Songs that were in the UK Top 40 while Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon" was at number one

Ah, Tracey Ullmann's brief early stint as a singer before her better-remembered television series that begat "The Simpsons". A Kirsty MacColl cover.

She was already known from "Not The Nine O' Clock News" at this stage. Still a great version of the Kirsty MacColl song.

Voted for Alarm, but lots of goodies here. Besides the chameleon itself, there's "Red Red Wine", "Mama", "Dolce Vita", "Chance", "Blue Monday", "Dear Prudence", "Body Work", "They Don't Know", "New Song", "Rocksteady Crew", "Blue Hat For a Blue Day", "All Night Long", "Please Don't Make Me Cry" and "Upton Girl". All classic!

Mostly not into any of these. Voted for one you probably wouldn't approve of, Geir. (Oddly, I don't think ILM would approve of it as a pick from this list either.)

One of these:

Give It Up
Come Back and Stay
Karma Chameleon
Say Say Say

Blue Monday

Go deh yaka is pretty awesome disco reggae imo

It has to be blue Monday tho

"Tonight I Cele-"--kidding. "They Don't Know."

Walking In The Rain - Modern Romance
Modern Love - David Bowie

ha

She was already known from "Not The Nine O' Clock News" at this stage

Tracey Ullman never appeared on Not The Nine O'Clock News, you're thinking of A Kick Up The Eighties. She also appeared on Three of a Kind before she had any hit singles.

"Modern Love" for me.

i'm glad Geir is posting again, welcome back.

how can this not be "Blue Monday?"

i probably like "The Safety Dance" second which is pretty lame.

sort of wanted to vote "Mama" since I feel no one else will, but it's at best the 5th best song on this underrated Genesis record. "Karma Chameleon" is ace but it's "Modern Love" (it's so INSISTENT) with "Safety Dance" and Siouxsie's "Dear Prudence" close behind.

poll ruined by the presence of "Blue Monday" which will snore its way to the top

torn between a whole ton of these but i've reduced it to "Please Don't Make Me Cry" vs "Rocksteady Crew" and I think i'm gonna go with the former because fuck all y'all pre-85 UB40 4 LYFE

LIVIN' IT UP! LIVIN' IT UP!

oh fuck i love that record too what have i done

"Wings of a Dove" is also one of my very favourite Madness joints

Go deh yaka is pretty awesome disco reggae imo

I had never heard this song before, but it's great! Would rather hear that any day than Blue Monday for the billionth time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o61lOrHY-E8

come on, DUH DUH DUDUDUDUDUDUDUDU *cue students wobbling listlessly from foot to foot* never gets old

fucking hell "Modern Love" is better than "Blue Monday"

Fucking hell, Tahiti is no Rock On is it? Not even a Silver Dream Machine.

nah it was from some lame-ass musical of Mutiny on the Bounty and i really loved David Essex in the 70s, fuck i've even got time for "Night Clubbing"

"Mama" is still a pretty amazing choice of a single

It is! Phil Collins is always best when he stops trying to be a likeable chap and just acts himself i.e. a spiteful little goblin

I like "Mama" a lot but it is 70s Genesis that I really love. And 70s Genesis were of course not about singles.

"Mama" was a good call at updating their style for the 80s though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyDRXbP1MaY&ob=av3e

but yeah "Mama" is prog colliding with AOR and sounding really good for it

"Follow You Follow Me" sounds more AOR than new wave to me.

but it is a 70s single!

yeah you could argue that the Genesis album was an effort to get more experimental after 3 relatively AOR-ish efforts. but oh god "Illegal Alien" i'm sorry

Yes. "Follow You Follow Me" was a single. A single hit even. But it was ftom the most atypical 70s album by Genesis.

Actually, the most classically Genesis act then (well, apart from Marillion and IQ) was probably Howard Jones.

SAFETY DANCE

This thread is also the first time I'd heard Monyaka and "Go Deh Yaka" is great! Not quite great enough to stop me voting Rock Steady Crew though.

new order barely over lydia murdock

"Go Deh Yaka" is fun. :) I actually remember it from hearing it on Radio Lux (my source for hit music at a time when Norwegian radio sucked) back then.

love or at least like all of these:

Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Red Red Wine - UB40
Mama - Genesis
Modern Love - David Bowie
(Hey You) The Rocksteady Crew - Rocksteady Crew
All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Union Of The Snake - Duran Duran

no merely natural force could stop me for voting for "the safety dance" though

everybody look at your hands

You got two fat children and a drunken man Betcha don't, betcha don't, betcha don't like your life

(No, wait.... that's another song....)

Ah, Tracey Ullmann's brief early stint as a singer before her better-remembered television series that begat "The Simpsons". A Kirsty MacColl cover.

