Rock

467. The Police – Don’t Stand So Close to Me (1980)

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The Intro

The bestselling single of 1980 had a controversial subject matter and was The Police’s third number 1. Don’t Stand So Close to Me – the tale of a teacher’s Lolita-like relationship with a pupil – was made all the more eyebrow-raising due to the fact that singer Sting was a teacher before he was a pop star.

Before

Following their second number 1, Walking on the Moon, re-released their fourth single So Lonely, originally issued in 1978. As a pre-fame record it had failed to chart, but this time it peaked at six. A month after its release in February 1980, The Police embarked on their first world tour, performing in countries not used to western pop stars including India and Egypt. To capitalise on their global popularity, UK label A&M released Six Pack, a package featuring their previous five singles (including their first chart-topper, Message in a Bottle), plus an alternate take of album track The Bed’s Too Big Without You.

A&M seemingly couldn’t be satisfied by their biggest group of the moment, however, because they started pressuring The Police for a third album. Recorded in four weeks that July-August, the trio later said Zenyatta Mondatta was too rushed. Nonetheless, it was scheduled for an October release, to be preceded by lead single Don’t Stand So Close to Me on 19 September.

Before he was Sting, Gordon Sumner had taught English at St Paul’s First School in Cramlington, Northumberland. Sting has always understandably stated that Don’t Stand So Close to Me was not about him, but whether it came from experience of a scandal of a colleague, or was just inspired by his teaching career, we don’t know. Anyone who might think a handsome man like Sting may have had no shortage of schoolgirl fans might be right, but nobody has ever claimed the singer has also walked on the moon or been stranded on a desert island.

Review

Opening with a dark and brooding synth, Don’t Stand So Close to Me starts very strong. Sting’s lyrics are compelling and not the subject matter of your average pop song. The first verse is purely focused on the schoolgirl’s desire for the teacher. So far, so very good. But when it gets to the chorus, Don’t Stand So Close to Me goes downhill. While the verses are atmospheric, tense and foreboding, the workmanlike reggae of the chorus is perhaps a sign of the lack of time spent making this album. It’s like a demo recording – as is the instrumental section, featuring some more synth work that screams ‘this will do until we work out what goes here’, but they never went back to it.

Apparently however, The Police and producer Nigel Gray did work on this track for some time, with it initially tried out as a Hammond organ-based soul track. Several complex arrangements were tried, but, perhaps with the ticking of the clock in mind, they were abandoned and the band reverted to an earlier sound.

The second and third verses are strong, detailing the teacher’s lack of torment. However, you could say Sting tries harder to make the listener gain sympathy for the man here, mentioning ‘Temptation, frustration, so bad it makes him cry’. And the definite low point is:

‘It’s no use, he sees her, he starts to shake and cough,
Just like the old man in that book by Nabokov’.

You guessed it! The book in question is Lolita! Terrible, yet Sting later claimed to think it was ‘hilarious’ that he was given so much flak for it.

So the song ends with both student and teacher as the subject of gossip in the classroom and staffroom, and Sting pleading with his pupil to keep away, possibly partly to keep his temptation at bay, but also the rumours. The ending is overlong and if you’re not a fan of Sting’s attempt at reggae singing, Don’t Stand So Close to Me is not going to rank as their best number 1. In a year of so many chart-toppers, with the average duration at the top of the hit parade being only a fortnight, this doesn’t really deserve it’s lofty bestseller status.

The video is a typical Police promo. Sting does a decent job playing the stressed-out teacher, with a young girl hovering around him, while Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland probably revelled in the chance to wind him up by throwing paper aeroplanes and smoking in the classroom. This is intercut with the trio skanking around a schoolroom, with Copeland looking particularly silly holding his drumsticks. Mind you, Summers gives him a run for his money by dropping to his knees for a guitar solo that isn’t actually there. Sting’s adoring fans will have particularly enjoyed their hero getting his top off at one point (bit harsh him telling the girl to keep away when he’s behaving like that).

Don’t Stand So Close to Me has aged better than other similar Lolita-style songs, such as 1968 chart-topper Young Girl, but any sensitivity in which Sting broaches the subject matter quickly evaporates with that terrible rhyme, and nothing is resolved.

