Popular '89

As has been previously discussed 1989 doesn’t seem to have been a great year for number ones, but elsewhere in popular music pretty great things seem to have been happening. I was just wondering if you can blame the poor selection above on the twin evils of SAW and Jive Bunny, so have just spent five minutes compiling a highly unscientific list of the songs that would have got to the top if these two were purged from history.
And it still doesn’t look like a great year, I’m afraid.

Erasure – Crackers International (EP)
Mike & The Mechanics – The Living Years
Marc Almond & Gene Pitney – Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart
Simple Minds – Belfast Child
Michael Ball – Love Changes Everything
Madonna – Like A Prayer
Bangles – Eternal Flame
Natalie Cole – Miss You Like Crazy
Cliff Richard – The Best Of Me
Soul II Soul – Back To Life
London Boys – London Nights
Bros – Too Much
Lil’ Louis – French Kiss
Alice Cooper – Poison
Black Box – Ride On Time
Milli Vanilli – Girl I’m Gonna Miss You
Lisa Stansfield – All Around The World
New Kids On The Block – You Got It (The Right Stuff)
Soul II Soul – Get A Life (Xmas #1!)
Andy Stewart – Donald Where’s Your Troosers

Four out of 18 for me – the worst Popular year in my time here.

Here were Australia’s 1989 number ones (with only one local act, Ian Moss of Cold Chisel):

The Beach Boys, “Kokomo”, 7 weeks
Womack & Womack, “Teardrops”, 1 week
The Proclaimers, “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”, 4 weeks
Ian Moss, “Tucker’s Daughter”, 1 week
Fine Young Cannibals, “She Drives Me Crazy”, 5 weeks
Madonna, “Like a Prayer”, 4 weeks
Mike + The Mechanics, “The Living Years”, 1 week
Julian Lennon, “Now You’re in Heaven”, 1 week
The Bangles, “Eternal Flame”, 1 week
Bette Midler, “Wind Beneath My Wings”, 3 weeks
Roxette, “The Look”, 5 weeks
New Kids on the Block, “You Got It (The Right Stuff)”, 1 week
Simply Red, “If You Don’t Know Me by Now”, 3 weeks
Richard Marx, “Right Here Waiting”, 6 weeks
Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers, “Swing the Mood”, 3 weeks
Cher, “If I Could Turn Back Time”, 6 weeks
The B-52’s, “Love Shack”, 8 weeks (7 weeks in 1990)

A bit more to love there, but a fair bit not to as well. Neither yours nor ours compares with the idealized 1989-in-music in my head.

This was the year I really obsessively started buying music. The number ones list isn’t great overall, but there was so much exciting stuff happening lower down the charts (and outside of), especially in the explosion of dance music, as well as in hip-hop & r&b that made this year the most exciting of the 80s for me. The only ones that can compete for me are at the other end of the decade, and they can’t quite touch the excitement of 89 for me, mainly because I have discovered them later on in life rather than with the enthusiasm of a teenager

7 from me. For a while there three Jive Bunny records were scoring little ducks all in a row but then – aaarggh!

Peel’s Festive 50 (now with added record labels!)

