Tear Down This POLL - The Billy Ocean Greatest Hits Poll

Loverboy or Suddenly. Probably the former. Good groove, nice use of the production techniques of the time, far less embarrassing (lyrically and otherwise) than some of his later hits.

"Loverboy" is just awesome. And the video is Mos Eisley ripoff central. I still have the 45 somewhere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdXryyFw7No

I'm between "Loverboy" and "When the Going Gets Tough" meself.

haha great video.

i miss this type of early-MTV videos.

billy ocean was a badass for a minute there before this stuff. witness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpoRIOtGzc8

that's the answer to this poll

Where's 1976's "Love Really Hurts Without You" which reached #22. Ocean made some great Radio singles. I love Caribbean Queen, Loverboy, Getta Outta My Dreams, Love Zone, When The Going Gets Tough, even the rather minor Mystery Lady was good. But for some reason his ballads have never done much for me. Anyway, voting Caribbean Queen.

I can do without the last three cuts and "Nights" is my fave (different label hence not on this comp, I'm assuming). But definitely "Carribean Queen" here. It pushes forward where "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going" strolls a bit too much for my taste. Simply awesome!

I asked a gal I used to work with if she had any guilty music pleasures. She said she did but wouldn't tell me. I kept at it but she wouldn't budge...for hours! Finally, she blurted out, all red-faced, "Ok fine! Billy Ocean!" "All that for Billy Ocean?!? Billy Ocean is amaaaaaaaaazing! I thought you were going to say something like Enya..."

Soto, your intro reads like a Book from The 1980s Hymnal. Amen, god bless, and all.

Loverboy is flat-out epic.

I was all set to vote "Love Really Hurts Without You" which is far and away his best track afaic, but now I'm a bit stuck. Probably gonna give the nod to "When the Going Gets Tough" but the guy needs a proper Best Of I reckon.

I was all set to vote "Love Really Hurts Without You" which is far and away his best track afaic

Seconded! It'll have to be Get Out Of My Dreams then.

always thought "loverboy" was a nice match with teena marie's "lovergirl" (same year, i think).

"Carribean Queen" does one of my favorite things in pop music, and that is ending each line with a little sound effect summing up what he just sang. "She said I was the tiger she wanted to tame – *tiger growls*" "And I get so excited just from her perfume – *wolf whistle*" The best is after "electric eyes that you can't ignore" they throw in some DISCO LAZERS like you're going to get zapped by her disco lazer vision. Combine this with all the histrionic strings and his slightly casual vocals and you have one exciting, giddy pop song. The only thing I can think of that's comparable is "Smiling Faces Sometimes" by The Undisputed Truth.

Also, as KJB sort of noted, it has the amazing spoken word intro of "She is simply: awesome." It makes me grin like crazy every time.

andrew m is correct - Nights (Feel Like Gettin Down) completely owns but from the poll I vote Caribbean Queen

Going with "Caribbean Queen," though I like a lot of these. (Weren't there also remixes called "European Queen" and things like that? Or did I just dream that once?)

Anybody ever heard his '70s stuff, btw? His first U.S. Top 40 was "Love Really Hurts Without You," which went #22 in 1976, and then he didn't chart again for another eight years -- weird.

No, you're right.

"Carribean Queen" does one of my favorite things in pop music, and that is ending each line with a little sound effect summing up what he just sang

Like Steve Miller's "Abacadabra."

xpost

Not remixes as such, I believe the song was originally called "European Queen" and he changed it to "Caribbean Queen" cos it sounded more exotic for the European market. Or maybe vice versa. But that's essentially what happened.

"Carribean Queen" all the way. Loved a couple of the ballads back then, but the faster ones have held up better.

And, yes, "European Queen" was the original. I believe he also made other versions in additions to those two. The only thing changed in those "mixes" were the titles in the chorus though.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Let's smoke out those who voted for "There'll Be Sad Songs."

Cripes, I forgot all about "Loverboy." Racking my brain, the first thing I thought of was Teena Marie, actually. Wow, "Loverboy." Produced by Mutt Lange!

1) "Loverboy" vs. "Lovergirl"

2) Mr. Show's "Operation Hell on Earth"

3) That "Loverboy" video is totally "All She Wants to Do is Dance" with aliens, isn't it?

was too busy to write when the poll was going on, but not too busy to vote; and I voted "Caribbean Queen" which I love love love; it keeps me on the lookout for painted-on jeans today. I remember reading that it was an obvious crib of "Billie Jean", maybe even down to the painted-on JEANS lyric. I guess I see that, but so what, it was fertile territory. On a good day I can sing this song pretty well and I sound as good as I can, so I love it for vanity's sake too.

Lovergirl > Loverboy any day imo

IMO, too, which is why I had totally forgotten about the latter but remembered the former, even though I hadn't heard either in ... decades?

WHAT IS THE COLOUR OF LOVE?!

"Suddenly": the poor man's "Hello".

I had no idea Billy Ocean had begun performing again! New look is badass, too:
http://wdw2.wdpromedia.com/media/wdw_nextgen/CoreCatalog/WaltDisneyWorld/en_US/Media/InternetMediaType/Event/FoodWine2011/Performers/240X144e14.jpg?t=2011-07-26T11:16:53

"Suddenly": the poor man's "Hello".

― Corn Maze to the Dark Side (Eazy), Monday, September 19, 2011

hahahaha

3) That "Loverboy" video is totally "All She Wants to Do is Dance" with aliens, isn't it?

lol this is kinda true when i think about it!

One of the smoothest voices in late 20th century pop

I didn’t realise how good he was until I tried singing Caribbean Queen at karaoke. It’s really difficult!

Sometimes I can’t remember what day it is, but somehow I always remember all the vocal ad-libs at the end of the album version of Caribbean Queen when I sing along. They might be my favorite part.

I SAY SHE DANCED BY ME IN PAINTED JEEEANS!!!!

He deserved that Grammy.

Love Zone is amazing and I would've voted for that - synths glistening like icicles, bass prowling like a panther in the night

But yeah, Nights (Feel Like Gettin' Down) should have been the write-in winner

Love Zone is amazing and I would've voted for that - synths glistening like icicles, bass prowling like a panther in the night

― Wee Bloabby (NickB), Thursday, November 7, 2019 2

Excellent "Perfect Kiss"-like video too.

me and my whole family used to sing these songs in the car in the 80s. of course I was an elementary school kid so my mom would do "when the goin gets tough" and my brother and I would respond "THE TUFF GET GOIN" or rather I would and he would mumble cos he was widdle

I also liked Take on Me when I was about 4 but I thought it was "Take on Knee"

Michael Douglas dances in the "When the Going Gets Tough..." video as if he's never enjoyed, much less heard, a pop song in his life.

CD really needs 'Love Really Hurts Without You' - would have got my vote. Suddenly, otherwise.

WHEN THE GOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN GETS TOUGH

That Temptations dance in the video is unforgiveable. You can tell Michael Douglas has never once heard a pop song in his life.

Also: "Mutt" Lange pulled the same sampled vocal trick on "Pour Some Sugar on Me" you hear on "When the Going Gets Tough."

step inside
walk this way
go get tough

Oh wow never realized it was a Mutt Lange production but yes, has some of his hallmarks

Having had Yacht Rock on Sirius as the road trip go-to for approximately the last half-dozen years now, there's a small bunch of songs that have been fully and wholly killed off for me, enjoyment-wise. RIP "Caribbean Queen"

Nights (Feel Like Gettin' Down) should have been the write-in winner

co-sign