After

The melody to Don’t Stand So Close to Me found its way on to another huge 80s hit, when Dire Straits asked Sting to sing on the epic intro to Money for Nothing. Sting sang ‘I want my MTV’ to the tune, and after the release of the LP Money for Nothing, he received a co-writing credit.

The Outro

In 1984 The Police went on hiatus. Two years they reconvened, but the chance of a new album was doomed when Copeland broke his collarbone before they’d had chance to jam. Their final single was Don’t Stand So Close to Me ’86. Copeland and Sting fell out over what to use as drums, the former won out with his Fairlight CMI over the latter’s Synclavier. Unfortunately, while the idea of a reworked version showed a desire to breathe new life into an underworked song, this version is actually inferior. The production is too 80s, and the chorus less catchy. The video, directed by 10cc’s Godley and Creme, is one of the most comically mid-80s things you’ll ever see. The single made it to 24 after the group disbanded.

The Info

Written by

Sting

Producers

The Police & Andy Gray

Weeks at number 1

4 (27 September-24 October) *BEST-SELLING SINGLE OF THE YEAR*

Trivia

Births

5 October: Motorcycle racer James Toseland
13 October: Football player Scott Parker
14 October: Actor Ben Wishaw

Deaths

27 September: Banker Sir Michael Turner
28 September: Pianist Horace Finch
29 September: Labour Party MP Peter Mahon
30 September: Botanist James Wyllie Gregor/Conservationist George Waterston
6 October: Actress Hattie Jacques
7 October: Designer Sir Gordon Russell
10 October: Conservative MP Evelyn Emmet, Baroness Emmet of Amberley/Cricketer Wilfred Hill-Wood
11 October: Singer Cassie Walmer
12 October: Actress Ambrosine Phillpotts
14 October: Labour Party MP Arthur Pearson
15 October: Writer Katharine Mary Briggs
19 October: Radio producer DG Bridson
20 October: TV personality Isobel, Lady Barnett/Tennis player Phoebe Holcroft Watson
24 October: Conservative MP Sir Richard Glyn, 9th Baronet

Meanwhile…

3 October: The 1980 Housing Act came into effect, which gave council house tenants of three years or more in England and Wales the right to buy their home from their local council, at a discount.  

6 October: Express coach services were deregulated.

8 October: British Leyland launched the Austin Metro.

10 October: Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher made her infamous ‘The lady’s not for turning’ speech at conference, after being warned her economic policy was to blame for the recession and record-breaking rising unemployment.

15 October: Former Prime Minister James Callaghan resigned as Labour Party leader after four and a half years in the job.
Also this day, former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and union leaders criticised Thatcher’s economic policies.

17 October: Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to make a state visit to the Vatican.

22 October: Lord Thomson announced The Times and Sunday Times would close within five months unless a buyer was found.

24 October: MG car production ended.

465. The Jam – Start! (1980)

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The Intro

Love The Beatles’ Taxman but find the whining about paying HMRC when you’re in the biggest band in the world a bit annoying? Simple, listen to The Jam’s second number 1, Start! instead.

Before

Following the success of Going Underground/The Dreams of Children, The Jam set to work on their fifth LP. Vic Coppersmith-Heaven was back to produce Sound Affects, but for the first time, Paul Weller, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler received a co-credit too – albeit as ‘The Jam’. As signposted with The Dreams of Children, The Jam were widening their sonic palette, and after its release, Weller described his favourite Jam album as a cross between Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall and The Beatles’ Revolver.

The influence of the latter is certainly evident on Start!, which was released in August while work continued on Sound Affects. Weller’s guitar and Foxton’s bass riffs were pretty much identical to the opening track of Revolver. George Harrison’s Taxman was an excellent opener to one of the greatest albums of all time, and showcased Harrison’s burgeoning talent. But as great as Taxman is, there’s no escaping the fact it also makes very evident how much of a moaner he could be. I’m sure paying an admittedly ridiculously high rate (95%!) of income tax to Harold Wilson’s new Labour government must have stung… and the Fab Four had been warned that despite their unprecedented fame, they were in danger of bankruptcy. But starting a new album complaining about money, when the average record buyer could only dream of their lifestyle? It’s certainly a bold move, and another sign that The Beatles were now charting their own path. But you can’t deny the musical brilliance of Taxman, particularly McCartney’s powerful rhythmic bass and blistering Indian-style guitar solo.

