Blog Archives
FlinterFile: Toontje Lager- Niemand Die Het Weet
Toontje Lager, a Dutch band, split up in 1985. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Klein Orkest- Over De Muur
Through the years, the Berlin Wall has inspired many artists for their songs. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Herman van Veen- Hilversum III
There once was a German song by the band Haindling, called Lang Scho Nimma G’sehn. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Julian Lennon- Too Late For Goodbyes
Julian Lennon, the son of John Lennon, wrote this song in 1984 when he was 21 years old. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Diana Ross- Missing You
On the first of April, 1984, Marvin Gaye was killed by his own father. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Blancmange- Blind Vision
Blind Vision was a hit for Blancmange off their second album. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Frank Sinatra- L.A. Is My Lady
Frank Sinatra released his last album in 1984. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: David Lee Roth- California Girls
David Lee Roth released his first solo single in 1984. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Mike Oldfield- To France
After having a hit with Moonlight Shadow, sung by Maggie Reilly, Mike Oldfield asked her again to sing on the single To France. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Queen- It’s A Hard Life
This song is a mix of the classic Queen rock ballads and the magnitude of Bohemian Rhapsody. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Michael Jackson- Farewell My Summer Love
At Motown, they sometimes lose recordings. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: The Style Council- You’re The Best Thing
The Style Council released their debut album Café Bleu (in the US My Ever Changing Moods) in 1984. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Kenny Loggins- Footloose
Dean Pitchfork wrote a script for a movie which was released in 1984. Read the rest of this entry
FlinterFile: Linda Lewis- Class/Style
In 1984, Linda Lewis released her disco record Class/Style (I’ve Got It). As a small girl, she performed with her father, which led to her first small roles. She played in the movie A Hard Day’s Night. In the seventies, she released several songs, and sung in the background for artists like David Bowie and Cat Stevens. The albums she made in the seventies selled the best, but this disco song only was a minor hit in the Netherlands. Enjoy
Linda Lewis- Class/Style (I’ve Got It)
FlinterFile: Echo & the Bunnymen- The Killing Moon
In 1984, Echo & the Bunnymen recorded one of their biggest hits. The song was inspired by several things. Firstly, Ian McCulloch (the singer) played Space Oddity by David Bowie backwards and changed it. Secondly, they got inspired by several balalaikas which were played in their hotel, with which they also played around to get the chorus. Thirdly, they had the line ‘Fate up against your will’, with which Ian woke up one morning. Together it made the song and a number 9 hit in the UK. Enjoy
Echo & the Bunnymen- The Killing Moon
FlinterFile: The Blue Nile- Tinseltown In The Rain
In 1984, The Blue Nile released their only hit. They were without money and without record compagny to release their music, so they really had a problem. The demo of this song was played on a shoestring! Their engineer then took this song to Linn Hi-Fi, who saw changes to market their new equipment, if the Blue Nile used it. They were given 15 000 pounds to record their debut album. This song, the single of the album, was about their home town Glasgow, where the singer tries to find love between all the asphalt. It was number 87 in the UK, but a bigger hit in the Netherlands: number 28. Enjoy
The Blue Nile- Tinseltown In The Rain
FlinterFile: Evelyn Thomas- High Energy
In 1984, a multicultural song was produced. The producers were the British DJ Ian Levine, the Irish composer Fiachra Trench, and the song was sung by the American singer Evelyn Thomas. The energetic song would be one of the first songs of the High-NRG genre to enter the normal charts. Later, Stock Aitken and Waterman would produce a lot of High-NRG songs which were picked up by the normal charts. This song was number 1 in the US dance chart, and number 5 in the UK chart. Enjoy
Evelyn Thomas- High Energy
Song of the day: Matt Bianco- Whose Side Are You On?
In 1984, Matt Bianco started their career with the album Whose Side Are You On?. The title track of that album only was a small hit in the Netherlands, as it reached number 23. The text is about a spy, and this is a reference to the name of the band (as that was a spy). Enjoy
Matt Bianco- Whose Side Are You On?
