beer commercial, on the other hand, Tonight Tonight Tonight is a song literally about addiction, which makes its usage in a beer ad almost as wrong-headed as Reagan and Born in the USA.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 22 July 2020 19:39 (three years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Thursday, 23 July 2020 00:01 (three years ago) link
Those results are just burnin'!
― Please, Hammurabi, don't hurt 'em (Ye Mad Puffin), Thursday, 23 July 2020 00:18 (three years ago) link
Lol, I'm glad I could help take the Bangles to #2.
― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r), Thursday, 23 July 2020 00:28 (three years ago) link
heh, those results scan like someone just shuffled the song order
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 23 July 2020 00:57 (three years ago) link
listened to the top 5 and didn't recognize anything. the el debarge song sounds like "stand" by REM
― budo jeru, Thursday, 23 July 2020 01:09 (three years ago) link
It's remarkable to me that someone wouldn't know "Neutron Dance," but then, I'm not going to assume that "Beverly Hills Cop" has filtered down through the generations and/or across borders.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 23 July 2020 01:11 (three years ago) link
xp oh this is that song from Short Circuit! I was not an especially idiotic child, just normal idiotic, but I always thought Johnny 5 was singing "who is Downey"
― the burrito that defined a generation, Thursday, 23 July 2020 01:16 (three years ago) link
xp Do you think I could credibly pull off the "banana in the tailpipe" routine on a Zoomer?
― Your dream has symbolic content (morrisp), Thursday, 23 July 2020 01:17 (three years ago) link
xp The music video features El DeBarge singing in a courtroom, where a judge is presiding over the trial of Johnny 5 (the robotic protagonist of Short Circuit). A representative of NOVA, the government defense contractor that created Johnny, sits at the prosecutor's table as El DeBarge sings his testimony from the witness stand. Stephanie Speck (Ally Sheedy) and a cardboard cutout of Newton Graham Crosby, Ph.D. (Steve Guttenberg) are also in attendance as adversarial witnesses for the prosecution, implying that El Debarge is playing the co-lead role of Ben Jabituya, played by Fisher Stevens in the film. The prosecutor's sole question during these examinations is the titular line of the song "Who's Johnny?" She plays a VHS tape, labeled "Short Circuit," containing various clips from the movie. Meanwhile, Number 5 wreaks havoc in the courtroom (only his robotic hand is visible to the viewer) with various hijinks, including giving the prosecuting attorney a pair of funny nose glasses, turning up the ceiling fan to create a windstorm of papers, swapping the judge's gavel for an exploding one and calling the fire department, resulting in the judge being sprayed with water. Stephanie and El DeBarge sneak out of the courtroom at the end, covering the camera with a slate on their way out. The prosecutor, still wearing the trick glasses, pops up to deliver the last "Who's Johnny?"
― the burrito that defined a generation, Thursday, 23 July 2020 01:23 (three years ago) link
The top two finishers are worthy. "Batdance"--eh, I don't really get it. It mostly reminds me of those obnoxious remixes that played over the end credits of a lot of films from that era, where dialogue from the film is mixed into the film's novelty-ish theme song (we could do a whole thread of these). The rest of the Batman album is solid, though, and occasionally even better than that; "Electric Chair" would likely make my list of top ten Prince tracks.
― A White, White Gay (cryptosicko), Thursday, 23 July 2020 01:36 (three years ago) link
I don't even like "Neutron Dance" much.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 23 July 2020 01:42 (three years ago) link
more votes than i would have expected for "c'est la vie"!
― dyl, Thursday, 23 July 2020 03:53 (three years ago) link
such is the genius of this poll
― geoffreyess, Thursday, 23 July 2020 04:40 (three years ago) link