In a 2012 interview with Music Radar, Foxton said:

‘It wasn’t intentional, but Taxman subconsciously went in and when we came up with the idea for Start! that’s what went in. It isn’t exactly the same thankfully, otherwise I’m sure Paul McCartney would have thought about suing us!’

It’s not exactly the same, but you can’t get much closer. And considering the deluxe edition of Sound Affects also contains covers of Rain and And Your Bird Can Sing, recorded at the same sessions, it’s more likely that they jammed Taxman and enjoyed it so much, they reworked it. And they got lucky that Harrison, who had been to court over his 1971 number 1 My Sweet Lord in 1976 and lost more than a million in damages due to its likeness to He’s So Fine. He apparently considered Start! a compliment, but he probably didn’t relish going back to court over his music, this time as prosecution.

There are two main differences, and the main one is the lyrics. In Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh’s 2005 book 1000 UK #1 Hits, Weller said he had been reading George Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia (1938), detailing the author’s experience of the Spanish Civil War:

‘There is a lot of talk of an egalitarian society where all people are equal but this was it, actually in existence, which, for me, is something that is very hard to imagine.’

With this in mind, it seems Start! may have been written from the point of view of a Republican soldier, who briefly meets a fellow believer in their cause. Knowing that they’re at risk of dying for their beliefs means they could only know each other for a few minutes, so they don’t need to know much about each other, apart from that they feel so strongly for their cause, ‘with a passion called hate’ against the Nationalists. The Republicans consisted of socialists, communists and anarchists, so there was as much infighting as seen within the Labour Party during Jeremy Corbyn’s time as leader.

‘And what you give is what you get’ can be seen as a rallying cry for the Republicans, and in line with Weller’s increasingly left-wing tendencies, perhaps a call for solidarity among Labour in 1980, as their left-wing leader Michael Foot wasn’t popular among the right of the party. Same as it ever was.

Or, it could just have been about a one-night stand, lasting all of two minutes. Take your pick.

Review

Another great 1980 number 1 from Weller and co here. It’s short, sweet and doesn’t outstay its welcome, just like Going Underground. And it also shows a growing versatility. Yes, it’s not very original, but the soul bounce of Start! proves there’s more to The Jam than their rockier material, and it really shows off how effective that rhythm section was. In a way they come out of this better than Weller, as his guitar solo doesn’t compare to McCartney’s on Taxman – even with that added backwards section. Great track though and a breath of fresh air, particularly the way it reverts back to the punch of the main tune after the last ‘If I never ever see you…’ section.

The video to Start! was a typically low-budget, straightforward affair focusing on the trio doing what they did best – playing music.

After

Polydor wanted album opener Pretty Green to be the first single, but The Jam pushed for Start! and were proved right when it spent a week at number 1. Sound Affects was released in November, featuring added (and unnecessary) trumpets as the song draws to a close. No other official singles were released from the LP, but The Jam were so popular, That’s Entertainment peaked at 21 as an import. However, it would be 1982 before they topped the charts again.

The Outro

The psychedelic pop of Sound Affects was soon abandoned with a focus on 60s R’n’B, later to be explored on their final album, The Gift.

The Info

Written by

Paul Weller

Producers

Vic Coppersmith-Heaven & The Jam

Weeks at number 1

1 (6-12 September)

Trivia

Births

6 September: Atomic Kitten singer Kerry Katona
11 September: Academic Anthony Carrigan
12 September: Rugby league player Kevin Sinfield

Deaths

6 September: Art curator Philip Hendy
7 September: Conservative Party MP Reginald Manningham-Buller, 1st Viscount Dilhorne
8 September: Northern Irish singer Eddie Butcher/Liberal Party MP Sir Geoffrey Shakespeare, 1st Baronet
10 September: Academic TE Jessop
11 September: Conservative Party MP Sir Harwood Harrison, 1st Baronet
12 September: Legal scholar Sir Rupert Cross

Meanwhile…

11 September: Chicago mobster Joseph Scalise and his colleague Arthur Rachel committed the Marlborough diamond robbery in London. The following day, the duo were arrested in Chicago, but the 45-carat stone has never been found.

