Charts

511. The Jam – Beat Surrender (1982)

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The Intro

Beat Surrender, the Jam’s final single and fourth number 1, bridged the gap between the band that shot Paul Weller to fame, and his future endeavours with The Style Council. And did so in fine fashion.

Before

Talk about going out with a bang. Earlier in 1982, The Jam’s last album, The Gift, had spawned their third chart-topper, Town Called Malice/Precious. This was followed by a number eight placing for Just Who Is the 5 O’Clock Hero?. Not as impressive, you’d be forgiven for thinking. However, this 7-inch had only been officially released in the Netherlands. Such was the demand in the UK, it reached the top 10 here regardless, and became our highest-selling import single of all time.

Their next official single, The Bitterest Pill (I Ever Had to Swallow), almost made it to number 1, and it would have been deserved, but was held at bay by Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger and then Musical Youth’s Pass the Dutchie. This was a non-album single, and the modern soul sound was an early clue to Paul Weller’s next move.

Weller was 24 at the time, and had the pop world at his feet. His band had long since exceeded their Mod beginnings and become bona fide pop stars. Their five-year run was at its peak, with no signs of a decline. But he had had enough. Following a world tour he went on holiday to Italy. He came back and planned to announce he was splitting up the band, but when the news leaked, a hand-written press statement was released. He said:

‘At the end of this year, The Jam will be officially splitting up, as I feel we have achieved all we can together as a group. I mean this both musically and commercially. I want all we have achieved to count for something and most of all I’d hate us to end up old and embarrassing like so many other groups do.’

Weller’s decision had shocked bassist Bruce Foxton and drummer Rick Buckler, who couldn’t see the sense in ending The Jam when they were riding so high. They may have recalled recording Beat Surrender, and wondered why their singer hadn’t said anything at the time, because with hindsight, it was clear this was his goodbye to The Jam.

The title was a play on Anita Ward’s 1979 disco single Sweet Surrender, and the military term of ‘beating retreat’. In a 2015 edition of Mojo, Weller revealed ‘I wanted it to be a statement, a final clarion call saying: Right, we’re stopping, you take it on from here.’ Despite this, there was still some indecision over what actually would become their final single. Weller had also been mulling over going with A Solid Bond in Your Heart, but that later surfaced as a single by The Style Council.

Review

Beat Surrender is my least favourite of The Jam’s number 1s – but that’s only because it’s competing with three of the finest chart-toppers of the era in Going Underground/The Dreams of Children, Start! and Town Called Malice/Precious.

It’s a great track, and the perfect bridge from the uptempo pop/rock of The Jam to The Style Council. Lyrically, it’s a call to arms like Going Underground, mixed with the inevitable feel of an epitaph to his much-loved power trio. The chorus urges The Jam’s fans to let the band go, but to take their energy and do something worthwhile. I love this verse, in which Weller looks forward to other artists carrying on their mission:

‘You’ll see me come runnin’
To the sound of your strummin’
Fill my heart with joy and gladness
I’ve lived too long in the shadows of sadness’

Of course, Weller already had plans to continue in music, but to expand the sonic palette of The Jam. Yes, there was more to them than post-punk – they had experimented with soul and psychedelia and done so with aplomb. But he wanted to explore further, and Beat Surrender points the way to a more mature, soulful sound, with more complex arrangements that just couldn’t be done as a threesome. The final verse says it all:

‘Wake me up with your amphetamine blast
Take me by the collar, throw me out into the world
Rock me gently and send me dreaming of something tender
I was brought here to pay homage
To the Beat Surrender’

After

With the news of The Jam’s demise still fresh, and painful, for many, it was inevitable that Beat Surrender would top the hit parade. Only Weller himself knows what he meant by standing with backing singer Tracie Young when they promoted the single on Top of the Pops – was he giving Foxton and Buckler the spotlight as a parting gift, or was he saying he really couldn’t be bothered to represent The Jam anymore?

The Jam played their final gig on 11 December 1982 at Brighton Conference Centre. Foxton and Buckler were deeply hurt by Weller’s decision to split them up. Foxton refused to speak to him for 20 years and as far as I can tell, Buckler never spoke to him again.

It’s understandable, really. Weller cited a need to get off the treadmill of fame – yet only months after the split, he announced the formation of The Style Council, with keyboard player Mick Talbot. Originally a floating line-up, The Style Council showcased a diverse mix of ‘blue-eyed soul’, pop, dance and hip-hop. They released some great material until they split in 1989, including Long Hot Summer, Shout to the Top! and Walls Come Tumbling Down!, and scored top 10 hits, but they couldn’t match The Jam’s success and never made it to number 1. I doubt Weller was too bothered, though. He also sang on the 1984 Christmas number 1, Do They Know It’s Christmas?.

The Style Council split in 1989, and two years later, Weller began releasing solo material. After a slow start, his album Wild Wood saw commercial and critical acclaim in 1993. In 1995, Weller was a star once more, releasing his most successful album, Stanley Road. He was ‘the Modfather’, and a much-loved but grumpy elder statesman of the Britpop movement. Over the next few years he enjoyed three top 10 hits with The Changingman, You Do Something to Me and Peacock Suit. His last album to date is Find El Dorado, a covers album, released in 2025.

After The Jam, Foxton recorded demos with Stiff Little Fingers, before venturing into a solo career. His debut single Freak climbed to 23 in 1983. An album followed in 1984, but without success. He and Buckler formed a short-lived new band, Sharp in 1986. In 1990, he joined Stiff Little Fingers officially and stayed with them for 15 years.

Buckler had started a new group, Time UK, in 1983. They lasted two years, and then after Sharp, Buckler tried his hand at production, before quitting music and became a carpenter in 1995. But 10 years later, he formed a band named after The Jam’s final album. The Gift exclusively performed material by The Jam. And then in 2007, Foxton joined the group and they changed their name to From The Jam.

One year before that, Weller and Foxton were reunited backstage at a Hyde Park gig by The Who. Following a 10-minute conversation and an embrace, they became friends again, and in 2009, Foxton sang backing vocals and played bass on Weller’s album Wake Up the Nation. He even joined him on stage in 2010.

Foxton released two more solo albums – one in 2012 and one in 2016. In 2025, From the Jam announced that due to poor health, Foxton was retiring from the music business and there would be no more tours. That February, Buckler died aged 69 following a brief illness. Weller, who had occasionally been critical of From the Jam, paid tribute to his former drummer. This year, Foxton revealed he has Parkinson’s disease.

The Outro

Although Foxton and Buckler’s hurt is understandable, Weller was right to end The Jam at the peak of their powers, and never reform them. They were one of the finest bands of the early 80s and Weller was on fire, writing hit after hit after hit. That he was able to change tack several times over after such a great band is testament to his versatility.

The Info

Written by

Paul Weller

Producer

Peter Wilson

Weeks at number 1

2 (4-17 December)

Trivia

Births

7 December: Actor Jack Huston
14 December: Footballer Steve Sidwell
15 December: Actor Charlie Cox

Deaths

16 December: Automotive engineer Colin Chapman
17 December: First woman to fly an aircraft around the world Richarda Morrow-Tait

Meanwhile…

6 December: The Irish National Liberation Army killed 17 people in a bomb attack at the Dropping Well Inn in Ballykelly, County Londonderry.

12 December: 30,000 women hold hands and form a human chain at RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire.

15 December: The British colony of Gibraltar gains a pedestrian link to Spain, as the gates which separated the two states are re-opened by the Spanish government after 13 years.

510. Eddy Grant – I Don’t Wanna Dance (1982)

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The Intro

14 years after The Equals scored a UK number 1 with Baby, Come Back, its songwriter Eddy Grant scored another chart-topper with the sloping reggae hit I Don’t Wanna Dance.

Before

Edmond Montague Grant was born in Plaisance, British Guiana (now Guyana) on 5 March 1948. He later resided in Linden. Grant’s father was a trumpeter. Growing up, his parents lived and worked in London, and would send money back to him for his education.

In 1960, Grant and his brother Rudy (also a musician) were reunited with their parents in Kentish Town. He learned to read and write music while studying, and fell in love with rock’n’roll after attending a Chuck Berry concert at Finsbury Park Astoria.

Aged 16, Grant formed The Equals in 1964 when drummer John Hall suggested they start a band. Grant was lead guitarist and provided backing vocals, and they were joined by their schoolmate Pat Lloyd on rhythm guitar, plus Derv Gordon on vocal and his brother Lincoln, also on rhythm.

The Gordons were white while Grant and the others were black, which made The Equals the first notably mixed-race rock group in the country. But they had more going for them than this ‘novelty’. The Equals fused rock, pop, blues and ska like nobody else at the time, and they quickly gained a following in London, often suporting visiting US legends like Bo Diddley.

Grant wrote Baby, Come Back, which was originally a B-side to Hold Me Closer in 1967, but was promoted to become The Equals’ fifth single, and it climbed all the way to the top of the hit parade. He became their principle songwriter, and often their material would be political, such as Police on My Back, which was later covered by The Clash. Grant also wrote songs for the likes of Prince Buster and The Pyramids.

The Equals turned heads for a few years, presaging glam by experimenting with a flamboyant dress sense. Grant sometimes even wore a long blonde women’s wig. But in 1969 the whole band were injured in a car accident while touring Germany. Grant suffered the most, and decided to stop touring with the band.

Then in 1971, Grant suffered a heart attack and collapsed lung, and subsequently quit the band entirely. He decided to concentrate solely on production initially, opening Coach House Studios at his Stamford Hill home in 1972. Two years later, he began Ice Records (his second stint at running a label, after Torpedo a few years began previous). Production duties included working on albums by The Pioneers and his brother Rudy, working under the name The Mexicano.