Song of the day: Rockwell- Somebody’s Watching Me
In 1984, Kennedy Gordy (yes, the son of the Motown founder Berry Gordy) recorded a demo with a Motown producer under the name Rockwell. Berry did not believe his son had capacities as an artist, but was convinced the demo could be a hit. Michael Jackson sang the backing vocals, something Kennedy strongly wanted. It would mean the guarantee the single would be a hit, which it was: number 2 in the US and number 6 in the UK. Enjoy
Rockwell- Somebody’s Watching Me
Song of the day: Eurythmics- Here Comes The Rain Again
In 1984, the fourth single from the album Touch was released. Annie Lennox and David Stewart had written it, putting a lot of melancholy in it. The lyrics were written after an argument between the two, and it started to rain when Annie Lennox looked out of the window. She then said: “Here comes the rain again.”Michael Kamen made the musical arrangements, gave them to members of the British Philharmonic Orchestra, who had to record them all over the studio because of time pressure. In the US it was a number 4 hit, in the UK number 8. Enjoy
Eurythmics- Here Comes The Rain Again
Song of the day: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark- Locomotion
In 1984, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) released their new album Junk Culture. The first single of the album was this song, which combines an uptempo rhythm with some more ‘negative’ lyrics. It was recorded in the last week of recording, with a steel drum and the manager of the group playing bass and piano. In the Netherlands, in the Wisseloord Studio’s, the song was mixed. The song made it to number 5 in the UK and the Netherlands. Enjoy
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark- Locomotion
Song of the day: Chaka Khan- I Feel For You
In 1984, Chaka Khan recorded a cover of an older Prince song. Prince wrote the song in 1979, actually for Patrice Rushen, but it never appeared on an album of Patrice Rushen, so Prince recorded it himself on the album Prince. Chaka Khan invited Melle Mel to rap, David Frank (The System) to play keyboard and guitar and even Stevie Wonder to play the harmonica. The beginning of the song was actually a mistake from the producer, but it sounded good, so they kept it. It made a hit, number 1 in the UK and number 3 in the US. Enjoy
Chaka Khan- I Feel For You
Song of the day: Ultravox- Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
The Cold War was at its height in 1984. For Ultravox it was the reason to write a song about it. This song particularly dealt with the idea of the last day on earth, after a nuclear attack. In the song, the singer drives home to his love, which is also shown in the music video. In the US, it never charted, but in the UK it was a big hit: number 3. Enjoy
Ultravox- Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
Song of the day: The Scorpions- Still Loving You
Today we’ve got a song from the eighties, to be precize: 1984. It’s about love and pain, and actually about an old love which has died out, but where the two lovers give it a try (again). The melody and the composition of the song were already made, but it took more than six years to get the song on an album. The guitar solo was invented and immediately was right. The lyrics came a little later, when one of the members went out for a walk in the snow. In France the song went to number one, probably even causing a baby boom! Enjoy
The Scorpions- Still Loving You
Song of the day: Murray Head- One Night In Bangkok
We’re going into the eighties today! The song of today came from a musical, which had music written by two members of ABBA, the two B’s: Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus. The lyrics were written by Tim Rice and Björn Ulvaeus. And the recording of the songs? That was done by different persons, and the one who probably had the most success with it, was Murray Head with the song of the day. It was number 3 in the US and number 12 in the UK, but in lots of countries it was number one. The original version changes abruptly into music, which is strange if you forget that it was part of the musical Chess. Enjoy
Murray Head- One Night In Bangkok
Song of the day: The Alan Parsons Project- Don’t Answer Me
The eighties are a fantastic era for music, though there is some suggestion otherwise. This song, which is great, comes from the year 1984 and would be the last big hit for the Alan Parsons Project. The group put aside the rock ideas and went back to the sixties, when a man called Phil Spector was one of the first producers. They took his Wall of Sound and created a song in this style. The song hit number 15 in the US and only number 58 in the UK. However, it’s remembered as one of their biggest hits. Enjoy