12 September: Consett Steelworks in Consett, County Durham closed down, costing the town some 4,500 jobs.

456. Blondie – Call Me (1980)

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The Intro

In what must surely be one of the shortest durations between chart-toppers for one act, Blondie only had a month inbetween Atomic and Call Me – two of the best number 1s that year. This collaboration with Italian genius producer Giorgio Moroder (the man behind I Feel Love) was the theme song to Paul Schrader’s American Gigolo. The film starred a little-known actor called Richard Gere as a high-end male escort and it made him a star.

Before

Call Me began as a Moroder instrumental known as Man Machine. Not the tune by Kraftwerk, but similar in the sense it combined electronic music with pop. He originally had his eye on Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac to add lyrics and perform songs for American Gigolo, but she couldn’t for contractual reasons. Luckily for Moroder, Blondie were one of the hottest bands on the planet, and singer Debbie Harry was up for it. She watched the film and had the opening scene – driving on the Californian coast – in mind as she set to work writing the words, which only took a few hours.

Blondie went into the studio in New York with Moroder in August 1979 to record Call Me – just one month after finishing up their fourth LP Eat to the Beat. The pressure of following up the massive album Parallel Lines, and Harry’s perceived increasing dominance of the group, was causing tension. The recording of Call Me didn’t help. The first session, in LA, had seen Moroder and his crew, including keyboardist Harold Faltermeyer and Keith Forsey (drummer on I Feel Love), record an instrumental version to a timecode so it would synchronise with American Gigolo.

It’s unknown whether Moroder was only expecting Harry, but Faltermeyer later claimed the producer was surprised the rest of the band were insisting on adding their own instrumentation. Guitarist Chris Stein’s equipment was buzzing and annoying the perfectionist Moroder, who, after realising the musicians were struggling to play in time and fighting among themselves, aborted the sessions. The backing tape was completed by Moroder and co, including the keyboard solo by Faltermeyer. This riled an already paranoid Blondie (minus Harry of course), but when Call Me shot to number 1 in the US before Atomic did, and then after Atomic in the UK, they changed their tune. Who is it on backing vocals, is it drummer Clem Burke, keyboardist Jimmy Destri, bassist Frank Infante, all three, or Moroder’s boys? I don’t know.

Review

Moroder and Blondie are two of the greatest names in disco, so it’s a given that any collaboration between the two would be great. Call Me and Atomic are like sisters, both showing Blondie at the top of their game, melding disco, pop and rock in a totally natural way. And although only Harry is on the recording, you’d never know upon listening, which shows how effectively Moroder had also become in combining different genres. Moroder was intending to produce Blondie’s next LP, but the infighting caused him to change his mind. It’s fascinating to imagine how good that could have been.

The rest of the band’s jealousy towards their singer is only natural, but she is also at the peak of her powers as a songwriter. Where Atomic featured improvised lines that captured the feel of the band’s blistering performance, Call Me shows Harry studying her source material and coming up with a song that is perfect as a film soundtrack. She succinctly communicates that Gere’s character is available whenever you need him, referencing the classic Martini ad tagline ‘Anytime, anyplace, anywhere’. He’s clearly used to a higher class of clientele (‘Roll me in designer sheets’) and ‘speaks the languages of love’, with a smattering of Italian and French thrown in for good measure. But the best lines are Harry’s frustration at feelings ruining what are meant to be a purely business arrangement: ‘Emotions come I don’t know why/Cover up love’s alibi’. As with I Feel Love, this Moroder classic is best heard in full via the 8:05 album version. The video edit is way too short at only 2:15

Further proof that Harry now pretty much was Blondie in the public eye is apparent in the record sleeve above and the video to Call Me, in which the striking singer is filmed in the city, on the beach and on stage. The rest of her band are nowhere to be seen.

After

Call Me was released in the US first in January 1980 and surprisingly was only their second number 1. It became their biggest-selling single and was also number 1 on Billboard‘s end-of-year chart that December. In addition to the soundtrack version, video edit and radio edit, there was a Spanish-language 12″. A Ben Liebrand mix missed out on top 40 action in 1988. Oh, and an abbreviated version was sung by Harry on The Muppet Show in 1981.