In 1975, Grant released his self-titled solo debut album, but it failed to make any impact. Neither did the follow-up soca LP Message Man in 1977. That year is a fascinating one for Grant. Not only did he contribute to a new Equals LP – Mystic Syster – he also took up tapdancing and acting (at the behest of Norman Beaton, later the star of Channel 4 sitcom Desmond’s), and he also created some startlingly original music.

Under the name The Coach House Rhythm Section, he released the single Nobody’s Got Time. This remake of a 1975 track is house music, years before the term existed, featuring squelchy synths and a rhythm to light up dancefloors. And the B-side, a proto-instrumental called Time Warp, is even better. In 2010, Grant challenged Damon Albarn over the obvious influence of this track on Gorillaz’ Stylo. It was settled out of court.

In 1978, Grant melded his new electro and disco influences with pop, reggae and soca, and released his best album yet. However, Walking on Sunshine was only originally released in Africa and the Caribbean, because his UK audience had dwindled so much. The LP was doing particularly well in Nigeria, but at the height of its success, the government there banned exported records. This left Grant with more than 10,000 copies he couldn’t send over. He and his brother began selling them to UK retailers and disc jockeys, and when the banger Living on the Frontline began to get people dancing, Ensign Records agreed to release it as a single, and it charted at 11.

Shockingly, when the album was given a release by Virgin Records in 1979, it tanked, despite critical acclaim. The excellent title track failed to chart – although justice was served in part when Arthur Baker’s Rockers Revenge project released a brilliant version in 1982, which peaked at four.

In 1981, Grant finally scored a charting album in the UK with Can’t Get Enough. Its first single, Do You Feel My Love, climbed to eight. The second, Can’t Get Enough of You, reached 13, but I Love You, Yes I Love You, only scraped in at 37.

Ironically, just as UK success was finally coming, Grant left. He moved to Barbados and opened Blue Wave Studios, where he produced his most commercially successful album, Killer on the Rampage. The first single to be released was I Don’t Wanna Dance, which came together while Grant was waiting to go on stage while touring.

Perhaps Grant’s decision to leave the country makes more sense when you consider that he said in 2008 that it wasn’t neccessarily to be taken literally. He told The Daily Telegraph: ‘I Don’t Wanna Dance can mean that you don’t want to go out on the dancefloor or it could mean that you don’t want to go along with an idea. That’s how I try to write: you take it how you want, but I am basically a writer of protest’. And in light of the rioting that enveloped England in the early 80s, you don’t blame him for getting out.

Review

Grant’s sole number 1 being I Don’t Wanna Dance is somewhat baffling. Granted (pardon the pun), he was so ahead of his time in the late 70s that it was always unlikely that anything from Walking on Sunshine would become a hit single back then. But I Don’t Wanna Dance, while not without some awkward charm, is not number 1 material. It makes me think of Stevie Wonder’s only solo number 1, I Just Called to Say I Love You. An average tune, unrepresentative of an idiosyncratic artists’s typical material, some how capturing the UK’s imagination.

It would seem that record buyers in the latter half of 1982 just couldn’t get enough of commercial reggae (although to be fair, this single also made it to the top in other countries too). After all, this was the third number 1 of this type, coming hot off the heels of Musical Youth’s Pass the Dutchie and Culture Club’s Do You Really Want to Hurt Me. But this is an unremarkable and slight number 1, and it’s frustrating to know his next single would have been so much more deserving.

In the video, Grant tries to prove the ‘no man is an island’ theory wrong, by mostly miming from exactly that (which seems to have been made from a chunk of a house) while his romantic interest stares at him from a distance. There’s clearly been a row and Grant definitely doesn’t want to dance with her. But by the end, they’re sat facing each other on this strange island, and nothing is resolved. It’s marginally more interesting than the song.

After

So yes, I Don’t Wanna Dance outperformed the far superior follow-up Electric Avenue, released in 1983, as it peaked at two. Grant’s most successful melding of styles was catchy as hell and had a message. Some of my earliest memories involve strutting around my house to this 7-inch, aged three to four. In my head, Grant was singing about a futuristic street that was, erm, cool. Actually, the track refers to a real street, which was the first market street in Brixton to get electricity, and the race riots.

Electric Avenue was his last UK charting single for five years. In 1984, his would-be title track to blockbuster adventure film Romancing the Stone was cut, so it bombed. His lowest moment, I’d wager, was taking part in Prince Edward’s ill-fated TV special The Grand Knockout Tournament in 1987.

But you can’t keep a good man down, and a year later he was back in the charts with the anti-apartheid hit Gimme Hope Jo’anna. It reached seven in the charts and I recall a summer in which I totally missed the point of the song and sang it at my cousin Joanne incessantly.

Grant branched out from making hits once more. He became a music publisher and a nightclub owner, and his studio was used by huge acts including The Rolling Stones, Sting and Cliff Richard. He still released albums though, and will have dome well from the royalties for the 1994 number 1 cover of Baby, Come Back, recorded by Pato Banton featuring Ali and Robin Campbell of UB40.

In 2000 Grant invented a new genre – ringbang, which he said was an attempt to combine all rhythms that have originated in Africa. A year later, Grant returned for the last time to date with a remix of Electric Avenue, which reached five. Proving he wasn’t without a sense of humour (but possibly in need of money), he recorded a parody of Gimme Hope Jo’anna in 2004. Gimme Yop Me Mama was used in adverts for the yoghurt-based drink Yop. In 2008 he performed at Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday concert.

Grant made the news in 2020 when he sued US President Donald Trump for unauthorised use of Electric Avenue in a presidential campaign video. In 2024 the court ruled that the ruling shitbag had to pay Grant damages, and the case was settled out of court.

The Outro

Grant is an underrated artist, who has spent decades making music on his terms, and crossing boundaries confidently and with panache. He doesn’t really get the credit he deserves, although his more leftield electronic music is rightfully given its plaudits by DJs and fellow artists.

The Info

Written and produced by

Eddy Grant

Weeks at number 1

3 (13 November-3 December)

Trivia

Births

14 November: Scottish footballer Stephen Hughes
27 November: ‘Political activist’ and racist Tommy Robinson 
30 November: Boxer Tony Bellew

Deaths

16 November: Comedian Arthur Askey/Architect Peter Yates
19 November: Physician Leslie John Witts
20 November: Civil servant John Redcliffe-Maud, Baron Redcliffe-Maud
21 November: Spiritual healer John Hargrave
26 November: Actor Robert Coote
28 November: Ulster Unionist MP Hugh O’Neill, 1st Baron Rathcavan
2 December: Comedian Marty Feldman

Meanwhile…

28 November: Opinion polls show the Conservative government has an approval rating of up to 44% and is well on course for a second successive electoral victory, 13 points ahead of Labour. Support for the Alliance has halved in the space of a year.

2 December: The Queen’s Park by-election is held as a result of the death of the sitting Labour MP Frank McElhone. His widow, Helen McElhone, holds the seat for Labour.

3 December: The film Gandhi is released. It would win eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.

509. Culture Club – Do You Really Want to Hurt Me (1982)

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The Intro

Do You Really Want to Hurt Me introduced the world to Culture Club, and their androgynous singer Boy George. Much like his idol, David Bowie, he was flamboyant and fearless when it came to breaking down sexual boundaries in pop.

Before

George O’Dowd had been one of the Blitz Kids – a group of people who frequented the Tuesday club-night at Blitz in Covent Garden, London during the early 80s. Along with Marilyn, Steve Strange (later the singer of Visage), Siobhan Fahey (one third of Bananarama) and others, they helped spearhead the New Romantic movement. Spandau Ballet were just one band who performed there in their nascent years.

In 1980, O’Dowd was spotted by former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren – no stranger to rising pop movements. McLaren saw charisma in abundance and invited O’Dowd to sing with his new wave group Bow Wow Wow. He took the invite and performed as Lieutenant Lush. However, there were clashes between him and lead singer Annabella Lwin, so he decided to form his own band.

O’Dowd enlisted Mikey Craig on bass first, then drummer Jon Moss, who had played with The Damned and Adam and the Ants. Guitarist and keyboardist Roy Hay completed the line-up. They were initially known as The Sex Gang Children, but they wisely dropped the name (although the name was adopted by a goth-rock band a year later). Noting they had a gay frontman of Irish ethnicity, a black Briton on bass a blonde Englishman playing guitar and a Jewish drummer, they adopted the much more commercially friendly name Culture Club. O’Dowd became Boy George.

Boy George had been experimenting with cross-dressing and make-up since his schooldays, but as a would-be pop-star, he was able to go further. Wearing his hair in dreads under a large hat, and with make-up that softened his handsome face, it became difficult to tell whether their lead singer was male or female – especially as he was blessed with a beautifully tender singing voice.

Although EMI funded the initial Culture Club demos, they weren’t impressed and opted not to sign them, However, Virgin Records were keen and signed the band up. In April 1982 they released Culture Club’s debut single White Boy, which failed to chart. Three months later came I’m Afraid of Me, which sank too.

Culture Club songs were jointly written, although Boy George came up with most of the lyrics. One song, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me, had deep meaning for the singer. It was based upon his tumultuous relationship with Moss, which became a secret six-year affair. Musically, the song came together while they were rehearsing for Peter Powell’s BBC Radio 1 show. Unlike their typical upbeat material, it was a melancholy ballad with a soft reggae feel, courtesy of Craig’s bass.

Two singles down, Culture Club were worried they were in danger of being dropped. But when Virgin asked for Do You Really Want to Hurt Me to become their next single, Boy George was so worried he threatened to quit. Not only was he worried about the personal nature of this song, he also felt it wasn’t representative of the band.

Review

While I can understand Boy George’s reticence, and fear that they may lose some of their edginess, Do You Really Want to Hurt Me is a really lovely song. Yes, the singer’s appearance will have turned heads – but would have also put off a mainstream audience, too. The New Romantic era broadened sexual horizons, but many will have been horrified at Boy George and even confused as to whether they were looking at a man or woman – which is a step up from Bowie putting his arm around Mick Ronson.