1. Sundays – Can’t Be Sure(Rough Trade)
2. Wedding Present – Kennedy (RCA)
3. Pixies – Debaser (4AD)
4. Happy Mondays – WFL (Factory)
5. Pixies – Monkey Gone To Heaven (4AD)
6. Stone Roses – I Am The Resurrection (Silvertone)
7. Stone Roses – She Bangs the Drums (Silvertone)
8. James – Sit Down (Factory)
9. Inspiral Carpets – Joe (Cow)
10. House of Love – I Don’t Know Why I Love You (Fontana)
11. Pale saints – Sight of you (4AD)
12. Dinosaur Jr – Just Like Heaven (Blast First)
13. Jesus and Mary Chain – Blues From A Gun (blanco y negro)
14. Wedding Present – Take Me (RCA)
15. Cud – Only A Prawn In Whitby (Imaginary)
16. Mudhoney – You got it (Keep It Outta My Face) (Glitterhouse)
17. Stone Roses – Made Of Stone (Sivertone)
18. Morrissey – Last of the Famous International Playboys (HMV)
19. Wedding Present – Brassneck (RCA)
20. Morrissey – Ouija Board, Ouija Board (HMV)
21. Inspiral Carpets – Find Out Why (Cow)
22. 808 State – Pacific State (WEA/Creed)
23. Stone Roses – Fools Gold (Silvertone)
24. Wedding Present – Bewitched (RCA)
25. Pale Saints – She Rides the Waves (4AD)
26. Field Mice – Sensitive (Sarah)
27. New Order – Vanishing Point (Factory)
28. Birdland – Hollow Heart (Lazy)
29. Stone Roses – I Wanna Be Adored (Silvertone)
30. Telescopes – Perfect Needle (What Goes On)
31. Bob – Convienience (House of Teeth)
32. Jesus Jones – Info Freako (Food)
33. Spacemen 3 – Hypnotised (Fire)
34. De la Soul – Eye Know (Tommy Boy)
35. Inspiral Carpets – So This Is How It Feels (Peel Session)
36. Pixies – Wave of Mutilation (4AD)
37. Pixies – Here Comes Your Man (4AD)
38. The Fall – Dead Beat Descendant (Beggars Banquet)
39. DubSex – Swerve (Cut Deep)
40. Birdland – Paradise (Lazy)
41. Galaxie 500 – Don’t Let Our Youth Go To Waste (Rough Trade)
42. Senseless Things – Too much Kissing (Way Cool)
43. Pixies – Dead (4AD)
44. Snuff – Not Listening (Alternative Tentacles)
45. Wedding Present – What have I said now? (RCA)
46. Popguns – Landslide (Midnight Music)
47. Morrissey – Interesting Drug (Parlophone)
48. Family Cat – Tom Verlaine (Big Girl)
49. Inspiral Carpets – Directing Traffik (Cow)
50. Inspiral Carpets – She Comes In The Fall (Cow)

While the Melody Maker Readers Poll for 1989 reflects a rather different mindset;

1. The Cure – Lullaby
2. The Sundays – Can’t Be Sure
3. The Cure – Love Song
4. The Wonderstuff – Don’t Let Me Down Gently
5. Pixies – Monkey Gone To Heaven
6. The Stone Roses – Fool’s Gold
7. Jesus Jones – Info Freako
8. Kate Bush – The Sensual World
9. The Fields Of The Nephilim – Psychonaut
10. The Stone Roses – Sally Cinnamon

Four from me – Marc Almond, Madonna, Black Box, and, erm, Jason Donovan (“Too Many Broken Hearts” is a huge guilty pleasure for me)

Out of the twos, London Nights and French Kiss would have been incredible #1s.

Five only for me – some great music about in 1989 just not (always) at number 1

When I think about the music of 1989, the whole Madchester and Italo House scenes apart (both of which were quite thrilling for a fairly short period of time starting in the second half of the year), one of the things that strikes me is that there was an awful lot of good music getting put out by major labels, on sale in Woolworths, but that didn’t chart highly.

Scottish rock bands like Love and Money, Goodbye Mr Mackenzie (I suppose the Silencers too, but I never really got into them) had some fine records out this year; and indeed did Hue and Cry, not of all of which were hits. I suppose a lot of these were on the coat-tails of the newly successful Deacon Blue, to some extent, anyway. And what a gorgeously autumnal single “Love And Regret” was, perhaps their finest moment. But ah! The River Detectives – three cracking singles “Chains”, “Saturday Night Sunday Morning” and perhaps best of all “You Don’t Know A Thing About Her”; the River City People (Scouse rather than Scots, but no less celtic and feisty);

and then quasi-indie bands on major labels, not yet overproduced, for the most part, as was the case just a couple of years later, before they were all dropped. Adult Net. Frazier Chorus. Many of them on the newly revived Fontana label. The year I discovered my two favourite groups of recent decades: the Go-Betweens (“Streets Of Your Town” a fine springtime single of 89), and the Lilac Time (“American Eyes” played frequently on Radio 1 in the summer). It must be said the Lilac Time’s best material was a lot later on, though. XTC had a fine album, and three great singles “Mayor of Simpleton”, “King for a Day” and “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead” – almost, but not quite overproduced into excess poppiness.