The Alan Parsons Project- Don’t Answer Me
Song of the day: Tony Esposito- Kalimba De Luna
The man of Papa Chico had another hit. Probably that’s not new, but this song is a bit forgotten, which is a shame, since I think it’s better than his biggest hit. Though it did not chart very high and only in some charts, it did make it to my ears. The way was a bit different: after Tony Esposito made the song, Boney M came with a cover, which was a big success, bigger than the original. The original is only heard on some radio stations, if they feel like playing it. Enjoy
Tony Esposito- Kalimba de Luna
Song of the day: Don Henley- The Boys Of Summer
In 1984, the front man of the Eagles, also the drummer and the singer of the band, decided to make a solo album. The lead single of the album would chart in the Top 5 of the US and even at the top of the Top Rock Chart. In a lot of countries, it would be a minor hit. Although it has this status, it is mostly played a lot during the summer. That’s a bit strange, since it is about ageing, thinking and questioning the past (who does not do that?) and (here is the reason for playing it in the summer!) summer love in the choruses. Enjoy
Don Henley- The Boys Of Summer
Song of the day: Bronski Beat- Smalltown Boy
Yeah, I’m a bit embarrassed… not because of the song, no, it’s very good. Great music, nice beat too, and a great voice singing it. That’s the cause of my embarrassement: the voice. I’ve always thought it was a woman singing the song, just like the music of the Communards. But the DJ on the radio was saying it’s a man! How could I have misheard such a thing? Probably because the man is singing really high, and since I can produce nothing but a bass, every man has to be in the range of Barry White. I think it’s something like that. However, it’s a great eighties song from the debute album of Bronski Beat, about homophobia, a problem which still exists. Enjoy
Bronski Beat- Smalltown Boy
Song of the day: The Style Council- Shout To The Top
The Style Council, a band from the eighties, had a big hit in 1984. The band existed of Paul Weller (known from the Jam) and Mick Talbot (known from Dexy’s Midnight Runners). Some other people joined and they regularly cooperated with other people. About the song is not much special information, apart from that it was made for a movie and that it is a great song. Enjoy
The Style Council- Shout To The Top
Song of the day: Ashford & Simpson- Solid
Another song from the eighties today, and this one is from 1984! They met in a choir (already in the sixties!) and then started to write songs, of which some became massive hits. Some of these songs are Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, I’m Every Woman, Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing and Reach Out. They made quite some songs, all without big success. This one stood out and became a hit in lots of countries. A nice detail is that the brother of Valerie Simpson was the agent in the Village People! Enjoy
Ashford & Simpson- Solid
Song of the day: Sheila E.- Glamorous Life
We’re in 1984! And I really love this song. It’s disco and everything a record needs! A good singer, nice music, maybe this is such a record that is quite perfect! But okay, you know I’m a big discofan, so that’s maybe a bit biased… Throw the furniture to the side of the room, and dance to
Sheila E.- The Glamorous Life
Song of the day: The Cars- Drive
Another biggest hit by a band which I don’t know for more songs than just this one. It was a big hit just after the release, but it was used by Live Aid, too, as song under some videos. And guess what? Again a big hit. No surprise, because the song is very good. The music matches the text, and the total picture is just right! So for today, enjoy
The Cars- Drive
Song of the day: The Pointer Sisters- Jump! (For My Love)
Yes, this is one of the best studio albums by the Pointer Sisters! Okay, we only have one, but still…
One of the tracks on the album is Automatic, a very good song, but not the song of the day.
The song of the day is a song which is a happy song. I can’t think of a better description. Or, well:It has to do something with the Olympic games of 1984.
It’s Jump (For My Love)!
And this song was originally called Jump, the rest of the title was placed after it when the song got confused with Jump from Van Halen.
Song of the day: Bruce Springsteen- Dancing In The Dark
Bruce Springsteen had quite some problems writing hits. Read the rest of this entry
The FlinterFiles 