Do You Really Want to Hurt Me was the perfect introduction to Culture Club. A lilting reggae-soul song eases the listener in gently. As personal as Boy George’s lyrics might have been, they also have massive appeal. Everyone has felt that pain. Read with the awareness of what was going on behind the scenes, it makes the lyrics all that more poignant. And the singer’s gentle, plaintive vocal performance hits hard. I’m unsure as to whether Moss was aware the song was specifically about him, but if he did know, it must have been weird for Culture Club to find themselves as bona fide pop stars, performing the song over and over as its success spread.

What’s also weird is the video. Julien Temple, who had directed the Sex Pistols’ The Great Rock and Roll Swindle, conceived an elaborate video, opening with Boy George on trial. This makes it the second number 1 in a row to have a video set in a courtroom, coming straight off the back of Musical Youth’s Pass the Dutchie. Which also makes it the second reggae chart-topper in a row.

However, this was a more complicated video, with messaging that may have been lost on many. Temple wanted to comment on the singer’s outsider status and show him on trial for his sexuality. There are flashbacks to him being thrown out of the Gargoyle Club in Soho in 1936 and Dolphin Square Health Club in Pimlico in 1957. Controversially, Temple had the jurors made up of people in blackface, to portray the hypocrisy of gay judges and MPs who had enacted anti-gay legislation. In the UK, this was bad enough – The Black and White Minstrel Show had ended in 1978. But in the US, it was too much, and the jurors were edited out.

After

Do You Really Want to Hurt Me was released in September, and was derided as ‘weak, watered-down fourth division reggae’ by Smash Hits. Culture Club could well have been dropped. However, Radio 2 DJ David Hamilton made the single his record of the week, and in October, Top of the Pops threw them the lifeline that changed everything. Shakin’ Stevens had been forced to pull out of an appearance, so Culture Club stepped in. Wearing the same ‘תַּרְבּוּת אֲגֻדָּה’ t-shirt he wore in the video (Hebrew for ‘culture association’), Boy George was an instant hit.

The Outro

Culture Club’s third single went to number 1 in 12 countries, including the US. Not bad for fourth division reggae.

The Info

Written by

Boy George, Mikey Craig, Roy Hay & Jon Moss

Producer

Steve Levine

Weeks at number 1

3 (23 October-12 November)

Trivia

Births

26 October: Olympic boxer Nicola Adams
28 October: Actor Matt Smith 
4 November: Footballer Neil Mellor

Deaths

26 October: Witch Sybil Leek
29 October: Army general Sir Sidney Kirkman/Composer William Lloyd Webber
1 November: Composer Leighton Lucas
3 November: Historian EH Carr/Surgeon Alan Parks
4 November: Royal Navy captain Stephen Roskill
6 November: Novelist Frank Baker/Novelist Frank Swinnerton
12 November: Tennis player Dorothy Round

Meanwhile…

27 October: The Homosexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 1982 comes into effect, decriminalising homosexuality in Northern Ireland for those aged 18 or older.
Also on this day, three RUC officers are killed by an IRA bomb near Lurgan, Northern Ireland.

28 October: By-elections are held in Birmingham Northfield and Peckham, due to the deaths of Conservative MP Jocelyn Cadbury and Labour MP Harry Lamborn, respectively. Labour win both – John Spellar and Harriet Harman are the respective new MPs.

1 November: Welsh language television station S4C launches in Wales.

2 November: The fourth terrestrial TV channel, Channel 4, begins broadcasting, with the game show Countdown.

508. Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie (1982)

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The Intro

As a young boy in the early 80s, I considered Birmingham reggae group Musical Youth incredibly cool. A bunch of schoolchildren singing an incredibly catchy tune about… well, I didn’t know as I was very young. It didn’t matter though, because I loved Pass the Dutchie regardless of the subject matter.

Before

Musical Youth were formed in 1979 by the fathers of Kelvin and Michael Grant, and Frederick (known as Junior) and Patrick Waite, respectively. Frederick Waite Sr had been a member of Jamaican reggae group The Techniques and he was the original lead vocalist. Junior was their drummer and backing vocalist, while Patrick played bass. Michael Grant played keyboard while Kelvin was guitarist, with both also providing backing vocals. When they formed, the members ages ranged from seven to 15, with Kelvin the youngest.

Despite all attending Duddeston Manor School, Musical Youth gained live dates in West Indian working men’s clubs around Birmingham. Wearing their influences on their sleeves – which included Aswad, Sugar Minott and Gregory Isaacs – they released a double A-side single in 1981. Generals/Political was issued on local label 021 Records (021 being the Birmingham area code at the time.

In 1982, following an appearance on BBC Radio One’s The John Peel Show, Musical Youth were signed to MCA Records, who convinced Waite Sr to relinquish the lead singer role to the boys’ school friend Dennis Seaton. While supporting Culture Club at Heaven in London, the crowd went wild to their cover of The Mighty Diamonds’ Pass the Kouchie.

The Jamaican act had released their ode to smoking cannabis (based on 1968 instrumental Full Up by Leroy Sibbles) a year previous, and despite it being banned by their government, it raised their profile in the reggae scene.

There was no way MCA would let schoolboys release a song about a kouchie, which was a big marijuana bong. But there was also no doubt the song was infectious. So what could they do?

Co-producer Toney Owens hit upon an idea after getting home late one night on an empty stomach. What about changing ‘kouchie’ to ‘dutchie’ which was a patois term for a Dutch oven cooking pot? Once agreed, it was easy to change the other dodgy lyric – The ‘How does it feel when you got no herb’ refrain substituted the last word to ‘food’. The spoken word intro was inspired by the opening to U-Roy’s Rule the Nation.

It’s worth noting that Pass the Dutchie was also produced by the team of Peter Collins and Pete Waterman, who had been working together since 1980. Collins went on to produce many big acts in the 80s – and Waterman will of course become a fixture on this blog as the 80s progress.

Review

It’s not just nostalgia for my musical youth that makes me love Pass the Dutchie. It’s very refreshing to hear some reggae in this blog for the first time in a while. Yes, it’s lacking the deep bass of the original, and by transforming it from a cannabis anthem to a pop song about being a hungry school boy, it veers into novelty hit territory. But it’s better than that. The intro may also not be original, but it’s an inspired introduction and must have felt like a call to arms for black schoolboys – only a year on from the awful race riots that helped inspire Ghost Town.

Speeding the tempo up a notch from Pass the Kouchie was also a great choice, making it more palatable for the pop audience of 1982. In fact, Pass the Dutchie gets the balance just right – it’s pop-friendly, without feeling lightweight. It still feels like authentic reggae. It’s hard to believe Waterman is involved in the production duties, when you consider what he would later become known for.

Also adding to its reggae credentials was the enlisting of Don Letts as the director of the music video. Letts had ran the London clothing store Acme Attractions, which was frequented by Bob Marley, Debbie Harry, the Sex Pistols, Chrissie Hynde and The Clash. He went on to DJ at The Roxy in Covent Garden, and helped introduce punks to dub and reggae.

Letts’ video features Musical Youth performing on the south bank of the River Thames in London, by Lambeth Bridge. All too aware of racial tensions in the UK, he does a great job of keeping things light, portraying the band as fun-loving kids just wanting to have fun. A school official appears to arrest them, but he falls and hurts himself. The video is interspersed with Musical Youth standing trial, but they’re cleared and the video ends with everyone having a great time in the courtroom, like a scene from a bad musical.

This video not only helped Musical Youth appeal to the masses – it made them the first black artists to be played on the fledgling MTV. This was months before Billie Jean – despite what the new Michael Jackson biopic Michael (2026) would have you believe.

After

Within a month of its release, Musical Youth were a fledgling sensation. Pass the Dutchie rocketed to number 1 in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Australia. Thanks to MTV airplay, it also soared to 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. They hung out with Jackson and met Bubbles.

Debut LP The Youth of Today swiftly followed and also performed well, as did two singles it spawned – Youth of Today peaked at 13 and Never Gonna Give You Up (not the Rick Astley song) climbed to six in 1983. Follow-up Heartbreaker couldn’t break the top 40.

However, it began to look like Musical Youth may be a flash in the pan when their second album Different Style! performed noticeably less well. A cover of John Holt’s Tell Me Why only went to 33, 007 climbed to 26 and She’s Trouble failed to chart. Although business had briefly picked up when they featured on Donna Summer’s Unconditional Love, which was a number 14 hit, the end was already in sight. Sixteen, featuring Jody Watley, was their last charting single, reaching 23 in 1984. Maybe the public saw them as a novelty, after all.

Tragically, this group of schoolchildren then found themselves old before their time due to financial troubles, legal issues and personal problems. Seaton left the band in 1985, releasing a solo album, Imagine That…, which sank without trace in 1989. A reunion was planned in 1993, but was cut short when Patrick, who was awaiting a court appearance after a robbery, died suddenly after collapsing due to a hereditary heart condition, aged only 24. Remixes of Pass the Dutchie were released in 1994, but failed to chart.

Michael and Seaton tried to stay in the music business, setting up a production company and a band respectively, but didn’t make much of a mark. In 2001 they announced they were reforming Musical Youth as a duo – Junior, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, would not be taking part. They toured the nostalgia circuit, and featured on Pato Banton’s 2004 single, Pretty Woman. The duo also released a new version of Pass the Dutchie in 2008. Michael’s brother Kelvin began a solo career but failed to get noticed. Junior died in a mental health unit in 2022, aged 55.

The Outro

That same year, Pass the Dutchie gained a new lease of life after appearing in the Netflix series Stranger Things.