Another delight, much played on Capital, but that didn’t even make the top 75, was a Dutch/Belgian disco-ish number “The Way To Your Heart” by Soul Sister

And great string-backed summer dancy classics, Donna Allen’s take on “Joy and Pain”, Joyce Sims “Looking For A love”. And in a completely different place on the musical spectrum, but another mellow delight, in the top ten, Guns N Roses’s “Patience”…

Many gems. It was a very good year for pop music, Jive Bunny and NKOTB and Sonia didn’t ruin it.

Blimey, I bought most of those no 41s, seems I really wasn’t joking!

The Aretha Franklin & Elton John one is a bit of a stinker, unfortunately (as was her duet with Whitney from the same album), and the Ellis Beggs and Howard one is…probably a bit better than one might reasonably expect a record containing a former member of Kajagoogoo to be, and “Never”, really, really, really, really, wasn’t The House of Love at their finest (no idea whatsoever why they released it as their first major label single). The Deon Estus one was quite nice, a melodious pop song by a fine singer, and I swear George Michael provided uncredited backing vocals. I can’t remember the Enya and Pogues ones…but I guess they sounded like Enya and the Pogues, the latter in a fairly melancholic tone, I think.

But the others…..PWEI – perfectly acceptable record of its type (you can tell I was never a big fan: but this was one of their better singles imho) Tongue N Cheek – great. And that Julia Fordham record (a duet with John O’Kane, I think it was) – – – is extremely beautiful. Definitely the standout one from that list.

The thing was, in those days (he said, sounding a lot older than he is), you could pick up the entire top 75 singles in Woolworths (qualification: I think for some dispute over pricing they didn’t sell anything on EMI-owned labels for a couple of years after 1988), and I think Smiths and Boots and Martins all sold the top 50 too. And of course there were far more independent record stores around then than is now the case. (You could not buy music in supermarkets, however. This was perhaps a good thing). And of course you could get em cheap when they were reduced and out the chart too.

Big Bam Boo, yes, I remember them vaguely from the cheap records boxes. And the other two you mention. Plus the Kevin McDermott Orchestra (who weren’t an orchestra- more Scottish rock I think) too (“Where We Were Meant To Be” – not at all bad in a kind of sub-Springsteen way). and Blue Mercedes. The Jeff Healey Band (oh gosh, add “Angel Eyes” to the great lost singles of the year list, and Toni Halliday (later of Curve) too – “Time Turns Around” still sounds great today.

#20 – and Pere Ubu, for goodness’ sake, had an album on Fontana at this time!

Oh maybe I spent too much time in 1989 in record shops

Re 21: On Monday the 11th of July 1988, at 4.30 PM on BBC1, Pere Ubu were special guests on ‘Roland Rat The Series’! One day, this will turn up on Youtube.

The 1989 US number ones, or would you rather 3 Milli Vanillis instead of 3 Jive Bunnies (everyone I knew was listening to hip hop anyhow):
“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” -Poison
“My Prerogative” -Bobby Brown
“Two Hearts” -Phil Collins
“When I’m With You” -Sheriff
“Straight Up” -Paula Abdul
“Lost In Your Eyes” -Debbie Gibson
“The Living Years” -Mike + The Mechanics
“Eternal Flame” -The Bangles
“The Look” -Roxette
“She Drives Me Crazy” -Fine Young Cannibals
“Like a Prayer” -Madonna
“I’ll Be There For You” -Bon Jovi
“Forever Your Girl” -Paula Abdul
“Rock On” -Michael Damian
“Wind Beneath My Wings” -Bette Midler
“I’ll Be Loving You (Forever)” -New Kids on the Block
“Satisfied” -Richard Marx
“Baby Don’t Forget My Number” -Milli Vanilli
“Good Thing” -Fine Young Cannibals
“If You Don’t Know Me By Now” -Simply Red
“Toy Soldiers” -Martika
“Batdance” -Prince
“Right Here Waiting” -Richard Marx
“Cold Hearted” -Paula Abdul
“Hangin’ Tough” -New Kids On The Block
“Don’t Wanna Lose You” -Gloria Estefan
“Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” -Milli Vanilli
“Miss You Much” -Janet Jackson
“Listen to Your Heart” -Roxette
“When I See You Smile” -Bad English
“Blame It on the Rain” -Milli Vanilli
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” -Billy Joel
“Another Day in Paradise” -Phil Collins

It may be the first year in the 80’s where the US chart has more interesting hair than the UK one.