A Kirsty MacColl redub, really, as Tracy’s literally singing over the same multitrack with Kirsty turned down a bit in the mix for most of it, and turned back up for the “Baby!” that Ullman couldn’t reach.

Tracey Ullman never appeared on Not The Nine O'Clock News, you're thinking of A Kick Up The Eighties. She also appeared on Three of a Kind before she had any hit singles.

You’re thinking of someone who ever has any idea what they’re talking about, not Geir.

TY thread for bringing Go Deh Yaka into my life

(feat. Gimp)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYnK83WxJnw

TY thread for bringing Go Deh Yaka into my life

OTM

"Blue Monday" ftew.

Superstar - Lydia Murdock

If you haven't heard the 12" version of this one, do check it out. It's basically an answer record to "Billie Jean" from the point of view of "Billie Jean" herself, with an extended rap by Murdock, where she (among other things) says the baby was really Michael Jackson's, and he shouldn't be treating her like shit.

If I recall, the baby is not mentioned.

It most certainly is - otherwise it wouldn't be a proper answer song to "Billie Jean", would it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5oRAO_bcEA

Ah, I just read the lyrics. I guess the 'little man' bit wasn't on the 7" radioplay version.

Could be... I'm only familiar with the 12" version, I'm too young to have heard the tune on radio.

Thanks, Tuomas. I thought about voting for this in the recent Jacksons poll, then forgot to.

Bought on single at the time:
Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
Go Deh Yaka (Go To The Top) - Monyaka
Blue Monday - New Order
This Is Not a Lovesong - P.I.L.
Body Work - Hot Streak
(Hey You) The Rocksteady Crew - Rocksteady Crew
All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats

Very highly regarded:
Dolce Vita - Ryan Paris
Modern Love - David Bowie
Dear Prudence - Siouxie & The Banshees

Liked well enough, if not exactly loved:
Red Red Wine - UB40
Come Back And Stay - Paul Young
Mama - Genesis
Big Apple - Kajagoogoo
Wings Of a Dove - Madness
The Sun Goes Don (Living It Up) - Level 42
Crushed By The Wheels Of Industry - Heaven 17
Give It Up - KC & The Sunshine Band
Soul Inside - Soft Cell
They Don't Know - Tracey Ullmann
Please Don't Make Me Cry - UB40
Union Of The Snake - Duran Duran
Uptown Girl - Billy Joel

Neutral:
Tonight I Celebrate My Love - Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack
Say Say Say - Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
Blue Hat For a Blue Day - Nick Heyward

Dislike:
New Song - Howard Jones
68 Guns - The Alarm
Superman - Black Lace

Can't remember:
Walking In The Rain - Modern Romance
Ol' Rag Blues - Status Quo
What Am I Gonna Do - Rod Stewart
Chance - Big Country
Never Say Die (Give a Little Bit More) - Cliff Richard
Tahiti - David Essex
In Your Eyes - George Benson
Midnight At The Lost and Found - Meat Loaf
Superstar - Lydia Murdock

Voting for: All Night Long (All Night)

i only know two of these offhand, and the only one of those i like is "blue monday"

actually i might know "karma chameleon" or at least i know how the chorus goes. i don't like it

Given that Blue Monday will be the boringly inevitable (yet deserving) winner, my vote goes to They Don't Know.

But they do.

As a kid, I thought the Karma chorus was "Every day is like the Bible/You're my lover, not my rival."

^^totally

Voted Blue Monday.

Superstar - Lydia Murdock is the worst song here. I've never been a big fan of "answer" songs and Lydia's is particularly anodyne.

I have never heard the Ryan Paris song before!!! Given it went top 10 I am amazed I have no recollection of it. Maybe he never performed it on TOTP.

I don't think I've ever heard "Midnight At The Lost and Found," but it's funny to think there's a lost-and-found anywhere that stays open 24 hours.

just read the lyrics and as I suspected "lost and found" is being used euphemistically for "singles bar"

Or then again, he doesn't say that the L&F is open.

Loved/bought/heard at the time

Red Red Wine - UB40
Come Back And Stay - Paul Young
Mama - Genesis
Dolce Vita - Ryan Paris
Modern Love - David Bowie
This Is Not a Lovesong - P.I.L.
Dear Prudence - Siouxie & The Banshees
(Hey You) The Rocksteady Crew - Rocksteady Crew
All Night Long (All Night) - Lionel Richie
The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Uptown Girl - Billy Joel

Voting for Rocksteady Crew.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

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

How does it feel... to have known this was going to happen.

http://apnea-and-snoring.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/snore.jpg

Hardy a surprising winner. :)

Nice spread though.

Interesting how "Go Deh Yaka" got a lot of positive mentions in the thread, yet no votes.

"interesting" & "unexpected"

(wb Geir btw)