The Info

Written by

Jackie Mittoo, Fitzroy “Bunny” Simpson & Lloyd ‘Judge’ Ferguson

Producers

Toney Owens, Pete Waterman & Peter Collins

Weeks at number 1

3 (2-22 October)

Trivia

Births

4 October: Jazz saxophonist YolanDa Brown
7 October: Footballer Jermain Defoe
10 October: Actor Dan Stevens

Deaths

3 October: Actress Vivien Merchant
6 October: Composer Philip Green
8 October: Labour MP Philip Noel-Baker/Musician Erik Routley
16 October: Artist Rory McEwen
18 October: Conductor Leslie Jones
20 October: Scottish footballer Jimmy McGrory

Meanwhile…

11 October: The Mary Rose, which sank in 1545, was raised from the Solent.

12 October: The London Victory Parade of 1982 was held to mark the end of the Falkands War.

15 October : The Ford Sierra was launched as the replacement for the Cortina.

21 October: Sinn Féin won their first seats on the Northern Ireland Assembly. Gerry Adams won the Belfast West seat.  

507. Survivor – Eye of the Tiger (1982)

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The Intro

Sylvester Stallone had wanted Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust for a scene in Rocky III, but couldn’t get the publishing rights. Rock band Survivor stepped in and saved the day with the suitably macho Eye of the Tiger.

Before

Survivor was founded by Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan. Peterik had previously been the singer and guitarist in The Ides of March, who had scored a number two hit in the US with Vehicle in 1970. Sullivan had played guitar in Mariah.

When The Ides of March split in 1973, Peterik joined the band Chase, which also featured Dennis Keith Johnson on bass and Gary Smith on drums. In 1976 he formed The Jim Peterik Band, but when they dissolved in 1978, Peterik considered turning to writing jingles, but roadie and soundman Rick Weigand persuaded him to meet with Sullivan, and they agreed to start a new band. They named it Survivor as a reference in part to Peterik having missed a flight that had crashed and killed several members of Chase back in 1974. He added Johnson and Smith as their rhythm section, and they then recruited former Jamestown Massacre singer Dave Bickler on vocals.

Their first, eponymous LP was released in 1979 to little fanfare and no impact. In 1981, Johnson and Smith were let go, as the others weren’t too keen on their more ‘jazzy’ tendencies. They were replaced by Stephan Ellis and Marc Doubray respectively, and work began on second album Premonition. They did at least make it to the top 40 when the single Poor Man’s Son reached 33 in the US. Sometime later, Peterik was shocked to discover an answering machine message from Sylvester Stallone.

The Hollywood star had been busy working on the third film in the Rocky franchise, and wanted a new theme song that was more contemporary. Bill Conti’s brilliant Gonna Fly Now had reached number 1 in the US back in 1977, but it wasn’t exactly hip, five years later. He understandably thought Queen’s 1980 hit Another One Bites the Dust would be the perfect new theme song, but despite Rocky and its sequel catapulting Stallone to critical and commercial success, for some reason he couldn’t get the publishing rights for its use. Toni Scotti, president of Columbia Records, played Stallone some tracks from Premonition. He thought their rock sound would be a great fit – and of course, Survivor were signed to Columbia. He gave Stallone Peterik’s phone number.

Survivor were shown a rough cut of the scene they needed to score (with Another One Bites the Dust over the top), and over the next three days, they tried to outdo Queen as they thought about a guitar riff that would sync with some of the punches they saw thrown. The memorable hook came Peterik as he drove his car one day, a boxing match playing over in his mind. Meanwhile, Sullivan thought up the original opening lines: ‘Back on the street, doin’ time, taking chances.’. When Peterik added ‘Rising up’ to the start, they knew they were on to something. With the music nearly complete, they snatched references such as ‘Went the distance’ from the original Rocky (1976) film. Originally called Survival (might have looked a little unimaginative considering the group’s name), they settled on Eye of the Tiger.

Stallone heard the demo and loved it, but asked for a third verse rather than the repeat of the first he heard, plus a louder drum sound. The boss got what he asked for and one of the most memorable film themes of the 80s was born.

Review

I loved the simple but oh-so effective theme to Rocky III as a child, strutting around and punching nothingness to the sledgehammer riff. Never a confident boy, I felt six-feet high as the record span on the family record player. Line after line of macho cliche conjured up an epic vision of masculinity, that actually worked better than Another One Bites the Dust. Rocky III was more of a cartoon than the gritty original and sequel, so Survivor’s music and lyrics were ideal.

In a way, Eye of the Tiger is so daft it doesn’t stand up to critical evaluation in the way many number 1s do. In the decades that followed, it was spoofed many times, offered up as a figure of fun and example of the macho silliness espoused by the Reagan administration of the 80s.

The video to Eye of the Tiger is a camp classic, in which Survivor strut down the street in leather jackets to the music at night. Where are they headed? To what appears to be a warehouse for a bath showroom, as they walk past a row of baths, pick up their instruments and mime along. Knockout.

After

Eye of the Tiger went to number 1 in the US, UK and many other countries. In addition to its obvious placing on the Rocky III soundtrack, it also became the name of their third album, which also featured the follow-up American Heartbeat, which climbed to 17 in the US.

However, before long Survivor would end up on the ropes. Their 1983 LP Caught in the Game contained no hits. To make matters worse, Bickler developed vocal issues and was forced to undergo an operation to remove vocal cord nodules in the middle of a tour with REO Speedwagon. At the end of the tour he was told by doctors to take a year off, but Peterik and Sullivan wouldn’t stand for it, and made the harsh decision to sack their singer. He was replaced by Jimi Jamison.

The first release with Jamison was The Moment of Truth, from the soundtrack to another 80s cult classic, The Karate Kid (1984). It didn’t chart, but their album Vital Signs, released later that year, performed well in the US, most notably with the single The Search Is Over, which reached number four.

History repeated itself in 1985 when Stallone asked Survivor to record a track for Rocky IV. Burning Heart may have been a retread of Eye of the Tiger, but it’s not bad and was their second UK hit, reaching number five.

The first track from next album, When Seconds Count, was Is This Love, and was their final US hit, peaking at number nine. Ellis and Doubray were replaced by Bill Syniar and Mickey Curry, but after the 1987 album Too Hot to Sleep, Survivor were out for the count and split.

The next few years were full of of failed solo albums and differing line-ups of the band, until 1993 when Peterik and Sullivan reunited with Bickler and became Survivor once more, with Bill Syniar and Kyle Woodring on bass and rums respectively, having briefly toured in the band before their breakup. They also tried to stop Jamison from touring under the same name, but failed.

In 1996 Peterik grew tired of Sullivan pushing the band in a more bluesy direction, and he quit. They soldiered on, and in 1999 Sullivan won the right for sole use of the band’s name. Laughably, Bickler was fired again and was replaced by Jamison. After several more line-up changes, Survivor released the album Reach in 2006, which featured six tracks recorded in the 90s featuring Bickler behind the mic.

It becomes almost impossible to keep up with the lineup changes by 2010. Jamison died of a hemorrhagic brain stroke in 2014. Former bassist Ellis died in 2019, having been suffering dementia. Survivor have been inactive since 2020.

The Outro

Whereas Rocky III developed a cult following in time, Eye of the Tiger has eventually grown to be bigger than the film it came from. It’s a karaoke classic, adored by people of all ages and it’s simple but pure fun,. You can’t argue with a riff that cool.

The Info

Written & produced by

Frankie Sullivan & Jim Peterik

Weeks at number 1

4 (4 September-3 October)

Trivia

Births

7 September: Actor David Dawson
12 September: Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran
22 September: Actress Billie Piper
26 September: Rugby league player Rob Burrow
30 September: Model Michelle Marsh

Deaths

5 September: Second World War fighter pilot Douglas Bader (see ‘Meanwhile…‘)
6 September: Television executive Norman Collins
10 September: Botanist Jane Ingham
23 September: Violist Lena Wood
24 September: Actress Sarah Churchill
29 September: Lucy Griffiths/Folk song collector AL Lloyd
3 October: Actress Vivien Merchant

Meanwhile…

5 September: Second World War hero Sir Douglas Bader dies suddenly of heart failure, aged 72.

7 September: Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher expresses concern at the growing number of children in single-parent families, but says she is not opposed to divorce.

16 September: The Gower by-election in Wales is held as a result of Labour Party MP Ifor Davies’ death in June. Gareth Wardell holds the seat for Labour.

22 September: An estimated 14% of the workforce is reported to be unemployed.

23 September: Secretary of State Nigel Lawson announces no industry should remain in state ownership, unless there is an ‘overwhelming’ case.

30 September: After more than 100 years, the UK Inland Telegram service closes.

503. Charlene – I‘ve Never Been to Me (1982)

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The Intro

When US easy listening singer Charlene originally released I’ve Never Been to Me for Motown in 1977, it left little mark. In 1982, she was working in a sweet shop in Ilford when the song was rereleased and subsequently went to number 1.

Before

Charlene Marilynn D’Angelo was born on 1 June 1950 in Hollywood, California. In 1973, she was signed to Motown, aged 23. Using her married name, Charlene Duncan, she released two singles. Neither Relove or All That Love Went to Waste a year later made any impression.

She then spent some time writing her own songs and recording demos – including One Day in Your Life, which became Michael Jackson’s first UK number 1 in 1981.

In 1976 she dropped her surname and recorded her eponymous debut album with producer Ron Miller, who had worked with Stevie Wonder, co-writing his hit For Once in My Life. I’ve Never Been to Me, which had been released by Randy Crawford earlier that year, was the second track.

The song had been written by Miller, with Kenneth Hirsch, and appears to come from the viewpoint of a bohemian woman, addressing a ‘discontented mother and a regimented wife’ who longs to escape her mundane existence.