The Outro

Of course, the problem with being at the peak of your powers is that the only way is down. There was only one more Blondie 80s number 1, and it was a cover that didn’t hit the heights of Call Me. The band re-recorded Call Me in 2014, and to be fair, this probably felt more needed than their other 2014 covers, as it meant Blondie were actually on the recording. However, it’s probably not a huge surprise to find out it doesn’t match the original.

The Info

Written by

Giorgio Moroder & Debbie Harry

Producer

Giorgio Moroder

Weeks at number 1

1 (26 April-2 May)

Trivia

Births

28 April: Cyclist Bradley Wiggins
2 May: Footballer Zat Knight 

Deaths

26 April: Actress Cicely Courtneidge/Conservative MP Irene Ward, Baroness Ward of North Tyneside
27 April: Theatre director E Martin Browne/Producer John Culshaw
29 April: Film director Sir Alfred Hitchcock (see ‘Meanwhile…’)
30 April: Scottish Labour MP Thomas McMillan
2 May: Conservative MP Sir Jocelyn Lucas, 4th Baronet/Army captain Herbert Westmacott

Meanwhile…

29 April: Legendary filmmaker Sir Alfred Hitchcock died at home in Los Angeles, aged 80.

30 April: A six-man team of terrorists from the Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan began the Iranian Embassy Siege, taking 26 hostages at the Embassy of Iran in Knightsbridge.

1 May: British Aerospace was privatised.

454. The Jam – Going Underground/The Dreams of Children (1980)

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The Intro

The Specials weren’t the only group successfully reviving a 60s musical movement as the 80s began. Mod power trio The Jam had been around several years before achieving this first of four number 1s. And yet, had it not been for an error at the pressing plant, Going Underground/The Dreams of Children might not have shot to the top spot.

Before

The Jam go back a fair few years than many realise, as singer and bassist Paul Weller began the band aged 14 in 1972, while still at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. He was joined by Steve Brookes on lead guitar and vocals, Dave Waller on rhythm guitar and Rick Buckler on drums. But this was before the frontman discovered Mod, so The Jam’s setlist mostly consisted of early US rock’n’roll covers. Waller left in 1973 and was replaced by Bruce Foxton.

When Weller heard The Who’s debut album, My Generation, everything changed. He fell totally in love with becoming a Mod. He bought a Lambretta, made the band dress in sharp suits and they started covering Motown, Atlantic and Stax soul music.

In 1975, Brookes also left. Although The Jam advertised for a new lead guitarist (and among those auditioning was apparently a young Gary Numan), Weller decided to ape The Who’s line-up. He persuaded Foxton to switch to bass and he took over full guitar duties.

In 1975, rock music was often moribund. Punk had yet to arrive, so The Jam stood out on the London scene, capturing the imagination and perhaps reminding older gig-goers of happier times. When punk did appear, Weller, Foxton and Buckler were even more distinct – their smart appearance was totally different to the ripped, scruffy clothes of the Sex Pistols and co, and they were in thrall to the 60s. But like the Sex Pistols, The Jam were angry, energetic and distinctive.

They were signed to Polydor in 1977, and that April released their debut single In the City, which peaked at 40. But they struck a chord and their album with the same name was a number 20 hit. When second single All Around the World climbed to 13, Polydor asked for more material ASAP. They completed another LP that year, This Is the Modern World, but the (almost) title track Modern World only reached 36.

In 1978 News of the World (that’s right, three singles in row with ‘world’ in the name) fared better when it peaked at 27. This was the only single to be written and sung by Foxton, and later became the theme tune to BBC Two’s Mock the Week. A third LP was quickly planned, but Weller was struggling for inspiration and their producers dismissed Foxton’s material as poor. Weller became the principle songwriter from here on in.

The influence of The Kinks on The Jam, if it wasn’t already noticeable, certainly was when they released a soundalike cover of David Watts as a double-A-side with ‘A’ Bomb in Wardour Street. These first fruits of their third album All Mod Cons climbed to 25. The next single, Down in the Tube Station at Midnight, is highly regarded as a return to form both critically and commercially, and shot to 15. It also placed a large question mark over The Jam’s early reputation as Conservative poster boys. Where previously they sang about the decline of the British Empire and disparagingly about ‘Uncle Jimmy’ Callaghan, now Weller was talking about being mugged by thugs who had been to ‘too many right wing meetings’.

