I Love #1's - 1981

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Last week the Sugababes pushed the Poptimists' buttons to ensure an easy victory for best number one of 2005, with 30 ticks. Steve Brookstein got a big fat zero. Whatevs Steve! This lunchtime it's time to rip off those Eurovision skirts and paint a white stripe across your nose! It's 1981!

[Poll #852811]

Comments

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I watched that episode of Father Ted featuring Ghost Town the other day. Hehehehe.

Come on kids, comment me up! I think this is a cracking year.

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

I've always wondered if that was inspired by the legendary story of someone hiring Tricky to DJ a night, and him playing The Specials' first long player front and back, and demanding his night's pay on the grounds that it was a fucking great album.

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

It's true. He was well within his rights!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Also my love for Joe Dolce is somehow linked to Super Mario Bros but I can't really put my finger on why.

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

the which is best is too hard this time. on any given day i would profess to prefering any of aneka/specials/both adam&ants/soft cell

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

i didn't think 'Imagine' was THIS unpopular (now)!

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

i find it as much effort to hate as to love (true of Lennon generally, for me)

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

We're just sick of him and his face. And his wife's face. And his big piano. NO POSSESSIONS EH JOHN? What's that massive white thing you're playing then?

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

I don't hate it, but, well, there's nothing in it I can enjoy.

[ms-bracken.livejournal.com]

Imagine all the peeeeeeeeople shutupshutupshutup. I think it's quite laudable that you can't work yourself into the same frenzy of hatred and rage as I can over a simple, as-far-as-we-know well-intentioned little pop song.

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

Specifically naming it as worse than Joe Dolce is Political Incorrectness Gone Mad!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

How could it NOT be?! It's actually the worst song ever!

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

More nonsense from the Lex. Yawn!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

An amazing run here.

Roxy Music's "Jealous Guy" video is ridiculously and wonderfully insincere.

What is this hatred of Smokey? BAH.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I guess people just can't recall it.

The lack of love for Julio on the other hand is inexcusable. Cheese-a-rific!

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

The Smokey song is good, you're right, but it just doesn't inspire enthusiasm.

I have the feeling that the MJ song might actually be quite good, but I can't remember it for the life of me.

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I love that song. It's probably Smokey's last great single.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

I always felt I could remember 'This Ole House' on TOTP but this would make it my earliest traceable memory in my mind which doesn't seem right. Memories of 'Green Door' on the same programme too along with Adam & The Ants and 'Land Of Make Believe'.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I possibly heard the latter half of the year from within the WOMB which might explain a lot.

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

possibly the totp xmo special? how old weren't you, exactly? i (dimly) recall singing mull of kintyre when it was current and changing the words to mull of kin-TIGER because i had a toy banjo with a picture of a TIGER'S FACE on it, when i was c. 2.5, and certainly rivers of babylon/mary's boy child the following year...

[braisedbywolves.livejournal.com]

No complaints about the top five, all gold (though to be honest I don't think I'll ever need to hear Tainted Love again).

People who don't love Under Pressure: what is wrong with you?

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

Maybe they were beaten by Vanilla Ice fans?

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

I only ticked six - some real winners, but lots I didn't much care for at all.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

An interesting poll, in that you'd think poptimists might be willing to reclaim "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" - which really is a great song, admit it - but I can sense the anti-Sting vibes all the way over here in President Putin's Paradise.

Idea for a poll!

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

A list of all the songs that Lex has declared The Worst Song Ever, and then we merry poptimists get to vote for which is actually scientifically the worst!

Re: Idea for a poll!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

FITE of EVIL! An excellent idea.

Re: Idea for a poll!

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

If the Lex would like to furnish one of the Pollsters-In-Chief with a list of the thirty worst songs ever we can commence!

Re: Idea for a poll!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

One song per artist methinks or we'll just have the Oasis back catalogue...

[koganbot]

Imagine - Stupid, preachy song w/ heavy voice and borderline OK melody, being forced on us as the epitome of this man's achievement. Great high note, though.

Shaddap Your Face - Chico Marx, basically. Possibly not the best vocal technique, but basic catchy noise to throw into the world's craw. Tick.

Making Your Mind Up - Baffles me that anyone even notices this when it's playing, much less ticks it. Would be fascinated by youse expressing your love for this (or expressing its Any-Good-At-Allness) (come on, no one actually uses "any good at all" as the criterion).

Prince Charming - Wins points for total strangeness of the rhythm bursts. But it never found its way to a melody. Think our dandyman did much better elsewhere.

Begin the Bequine - Excellent voice and all that, perhaps Julio could have done a bearable "Imagine," and this is a better song than "Imagine," but he takes it to a lush tangent, making this in-one-ear-and-out-the-other pleasantness. Borderline, but no ticky.

Making My Mind Up

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

This song is so tied up with Bucks Fizz's visual performance at Eurovision that it has become ingrained in our pop heritage. Just like Jarvis wafting imaginary farts at Earth Song or Dave Bowie hugging his mate during Starman or Holly Valance wearing some light in the vid for her Tarkan cover. Unforgettable, even if tame by today's standards. Nobody is going to remember Britney cavorting with a white snake but everyone remembers what happened to Cheryl Baker's skirt in 1981.

Re: Making My Mind Up

[byebyepride.livejournal.com]

This is one of the first pieces of pop music of which I was ever conscious -- I must have been seven at the time I guess. Other contenders = 'Pop Music' by M, and 'Video Killed the Radio Star'. I think all three are ace, but I have not actually heard Bucks Fizz for a while. I seem to remember it being ubiquitous in British culture for a few years.

Re: Making My Mind Up

[koganbot]

Is there a YouTube link to said skirt?

Re: Making My Mind Up

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Try this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwHMVhPiSUk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwHMVhPiSUk) - I can't get to Youtube at work so that is a googleguess.

Re: Making My Mind Up

[koganbot]

Ah yes. Skirtalicious followed by skirtectomy. Hand motions are excellent as well. Thanks for thee education.

Re: Making My Mind Up

[jauntyalan.livejournal.com]

don't let your inhibitions
TAKE YOU FROM BEHIND

Call it by its name!

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

Making Your Mine DUP

I think the Bristish fondness for this tune is not entirely down to the skirt-whipping. The fact that WE WON also has a lot to do with the matter. But in any case I think it is a great song, at least melodically.

Re: Call it by its name!

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

"Bristish"? British I meant.

Re: Call it by its name!

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

But we won BECAUSE of the skirt whipping!

Alas it didn't work for Spain in 2003 (and er every other year since Bucks Fizz did it). Poor Spain. Will your Eurovision dream ever come to fruition?

Best year ever...

[nicolars.livejournal.com]

...if only for the "Stand and Deliver" video.