Charlene’s second LP, the boringly named Songs of Love, came out a year later. It was basically a reshuffled version of Charlene. I’ve Never Been to Me was issued as a single, with the spoken-word section edited out. It only made it to number 97 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Although another album was planned, it never materialised, and following the failure of the 1980 single Hungry, from the musical Daddy Goodness, Charlene was dropped by Motown.

Fast forward three years, and Scott Shannon, a disc jockey for Tampa radio station WRBQ-FM (and former Motown employee), played the album version of I’ve Never Been to Me at the behest of his girlfriend. It became so popular, Shannon contacted the label’s president Jay Lasker. Seizing the opportunity, Lasker somehow tracked Charlene down. She had married an Englishman in March and was living in Ilford, working in a sweetshop. Of course, Charlene was more than willing to re-sign with Motown and then the album version of I’ve Never Been to Me was issued as a single.

Review

I’ve Never Been to Me is a terrible song. It’s patronising, slushy tripe with terrible lyrics. Basically, the lyrical conceit revolves around this woman listing all these incredible things she’s done – she’s travelled the world, slept with kings, sipped champagne, all kinds of things that the poor wife and mother could only dream about. But, hey, guess what? She’s ‘never been to me’, which is a crap way of saying she isn’t fulfilled and that, really, the mother is the lucky one, because she has done the most meaningful thing a woman can do.

Except, it’s all to easy to argue back, why can self-fulfilment for a woman only happen if you serve others, as a wife and mother? None of that ‘subtle whoring’ the narrator has been up to! It’s offensive to both women in the song. Lazy, stereotypical crap. And just in case you haven’t grasped the message of the song, there’s a cheesy spoken-word section to really hammer it home.

Oh, and when the lyrics do try to be symbolic, they’re so bad they create unnecessary controversy. ‘Sometimes I’ve been to cryin’ for unborn children/That might have made me complete’ made many understandably wonder if the narrator is revealing she had undergone multiple abortions. That’ll teach the subtle whore! Turns out, the intention was simply that she was mourning unborn children she may have had if she hadn’t been so bohemian.

For the video, the recently remarried Charlene wore her wedding dress, sauntering around Blickling Hall forlornly.

After

I’ve Never Been to Me became inexplicably huge, reaching number 1 in the UK, Canada, Ireland and Australia. It went to three in the US, becoming the first top 10 hit for Motown by a white singer. An album was released with the same name, containing a mix of old and new recordings. However, Charlene couldn’t repeat her surprise success. Her third single, It Ain’t Easy Coming Down, was reissued, but sank, despite appearing in the film The Last American Virgin.

Later in the year, she teamed up with Stevie Wonder on the single Used to Be. Despite Wonder’s number 1 success with Paul McCartney, this also tanked. Although that may have been due to its controversial lyrics – Wonder may have been commenting on the way he feared society was heading, but singing ‘Have another Chivas Regal/You’re 12-years old and sex is legal.’ resulted in an outright ban in the UK.

In 1984 Charlene released the LP Hit & Run Lover, which had a more modern sound, but it bombed. After an appearance in the Motown martial arts film (!) The Last Dragon, she was dropped by her label again.

In 2002, Charlene, now back in the US, released a dance remix of her hit, and has been sporadically releasing material online as Charlene Oliver since 2012.

The Outro

I’ve Never Been to Me has surfaced many times since 1982, including appearances in Will & Grace, Desperate Housewives, Shrek the Third (2007) and most memorably in the opening of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994).

The Info

Written by

Ron Miller & Kenneth Hirsch

Producers

Ron Miller, Don Costa & Berry Gordy

Weeks at number 1

1 (26 June-2 July)

Trivia

Deaths

26 June: Snooker player Kingsley Kennerley/Comedian Sandy Powell
30 June: Children’s author Malcolm Saville

Meanwhile…

2 July: Roy Jenkins, former Labour Party Home Secretary and Chancellor, is elected as Leader of the Social Democratic Party.

502. Adam Ant – Goody Two Shoes (1982)

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The Intro

Adam and the Ants were one of Britain’s hottest acts of the early 80s, and when the flamboyant frontman decided to go solo, you could forgive him for thinking he had a bright future. However, despite Goody Two Shoes being an excellent debut and worthy number 1, it was the beginning of the end of Adam Ant’s peak.

Before

Ant’s solo career came about very quickly. In January 1982, Adam and the Ants were at number three with Ant Rap – a very respectable place after their two chart-topping singles in 1981, Stand and Deliver! and Prince Charming. Their album Kings of the Wild Frontier won the BRIT Award for British Album of the Year.

The split was announced in March. Ant was a workaholic and felt the band weren’t putting the effort in anymore, and guitarist and co-songwriter Marco Pirroni had decided to quit performing live. The duo decided to work together to launch Ant as a solo star.

Ant was wise to move fast and release new material as soon as possible, as his commercial standing was at its peak. And the meaning behind Goody Two Shoes couldn’t be more timely. The British press had been busy trying to find out about any scandals surrounding the hippest pop star of the era, and came up short. Ant was teetotal and didn’t smoke, and journalists wanted to know, ‘what do you do?’. So Ant moved away from the dandy highwaymen and noblemen characters that had made him famous, and turned inwards.

Goody Two Shoes was also recorded quickly, and featured three fifths of the Ants, as Pirroni was on guitar and Chris Hughes played the drums. It may well have been the case that Ant was still debating whether to release the single under the Adam and the Ants name, as there are versions of the single under that name.

Review

You can really feel the urgency in Goody Two Shoes due primarily to Hughes’ echoing drumbeat, underpinning the song and not exactly light years from the Burundi beats of Kings of the Wild Frontier. However, it’s less new wave than Adam and the Ants material and distinctly pop – actually reminiscent of 50s rock’n’roll thanks to the rockabilly style guitar.

The lyrics are great, and it was a bold move by Ant to bait journalists and fire their words back at them. ‘Subtle innuendos follow/Must be something inside’ is a not very subtle reference to Ant being a sex addict – his only vice at the time, but the problem for the press was, nobody was willing to dish the dirt on the devilishly handsome Ant’s antics in the bedroom and elsewhere.

It’s not purely about Ant’s squeaky clean image. The first lines – ‘With your heartbreak open/So much you can’t hide’, suggest Ant might not be as happy and content as his public image suggested. Although once he’s got his makeup on, he reverts to the mission statement verse that starts ‘We don’t follow fashion’ – a very Adam and the Ants proclamation that he’s the trendsetter. The next verse is actually a tribute to Dexys Midnight Runners singer Kevin Rowland – Ant was rumoured to be considering teaming up with Rowland, but didn’t want to follow his tough rules. It doesn’t come across in his heartfelt lines, inspired by a 1981 Dexys concert he witnessed:

‘When they saw you kneelin’
Cryin’ words that you mean
Openin’ their eyeballs, eyeballs
Pretendin’ that you’re Al Green, Al Green’.

As always with Ant’s hits, the video is excellent. This day shows a day in the life of the singer as he deals with being hounded by the press – one of which was played by Norman Cook, a few years from fame as one of The Housemartins and a long way off becoming Fatboy Slim. It also features comedy actor Graham Stark as his butler, Till Death Us Do Part star Dandy Nichols as a cleaner, and horror actress Caroline Munro, who plays a journalist that Ant takes home and gets it on with. Must be something inside, indeed.

It’s a shame that Ant’s star fell so quickly after Goody Two Shoes – however, his last number 1 is as great as his previous chart-toppers and a very fitting way for him to bow out of this blog.

After

Goody Two Shoes was released on 7 May and Ant pulled out all the stops 13 days later with an awesome appearance on Top of the Pops. Seemingly filmed in one take, Ant takes over the studio as the camera follows him miming and dancing in front of several backdrops, before being joined by a bevy of dancers on a dancefloor surrounded by the audience. A few weeks later, it overtook House of Fun and became number 1.

Ant then went into the studio that June to record his debut solo LP, Friend or Foe. A new version of Goody Two Shoes was recorded for the album, featuring Bogdan Wiczling on drums instead. There’s not much difference, but the single version has more reverberation and is slightly superior. The title track to the album, made it number 9, but lacklustre follow-up Desperate But Not Serious only scraped in at 33.

A year later, the album Strip saw a brief return to the limelight with the decent single Puss ‘n Boots (featuring Phil Collins on drums) reaching number five, but the title track didn’t even make the top 40. Apollo 9 peaked at 13 in 1984. The law of diminishing returns came thick and fast for Ant. His songs had lost their spark and the goodwill of his fans was evaporating.

Famously, Ant’s appearance at Live Aid was a huge misfire. His set was cut to one track, and he chose to ignore his hits and perform Vive Le Rock, the title track to his as-yet-unreleased album, produced by Tony Visconti. Despite the size of the audience at Wembley Stadium and around the world on TV, the eventual single release failed to chart. Ant decided to focus on acting instead.

In 1990 Ant returned with the album Manners & Physique, produced by André Cymone, a former bassist for Prince. It was a brief but welcome return, with the single Room at the Top climbing to 13. It did even better in the US, becoming his biggest hit there, soaring to number three.

Five years later, Ant released Wonderful, a more reflective album, featuring Morrissey’s guitarist Boz Boorer. The decent title track peaked at 32 and is his last charting single to date.

In 2002 Ant returned to the limelight, but due to his mental health problems. Pre-fame, in 1975, Ant had been diagnosed as bipolar after overdosing on pills. 27 years later he was on the nostalgia circuit when he was arrested and charged for throwing a car alternator through a pub and then threatening people inside with a starting pistol. The imagery of a former dandy highwayman behaving in such a way proved sadly hilarious for many, but Ant was unwell, and he was placed under psychiatric care. The fact that a year later he and Boorer made a well-meaning rework of Stand and Deliver into Save the Gorillas for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund drew further laughs.

Since then, Ant has swung from acclaimed live shows of his classic albums to further mental health struggles. In 2010 he returned to psychiatric hospital. Two years later came his last album to date, the astoundingly named Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter.