In 1979 two non-album singles, Strange Town and When You’re Young, peaked at 15 and 17 respectively. Then came the first song from the next LP, Setting Sons. The Eton Rifles was rightfully their biggest yet, soaring all the way to three. In 2008, future Conservative Prime Minister, the Etonian David Cameron, called himself a fan of the song back in the day, causing a furious Weller to state ‘it wasn’t a fucking jolly drinking song for the cadet corps’.

The Dreams of Children, recorded during the Setting Sons sessions but not on the LP, was to be their first single of the new decade. It wasn’t on the album, but considering the LP was originally a concept album about three childhood friends, perhaps it was intended to feature originally. It saw the trio broadening their sonic palette with producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven, while the intended B-side was an angry tirade at the people in power.

However, there was a mix-up at the pressing plant, and this single became a double A-side. Because of this, radio DJs mostly preferred to spin the snappier, catchier, more immediate fare intended for side B.

Reviews

It seems obvious in retrospect that Going Underground deserved to be the A-side. And what a number 1 as the Thatcher era was just getting started. In just a few minutes, Weller succinctly wipes away any doubt of whose side he’s on. And he does it with no small measure of belligerence and fire in his belly. Over jagged guitar strikes, this reads like the manifesto of a man who is so sickened with the state of his country and its politics, he’s retreating from modern life. The only negative to this song is how it resonates even more now than it did in 1980, particularly ‘Some people might get some pleasure out of hate.’

The beauty of Going Underground is how The Jam make such a bleak message so uplifting. We shouldn’t be celebrating the need to opt out of society, but doesn’t it sound so good? And there is a small glint of hope as the song ends ‘Well, let the boys all sing and let the boys all shout for tomorrow’. Not that there’s much hope in 2023 – the other side aren’t offering much to get excited about as another election looms.

There have already been some classic number 1s in the first quarter of 1980. This is the best of the bunch, ahead even of Atomic.

The fact there’s a video for Going Underground is puzzling. If this was always intended as a B-side, why is there one at all? However, the fact both mostly feature the band performing in front of a white background wearing very similar clothes suggests it could have been filmed in the same session. The Going Underground film is one of the most enduring images of the young, angry Weller, resplendent in a scarf, interspersed with images of Uncle Sam, atomic explosions and photos of Conservative Prime Ministers (plus, interestingly, Labour’s Harold Wilson), pushed to one side.

The Dreams of Children is a decent track too, but I doubt it would have become their first chart-topper on its own. Opening with backmasking from Setting Sons track Thick as Thieves, it’s an early sign of Weller’s love of psychedelic rock, and the lyric is akin to songs from that era about loss of innocence, like Pink Floyd’s Remember a Day.

Like Going Underground, The Dreams of Children paints a bleak picture – bleaker in fact. And very true, because Weller explains how he had a glimpse of optimism in his dreams, before waking up ‘sweating from this modern nightmare’. The closing refrain of ‘You will choke on your dreams tonight’ paints a very bleak picture. Interesting stuff, with some nice bass playing from Foxton.

The video is less simple than Going Underground, cutting between the band playing outdoors, hanging out near somewhere derelict and performing once more against a simple white background but with added camera and lighting equipment.

After

The Jam were touring the US to small crowds when they heard Going Underground/The Dreams of Children had made it to number 1. They immediately returned home and prepared for a triumphant Top of the Pops appearance.

The Outro

A version of Going Underground by US rock band Buffalo Tom climbed to number six in 1999, as a double A-side with a version of Carnation by Liam Gallagher and Steve Cradock.