7 for me.

Cure and Pixies had very good 1989s and it’s good to see them on a bunch of lists. I’m a little surprised not to see any NIN (esp. down in it), Chili Peppers (esp. higher ground), Lords of Acid (esp. I sit on acid), John Zorn and Naked City, and Godflesh on any critics lists. They all rocked my world in 1989.

@LondonLee. Girl You Know it’s True is indeed lots of fun (that Ashley’s Roach-clip drum sample again!).

25: The Tenement Year, I believe.

#28 Poison, yes! (Well, that track, anyway). Sheriff, oh yes indeed! (ditto – although IIRC that was a rerelease from 1982. A kind of Charlene situation, sort of…) Debbie Gibson, Roxette, maybe (and their second #1: yes). Bette Midler, oh yes. Martika, maybe.

Much evidence of a US love for sentimental soft-rock ballads (which continuted into the following year – eg Cinderella’s “Don’t Know What You Got Till Its Gone”)

“Girl You Know Its True” was indeed fun: but everything else put out under MV’s name was vaguely intolerable imho.

My favourite lost single of ’89, I’m In Love by Sha-Lor. It came out here on Deconstruction: moodily atmospheric, vibes, eerie chords, whispered vocals, house rhythms nodding to freestyle. Magic.

That Face top 40 is very good indeed.

(one highlight: PAUL SIMPSON and ADEVA Musical Freedom – – subsequently remade, over and over again, as the major part of “You Got The Love”) Great tracks by Electribe 101, Kiss AMC, and Frankie Knuckles there, too, amongst many others.

Not sure about Redhead Kingpin at no 3 though.

Peel list makes me break out in hives. Face list looks mostly awesome – Lil Louis! Frankie Knuckles! I downloaded a random Chicago house compilation a while ago and have been caning it quite a bit, it’s excellent workout music. “Voodoo Ray” so classic too, I saw A Guy Called Gerald give a lecture at RBMA recently, pretty interesting but he had a massive tendency to ramble and the moderator seemed totally reluctant to nudge him towards coherency.

Ticked Madonna, Soul II Soul and Black Box here. US vs UK comparison comes down to those latter two vs these four no-hesitation 10/10s:

“My Prerogative” -Bobby Brown
“Straight Up” -Paula Abdul
“Toy Soldiers” -Martika
“Miss You Much” -Janet Jackson

Man, “My Prerogative” still bangs so hard. And it’s frankly outrageous that Janet Jackson has never had a UK No 1. WTF were people thinking?

well yeah, the face list is obviously great, but (much as i was into a lot of the stuff on it at the time) it’s just a list of brilliant records. the peel list, cud and all, was my *life*

Re 41: Not sure what you mean – The Face list was kinda my life too. I’m starting to think an ‘indie’ phase isn’t that different to a (scorned by me and my 80s peers) a ‘metal’ phase. It just tends to strike a bit later. I was 24 in 1989 and felt open to all kinds of music. I saw the Wedding Present’s Bizarro tour, S Roses, H Mondays, random house nights (memory fails me), Galaxie 500’s first UK gigs, the Flying Nun revival (Chills, Clean, Straitjacket Fits), and bought a ton of records. I caned Deep Heat ’89, parent LP to Latino Reve, not the hippest comp but SO MANY great tracks. Was Digital Underground’s Sex Packets ’89 as well? AND Neil Young’s Don’t Cry? Unbelievable year.

Record Mirror didn’t do EOY lists it seems – altho I do remember them doing a DJs/clubs/shops top 100 tracks of the year (which I think ‘Moments In Soul’ topped in 1990).

Goodness, the US list is so much better than the UK list that I’m half tempted to patriotic pride; even the drippy ballads are iconic drippy ballads. (With, yes, plenty of chaff too.) I voted for four up top, but I’d probably mark for a whopping SEVENTEEN on the US list.

Why no, it has nothing to do with the fact that I first started listening to pop (in a country that tended to be about six months behind the US) the following year. Perish the thought.