The Outro

Charismatic, dynamic and witty, Ant was my first musical hero and I fell in love with pop music thanks to him. His time at the top was all too brief but he burned bright and created some truly classic tracks in the early 80s. I hope that despite his demons, he knows how loved he is by his fans.

The Info

Written by

Adam Ant & Marco Pirroni

Producers

Adam Ant, Marco Pirroni & Chris Hughes

Weeks at number 1

2 (12-25 June)

Trivia

Births

12 June: Cricketer James Tomlinson
17 June: Actress Jodie Whittaker/Actor Arthur Darvill
20 June: Rapper Example
21 June: William, Prince of Wales

Deaths

12 June: Falklands War casualty Sergeant Ian McKay (see ‘Meanwhile…‘)
16 June: Pretenders guitarist James Honeyman-Scott
17 June: Olympic rower Walter James, 4th Baron Northbourne
22 June: Actor Alan Webb

Meanwhile…

12 June: The last battles of the Falklands War draw to a close at Mount Longdon, Mount Harriet and Two Sisters. Sergeant Ian McKay is killed at Mount Longdon, and is awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.

14 June: The Falklands War officially ends as British forces reach the outskirts of Stanley. They arrive to find the Argentine forces flying white flags of surrender. The formal surrender is signed that evening. 

16 June: Welsh miners go on strike to support health workers demanding a 12% pay rise.

19 June: The body of Roberto Calvi, aka ‘God’s Banker’, is found hanging beneath Blackfriars Bridge in London.

21 June: William, Prince of Wales becomes the first birth in direct line of succession to the British throne to be born in a hospital – St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington.

23 June: Support for Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government continues to rise, largely due to the success of the Falklands War campaign.

24 June: The Coatbridge and Airdrie by-election is held in Scotland following the death of sitting Labour MP James Dempsey. Labour’s Tom Clarke is the victor.

25 June: Northern Ireland defeat hosts Spain 1-0 in the World Cup.

501. Madness – House of Fun (1982)

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The Intro

Madness are one of the most lovable bands of the 80s, with many fondly remembered hits to their name. So it’s surprising – scandalous, really – that House of Fun is the only chart-topper by ‘the Nutty Boys’.

Before

It all began in Camden Town, 1976, with the North London Invaders. The trio consisted of keyboardist Mike Barson, guitarist Chris Foreman and Lee Thompson on saxophone – Monsieur Barso, Chrissy Boy and Kix, respectively. They then recruited John Hasler on drums and Cathal Smyth (aka Chas Smash) on bass and – for one gig only – Dikran Tulaine as their singer. He went on to become a successful actor, these days in the US.

There were some important comings and goings in 1977. Graham McPherson (Suggs) took over as their vocalist after seeing the North London Invaders performing in a friend’s garden. However, Barson caused further shuffling around. Smash briefly left after an argument with him and was replaced by Gavin Rodgers. Suggs was then thrown out by Barson for his lack of commitment, with Hasler filling in as singer and Gary Dovey replacing him on drums. Thompson then left after Barson had criticised his prowess.

The following year saw Suggs and Thompson brought back into the fold, but Dovey and Rodgers left. They were replaced by Dan Woodgate (Woody) and Mark Bedford (Bedders) respectively. For a time, the North London Invaders became known as Morris and the Minors, but in 1979 they finally settled on Madness, as a nod to one of their favourite songs by ska singer Prince Buster. Smash returned at the end of that year in the new guise of backing vocalist and dancer.

They signed with Specials songwriter Jerry Dammers’ 2 Tone Records and released their first single. The Prince was another nod to Prince Buster, with Madness as the B-side. The 2 Tone Records signing was a wise move – they went to number 16.

Madness became regulars at the Dublin Castle in Camden Town and went on tour with The Specials and The Selecter, before knuckling down to record their debut album, which was to be released on their new label, Stiff Records. One Step Beyond… was a big success. The title track, another Prince Buster cover, went to number seven. More promising was that their own composition, My Girl, did even better, peaking at number three. The Work, Rest and Play EP, featuring album track Night Boat to Cairo, climbed to number six, proving that the kids couldn’t get enough of Madness. In the UK, at least – Madness proved to be a very British phenomenon, whose single videos displayed their quirky sense of humour and were a big factor in their appeal.

Their second album, Absolutely, was released in 1980, and although critics were somewhat less glowing, the public were still very much in love. Some of Madness’s biggest hits were spawned – the classic Baggy Trousers soared to number three, Embarrassment made it to number four and The Return of the Los Palmas 7 climbed to – of course – seven.

Madness’s third album – 7 – came in 1981 and showcased a darker, less upbeat sound. Nonetheless, its singles did well – Grey Day reached four and Shut Up peaked at seven. A further glimpse of their growing maturity came with their excellent cover of Labi Siffre’s It Must Be Love, a deserved smash hit that somehow went no higher than four. A rare example of a cover being better than the original.

Such was Madness’s popularity, a greatest hits compilation was planned for release in 1982. Complete Madness also included one new track – House of Fun.

Originally titled Chemist Facade, House of Fun was co-written by Barson and Thompson about a 16-year-old boy who wants to celebrate his coming of age by buying condoms at his local chemist. However, he’s too embarrassed to come right out and buy any, and spends so long skirting around the issue with euphemisms, the chemist assumes he’s actually looking for a joke shop.

A great premise for a song, and boasting a catchy tune that’s very Madness. However, there was no chorus, until Stiff head (fnarr) Dave Robinson demanded one. Conflicting stories claim that either Barson banged it out there and then on the piano, or Suggs came up with it. Either way, the magic ingredient was found, the chorus was edited into what they believed had been a finished recording, and Madness deservedly earned their sole number one.

Review

Like any boy with a sense of fun, an ear for a tune and a love of daft videos, I bloody loved Madness, and House of Fun was – along with Baggy Trousers – my favourite record by the Nutty Boys. Of course, I had no idea what the lyrics were about – I was very young and innocent (only three when it was released) and took it very literally. Why wouldn’t Madness want to hang out in a joke shop, when they were so bloody funny?

The lyrics are great, and, much like Baggy Trousers, encapsulated the reason Madness were and are still so beloved by Brits. Charming, witty and nostalgic, they weren’t afraid to write about subjects other than relationships – although they were great at that too (My Girl is surprisingly touching and insightful for such nascent songwriters).

It’s one of their poppiest tunes, too. Had House of Fun remained Chemist Facade, it would still be among their best singles, as the brass punctuating the verses is a hell of a hook. Whether it was Barson or Suggs, hats off to whoever added the excellent chorus into the mix. This was the sound of a band with the Midas Touch, back then. And after too many MOR, bland number 1s for my liking, House of Fun was a very welcome single to review for me.

And the video! Madness made some of the best pop videos, brimming with imagination and comedy. Suggs does a great job as the awkward 16-year-old – his trademark jerky twitches fitted the part so well. When three of the band enter the chemist and begin dancing, it’s like a sketch from Monty Python’s Flying Circus.

In keeping with the theme of the song – the director employs the same method as the boy, preferring to skirt around the true theme with joke shop, fun house imagery. The chemist scenes were filmed in Kilburn, the joke shop in Camden, and the rollercoaster scene was filmed at the Pleasure Beach in Great Yarmouth. Suggs claimed the director made the band go round the ride 54 times before being happy with the result.

After

Complete Madness also went to number 1 on the album chart, despite presumably nearly everyone already owning everything contained within. 1982 was peak Madness, with a few more classics still to come. Driving in My Car might not have been the cleverest song, but we kids loved this too, and it peaked at four.

Our House saw Madness back to their lovable best, yet somehow it only climbed to number five as the year drew to a close. It was the first fruits of their next album, the diverse The Rise & Fall. It was to prove a rather ironic title, as the Nutty Boys began to slide commercially from here on in – though standalone singles The Wings of a Dove and The Sun and the Rain did well in 1983, finishing at two and five respectively.

Barson, who was considered the musical lynchpin of Madness, was becoming increasingly reclusive as fame began to exhaust him. He had moved to Amsterdam with his wife during the making of the last LP, and had begun covering his face up on promo shoots. In October, while the group discussed potentially starring in a new sitcom that would be written by Ben Elton and Richard Curtis, he announced he was leaving once they had finished recording new album, called Keep Moving, of all things.

As of 1984, Madness were no longer able to crack the top 10. Michael Caine reached 11 and One Better Day only 17. With Barson gone, the remaining members left Stiff. 1985 album Mad Not Mad featured a more synth-heavy sound. The sombre single Yesterday’s Men reached 18, followed by Uncle Sam at 21. Sweetest Girl scraped in at 35.

Madness soldiered on, but never completed their next album. In 1986 they announced they were to split after one more single – (Waiting For) The Ghost Train – which Barson came back for (but refused to promote).

Suggs, Smash, Thompson and Foreman reconvened as the confusingly named The Madness. Bedford and Woodgate joined Voice of the Beehive, though the former left before they became famous. He played bass on Morrissey’s 1991 album Kill Uncle.

After The Madness, Thompson and Foreman started new band The Nutty Boys and Smash became an A&R executive for Go! Discs. Suggs struggled the most, and after having therapy he tried his hand at stand-up comedy, managing and producing The Farm and collaborating with Morrissey, before embarking on a solo career.

In 1992, the number six re-release of It Must Be Love inspired the band to reform for the reunion concert Madstock!, which was a huge success despite Mozza being heckled off stage as their support act. They reunited for several more Madstocks and Christmas tours, before agreeing to record their first album in 13 years. Wonderful, released in 1999, included their decent comeback single Lovestruck, which peaked at 10.

From 2002 to 2003, Madness were involved in Our House, a musical based on their songs, which won the Olivier Award for best new musical. A year later they celebrated their 25th anniversary by playing a series of concerts as The Dangermen. This resulted in the 2005 ska covers album The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1. During the recording sessions, Foreman quit the band, but returned a year later. The single Shame & Scandal only reached number 38.

2009 saw the release of their first album of new material since 1999. The Liberty of Norton Folgate was a modest success, with single NW5 reaching number 24. It’s their last charting single to date. I saw them perform at Glastonbury Festival that year, with a brilliant set of the hits and new material that fitted in seamlessly. Three years later they performed on the roof of Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee and at the London Olympic Games Closing Ceremony.

Madness released their 10th studio album, Oui Oui, Si Si, Da Da in 2013. A year later, Smash announced his departure to focus on a solo career, while Bedford, who had only performed with them ad hoc since 2009, returned full-time. Another album, Can’t Touch Us Now, was released in 2016. Then in 2023 came their last album to date. Amazingly, Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est La Vie is their only number one LP.

The Outro

Madness are a great British institution and I hope they continue to perform for many years to come. In a year of sometimes great, sometimes poor number 1s, House of Fun is up there with the best.

It’s also worth noting the irony of a song about birth control being at the top of the charts when Pope John Paul II visited the UK (see ‘Meanwhile...’).

The Info

Written by

Lee Thompson & Mike Barson

Producers

Clive Langer & Alan Winstanley

Weeks at number 1

2 (29 May-11 June)

Trivia

Births

7 June: Actress Amy Nuttall

Deaths

3 June: Writer Ronald Duncan
6 June: Welsh Labour MP Ifor Davies
9 June: Botanist Richard St Barbe Baker

Meanwhile…

29 May: Pope John Paul II became the first reigning pontiff to visit the UK.
Also on this day, the Battle of Goose Green at the Falklands War comes to an end when British paratroopers defeat the larger army of Argentine troops.

3 June: Shlomo Argov, the Israeli ambassador to the UK, is shot in London.
Also on this day, the Mitcham and Morden by-election is held, with Angela Rumbold gaining the seat for the Conservatives. It was the first gain by a ruling party since 1961, and the last until 2017.

8 June: 48 British servicemen are killed when two supply ships are bombed by Argentine air strikes off Bluff Cove in the Falklands War.

9 June: The 20 pence coin is issued into circulation.

11 June: The last battles of the Falklands War begin at Mount Longdon, Mount Harriet and Two Sisters.

500. Nicole – A Little Peace (1982)

/ robbarker1979

The Intro

One year on from Bucks Fizz’s Eurovision winner/number 1, Making Your Mind Up, 17-year-old German singer-songwriter Nicole Seibert won the competition with Ein bißchen Frieden. Her English language version, A Little Peace then toppled the similarly utopian Ebony and Ivory.

Before

Nicole was born in Saarbrücken, West Germany on 25 October, 1964. She had begun performing aged only four. Commercial success first came when she was 16, when her debut single Flieg nicht so hoch, mein kleiner Freund reached number two in Austria.

On 24 March 1982, Nicole competed in Ein Lied für Harrogate and became the chosen entry for her native country with Ein bißchen Frieden, which had been written by prolific Eurovision composer Ralph Siegel and lyricist Bernd Meinunger.

West Germany had entered every Eurovision Song Contest since its inception but had never won. A teenage girl singing a kitsch folk tune about world peace was a smart choice and paid off. At Harrogate International Centre on 24 April 1982, Nicole didn’t just win – she stormed it, scoring 161, with Israel coming second on 100 points. And she celebrated by impressing the judges, the audience and millions at home once more by singing the reprise of her song in German, English, French and Dutch.

Review

The effect of nostalgia is going to have an increasing impact on my reviews now, having been a young boy in the early 80s. And it will potentially muddy the waters, as it does here. Do I like Nicole’s A Little Peace? It’s certainly not the type of thing I’d listen to by choice and my review would be more negative had I not associate it with my childhood.

I have vague but warm memories of listening to this in class, and singing along with everyone. I’m not sure why – I was only three in 1982, and I’m thinking it was more likely to be the mid- or even late-80s. So I can’t help but have a soft spot for A Little Peace. It’s no Making Your Mind Up – but as a saccharine Euro-ballad, it’s way better than Dana’s All Kinds of Everything. And it’s an earworm, but in a good way, unlike some Eurovision horrors like Puppet on a String.

It’s interesting that a ballad that yearns for world peace became number 1 during the overt and at times ugly patriotism of the Falklands War – but the people who loved The Sun’s ‘GOTCHA’ headline and bought this single most likely didn’t even notice the irony.

After

It must have already been intended that Ein bißchen Frieden would be released with English lyrics (by Paul Greeds) to coincide with the Eurovision appearance. It was a canny move. The UK loved the song and there was definitely a love of MOR euro-pop in the air that spring. In various guises, Ein bißchen Frieden sold millions

It remains highly regarded by Eurovision fans, to the extent it was one of 14 songs out of 992 to be selected for participation in the 2005 TV special Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest, where it came seventh. Nicole didn’t appear, but she did perform the song in English, Italian, German and French in the 60th anniversary special Eurovision Song Contest’s Greatest Hits.

The Outro

Nicole continued to release jazz, rock, pop and gospel albums after Eurovision. She also raises money for humanitarian causes.

The Info

Written by

Ralph Siegel & Bernd Meinunger (English lyrics by Paul Greedus)

Producer

Robert Jung

Weeks at number 1

2 (15-28 May)

Trivia

Births

19 May: Footballer Kevin Amankwaah

Deaths

17 May: Mountaineers Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker
18 May: Actor Ralph Reader/Television writer Elwyn Jones
28 May: Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert Jones (see ‘Meanwhile…‘)

Meanwhile…

21 May: Royal Marines and paratroopers from the British Task Force land at San Carlos Bay on the Falkland Islands, and the British frigate HMS Ardent is sunk by Argentine aircraft in Falkland Sound, killing 22 sailors.
Also on this day, the legendary Haçienda nightclub opens in Manchester.

22 May: FA Cup holders Tottenham Hotspur draw 1-1 with Queen’s Park Rangers in the final at Wembley Stadium, forcing a replay. Spurs play without Argentine Ossie Ardiles and Ricardo Villa, who were removed from the team following barracking from rival fans over the Falklands War.

23 May: The frigate HMS Antelope explodes after being hit by Argentine aircraft.

25 May: The destroyer HMS Coventry and the requisitioned container ship SS Atlantic Conveyor are sunk by Argentine missiles.

26 May: The reservoir Kielder Water opens in Northumberland. It is the largest artificial lake in the UK and is surrounded by Kielder Forest, one of the largest planted woodlands in Europe.

27 May: Spurs win the FA Cup 1-0, equalling Aston Villa’s record of seven FA Cup victories.
Also on this day, Tim Smith retains the Conservative seat at the Beaconsfield by-election.

28 May: Pope John Paul II becomes the first reigning pope to visit the UK.
Also on this day, the Battle of Goose Green becomes the first land battle of the Falklands War. Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert Jones was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his part in the battle.

499. Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder – Ebony and Ivory (1982)

/ robbarker1979

The Intro

Ebony and Ivory started out as a demo for Wings inspired by a marital tiff. It mutated into a well-intentioned but often-ridiculed number 1 duet between Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, two of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time.

Before

Wings had hit their commercial peak in 1977 with the Christmas number 1 double A-side Mull of Kintyre/Girls School. It had eclipsed even The Beatles singles chart figures to become the biggest-selling single ever at that point. However, only two years later, McCartney was growing weary of maintaining the band. He decided his next album would be the first to be billed as a solo effort since 1970’s McCartney, which had caused controversy by being accompanied by a press release that had resulted in the break-up of the Fab Four.

It made sense for the 1980 LP to be named McCartney II, as it was a return to eccentric, loose songs featuring only McCartney. However, this time the instrumentation heavily featured synthesisers. When Coming Up peaked at two, and even impressed John Lennon, he must have felt vindicated in his decision. History (sort of) repeated itself when Denny Laine quit Wings in April 1981, and the band dissolved. Around the same time, McCartney was already working on his next solo album, Tug of War, which saw him reunited with Beatles producer George Martin. Sessions had been cancelled earlier that winter after the shocking murder of Lennon.

One of the songs, Ebony and Ivory, had originally been conceived for Wings in 1978, after an argument with his wife Linda. ‘It was like, “Why can’t we get it together? Our piano can.”‘, as he succinctly but unrealistically put it during a 1997 interview with Record Collector.

However, McCartney more recently said in his 2021 book The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present that he wrote and demoed the track in 1980, during the unrest that was starting to take place in the UK, which included a riot at the Black and White Café in Bristol that April. He recalled hearing comedian Spike Milligan say: ‘Black notes, white notes, and you need to play the two to make harmony, folks!’. Of course, he may be misremembering one or the other, or there’s truth in both stories.

Either way, he knew Ebony and Ivory‘s naive messaging would have more resonance if he turned it into a duet with a black male singer – who better than Stevie Wonder?

Stevland Hardaway Judkins was born in Saginaw, Michigan on 13 May, 1950. He was six weeks premature and developed retinopathy of prematurity, which left him blind. We’ll have none of that conspiracy theory claiming he isn’t, here. When he was four his mother divorced and the family moved to Detroit, and he began singing at Whitestone Baptist Church, becoming a soloist aged eight.

Judkins totally fell in love with music and surprised everyone by learning an array of instruments at such a young age. He formed a partnership with a friend, and Stevie and John became known for singing on street corners and performing at local parties.

In 1961, aged 11, Judkins sang his own song, Lonely Boy, to Ronnie White of The Miracles. White could see massive potential and took the boy and his mother, Lula Hardaway, to Motown. CEO Berry Gordy signed him to Tamla and his surname was legally changed to Morris, an old family name. However, he was christened ‘Little Stevie Wonder’ by Gordy and co.

Two albums followed – Tribute to Uncle Ray and The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie, released in reverse order in 1962. The following year, Wonder released the live LP Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius, which featured a performance of the largely instrumental Fingertips. Split across two sides as a single, Fingertips – Part Two rocketed to the Billboard number 1 in the US. Wonder was only 13 when he became the youngest ever act to top the chart.

However, the novelty of ‘Little Stevie’ was in danger of fading as his teen years began, inevitably. His voice was changing and Motown executives were considering dropping him. In 1964 he appeared in two films – Muscle Beach Party and Bikini Beach, and also released a concept album of sorts, Stevie at the Beach, full of lacklustre surfing songs. Wonder was not The Beach Boys, and was floundering.

Fortunately, producer and songwriter Sylvia Moy reckoned it wasn’t over for Wonder yet. Together, with arranger Henry Cosby, they co-wrote the storming single Uptight (Everything’s Alright), which was a very well-deserved hit in 1965. This classic Motown stomper reached three in the US, and was his breakthrough UK hit, reaching 14. His stock having risen once more, he had a few more hits over here, including a cover of Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind (36) and A Place in the Sun (20) in 1966. This was the same year that McCartney and Wonder met for the first time, after the latter had played a gig in London.

Wonder branched out into songwriting for others, co-writing Smokey Robinson and The Miracles’ beautiful The Tears of a Clown in 1967, which became a UK chart-topper three years later. For the rest of the 60s, he would release several classic singles, which featured on albums of otherwise average material. these included I Was Made to Love Her (five in 1967), For Once in My Life (three in 1968) and My Cherie Amour (four in 1969).

The 70s began very promising, with the LP Signed, Sealed & Delivered spawning another classic, his first self-produced song Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours, which surprisingly only reached 15. It also contained that rare feat – a Beatles cover that is perhaps better than the original – We Can Work It Out (27).

In September 1970, Wonder married songwriter Syreeta Wright. They worked together on his next album, Where I’m Coming From, which showcased a more mature sound and themes akin to his labelmate Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. Inevitably the two were compared, and Gaye won out. Wonder’s album was considered a little weird for audiences at the time. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting bridge between Wonder’s earlier work and what was to come, including the lovely ballad Never Dreamed You’d Leave in Summer and the sweet If You Really Love Me (20).

Wonder’s contract with Tamla was coming to an end, and he was becoming increasingly interested in synthesisers. He used recordings of new material produced alongside Tonto’s Expanding Head Band to leverage a new contract with the label that gave him full artistic control. This was released as Music of My Mind. Hot on its heels was the more successful Talking Book, which came the same year and featured songs recorded at the same sessions. The phenomenally funky Superstition and tender You Are the Sunshine of My Life went to 11 and seven respectively in the UK, and of course the former in particular is among his best work and something I’ll never tire of.

The golden period of Wonder’s music was in full flow, and in 1973 came Innervisions, perhaps his best LP, which spawned excellent singles Higher Ground (29), Living for the City (15) and He’s Misstra Know It All (10).

That August, Wonder was seriously injured. While on tour, a car he was in hit the back of a farm truck, resulting in the star suffering a fractured skull and cerebral contusion. He fell into a coma for four days, but was soon performing once again.

In 1974 came yet another brilliant album. The tongue-twisting Fulfillingness’ First Finale spawned the angry, funky You Haven’t Done Nothin and bouncy Boogie On Reggae Woman, which went to 30 and 12 respectively. Later that year he jammed with McCartney and John Lennon, which eventually surfaced on the bootleg album A Toot and a Snore in ’74.

Anyone would be forgiven for thinking Wonder was simply taking a very well-earned year off in 1975, as no new material was released. But no, he was actually working on double album (and accompanying EP) Songs in the Key of Life. I’m going to be a little controversial here and say it’s possibly a little overrated – but when it’s good, it’s magnificent. Among the considerable highlights are hit singles I Wish (five) and Sir Duke, which sadly just missed out on reaching the top spot – it peaked at two in 1977 and really should have become his first UK number 1. Wonder’s 70s ended with Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through ‘The Secret Life of Plants’. Yes, it was a film score, but it’s hard work and his first misfire in a long time.

The 80s began with a return to form in Hotter Than July. His last great album, it included 1980 singles Master Blaster (Jammin’), which deservedly soared to two, and I Ain’t Gonna Stand for It, which reached 10. The following year, Lately went to three, and Happy Birthday did one better.

That February, Wonder travelled to Montserrat to meet McCartney at AIR Studios. The latter later recalled that his guest had been annoyingly evasive but at last they could begin working together. Sessions took place from 27 February to 2 March. As well as being two of the greatest songwriters of all time, McCartney and Wonder are also adept multi-instrumentalists. On this track, the former played acoustic and bass guitars, piano, synths, vocoder and percussion. The latter played electric piano, synths, drums and percussion. Wonder left McCartney at it to perform overdubs – but not before the two jammed on the funky and far superior What’s That You’re Doing?.

Review

Ah, Ebony and Ivory. Well, first off, I’m not stupid enough to call it either legend’s finest 7-inch, but I’m not here to run it into the ground, either.

The good: I’ve no doubt McCartney and Wonder’s hearts were in the right place. Perhaps the former felt Ebony and Ivory would replicate Lennon’s Imagine? Both are piano-led, both long for a better world, and both have been derided for naive, simplistic, even (in Lennon’s case) hypocritical messaging. McCartney was of course still in the very early days of grieving for his lost songwriting partner. It is of course catchy as hell, and I really like the middle eight instrumental section, straight before the ‘Ebony, ivory, living in perfect harmony’ chanting.

The bad: Yes, the simplicity is patronising and at worst you could accuse McCartney of being treating his audience as morons. It’s a lovely thought to compare white and black people and say, hey, why don’t we all just get on, eh? But it’s also pretty bloody insulting to look past centuries of suffering, of bloodshed, and hatred. It plays into both artists at their worst – that saccharine and cheesy side both can be guilty of. The 80s were of course a rough time for many musical legends, and definitely was the case for McCartney and Wonder. The very fact this song was in effect the first chart-topper for McCartney on his own (we’re not counting Wings’ Mull of Kintyre here) and Wonder is a sad indictment on record buyers in the UK.

The silly: I remember as a very young boy being fascinated by seeing the video on TV. How big must that giant piano that those two men are walking on actually be. Aged 46, it’s hilarious. It’s very clear that both musicians were filmed separately, so with 21st century eyes, they look awkward and that adds another layer to the song’s messaging. The silhouettes of the Rastafarians dancing are embarrassing – and why does McCartney get to portray himself as playing loads of instruments (reminiscent of the video to the way cooler Coming Up), but Wonder is relegated to keyboard only? Possibly McCartney’s ego and/or revenge for Wonder being unavailable at times?

McCartney also recorded a version minus Wonder. Not sure why – it certainly wouldn’t have been to keep racists happy.

After

Ebony and Ivory was always destined to be a hit initially. Two huge stars, together for a good cause. It went to number 1 in many countries and in the US, it meant Wonder had now topped the Billboard chart across three consecutive decades. And it marked the start of a very 80s phenomenon – the pop star duet, in which stars whose stars were in danger of falling would work together to keep in the public eye. The sum usually being great than the parts, at this point in the careers of these artists…

The Outro

McCartney and Wonder’s duet was spoofed and ridiculed right from the start, with Saturday Night Live getting in there first in a sketch featuring the rising comic Eddie Murphy as Wonder. In 2007, listeners to BBC 6 Music voted Ebony and Ivory the worst duet in history. 2025 saw the release of a bizarre biopic under the same name, which plays fast and loose with the making of the song.

But remember this when you laugh at Ebony and Ivory – apartheid was still a thing in 1982, and the South African Broadcasting Corporation banned it – so job done, in a sense.

The Info

Written by

Paul McCartney

Producer

George Martin

Weeks at number 1

3 (24 April-14 May)

Trivia

Births

24 April: Television presenter Laura Hamilton 
26 April: S Club 7 singer Jon Lee
28 April: Reality TV star Nikki Grahame
1 May: Northern Irish actor Jamie Dornan
3 May: Actress Rebecca Hall
4 May: Comedian John Robins
10 May: Footballer Adebayo Akinfenwa

Deaths

24 April: Historian Hilda Stewart Reid
25 April: Actress Celia Johnson
28 April: Cricketer Nobby Clark
30 April: Unionist MP Vernon Willey, 2nd Baron Barnby
1 May: Violist William Primrose
4 May: Liberal/Labour MP Barnett Janner, Baron Janner 
5 May: Scottish footballer Bob Shankly
12 May: Scottish Labour MP James Dempsey/racing driver Edward Ramsden Hall/composer Humphrey Searle
13 May: Scottish footballer Billy Steel

Meanwhile…

24 April: The Eurovision Song Contest is held in Harrogate, Yorkshire. The winning song is Germany’s Ein bißchen Frieden by Nicole. A UK version – A Little Peace – would be the next UK number 1.

25 April: The Royal Marines recapture South Georgia during the Falklands War.

29 April: Daniel and Christopher Smith are Britain’s first twins conceived through in vitro fertilisation, born to Josephine and Stewart Smith at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

30 April: The Conservatives return to the top of the opinion polls for the first time since late-1979. The Falklands bounce had begun.

1 May: Operation Black during the Falklands War saw a Royal Air Force Vulcan bomber bomb Port Stanley Airport.

2 May: The most controversial moment of the Falklands War saw nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sink the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano. Two years later, a furious Prime Minster Margaret Thatcher was questioned on TV by a teacher who pointed out the ship was sailing away from the exclusion zone.

4 May: The Sun newspaper runs the simple – moronic, sensationalist, some might say – headline ‘GOTCHA’ to sum up the Belgrano‘s sinking.
Also that day, the Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield is badly damaged by an Exocet missile. It sinks six days later.