The Info

Written by

Paul Weller

Producer

Vic Coppersmith-Heaven

Weeks at number 1

3 (22 March-11 April)

Trivia

Births

23 March: Comedian Russell Howard
24 March: Sports presenter Amanda Davies
28 March: Labour MP Angela Rayner
3 April: Fascist Conservative MP Suella Braverman
8 April: Actor Ben Freeman/Scottish field hockey midfielder Cheryl Valentine

Deaths

22 March: Historian Evelyn Procter
23 March: Journalist SW Alexander/Royal Navy admiral Sir Henry McCall/Labour MP Charles Pannell, Baron Pannell/Red Cross aid worker Joan Whittington/Racehorse trainer Norah Wilmot
24 March: Actor John Barrie
26 March: Army major-general Basil Coad/Botanist Lily Newton
30 March: Labour MP Francis Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Barloch/Trade union leader Jim Hammond
22 March: Historian Evelyn Procter
23 March: Journalist SW Alexander/Royal Navy admiral Sir Henry McCall/Labour MP Charles Pannell, Baron Pannell/Red Cross aid worker Joan Whittington/Racehorse trainer Norah Wilmot – Evelyn Procter, historian (born 1897)
24 March: Actor John Barrie
26 March: Botanist Lily Newton
30 March: Labour MP Francis Douglas, 1st Baron Douglas of Barloch/Trade union leader Jim Hammond
31 March: Actor John Nightingale
1 April: Actress Cicely Courtneidge/Director Alfred Hitchcock/Actress Joyce Heron
2 April: Long distance runner George Wallach
3 April: Geophysicist Sir Edward Bullard/Actress Isla Cameron/Army major-general Sir Alexander Douglas Campbell/Chemist Ulick Richardson Evans
5 April: Scottish composer Hector MacAndrew
6 April: Film director Antony Balch/Writer John Collier/Philosopher Sir Thomas Malcolm Knox
8 April: Horticulturalist Beatrix Havergal
10 April: Writer Antonia White
11 April: Legal historian Norman Hargreaves-Mawdsley/Actor Nicholas Phipps

Meanwhile…

25 March: The British Olympic Association votes to send athletes to the Olympic Games in Moscow, USSR, in the summer, in defiance of the government’s boycott.
Also on this day, Robert Runcie becomes the Archbishop of Canterbury.

26 March: On Budget Day, Chancellor Geoffrey Howe announces raises in tax allowances and duties on petrol, alcohol and tobacco.

31 March: British Leyland agrees to sell its MG factory in Abingdon to Aston Martin-Lagonda in the autumn.

1 April: The steelworkers’ strike is called off, and Britain’s first official naturist beach is opened in Brighton.

2 April: 130 people were arrested after rioting in St Pauls, Bristol.

3 April: The Assisted Places Scheme introduces free or subsidised places for children at fee-paying independent schools, based on examination performances. It also gives parents more powers on governing bodies and admisssions, and removes the obligation for local education authorities to provide school meals and milk. Thatcher, Thatcher, milk snatcher.

4 April: Alton Towers Resort was opened as a theme park.

10 April: The UK and Spain come to an agreement, and the latter reopens its border with Gibraltar.

452. Blondie – Atomic (1980)

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The Intro

Blondie were one of the best bands around in the late-70s and rightfully continued to storm the charts in the early 80s. Their last number 1, Sunday Girl, was a nice tune, but they were at their best when they combined disco and rock. Atomic does this extremely well.

Before

Blondie’s third album, Parallel Lines had been a huge success, despite some critics referring to them as sell-outs for supposedly jumping on the disco bandwagon with Heart of Glass. Which is nonsense, as the band had dabbled in disco from its early days.

However, tensions were high. Drug use was increasing among the six-piece, and there was understandable jealousy over the fact Blondie were fast becoming known as ‘Debbie Harry and some men’. There was no wonder of course – Harry was the singer, and an incredibly cool and beautiful one at that, so the spotlight was always on her. And Harry used this momentum to increasingly decide on future material, which coincided with the making of their fourth album, Eat to the Beat. Their new wave stylings were on the way out in favour of a more pop-oriented approach.

The first fruits of Eat to the Beat to be released – opening track Dreaming – peaked at two. When the follow-up, Union City Blue, stalled at 13, Blondie must have been worried their fortunes were waning. Fortunately they had Atomic up their sleeves, which after two singles of plaintive melancholy, was a return to a more fiery sound.

Atomic came from Harry and keyboardist Jimmy Destri, who was trying to find a sound akin to Heart of Glass. From there the track was transformed by the twangy guitar sound, which simultaneously gave the tune a Spaghetti Western and surf sound. Harry has described that her songwriting approach with Blondie would often involve working out the lyrics while the rest of the band were rehearsing. She would scat ideas, often as placeholders. She came up with ‘Ooooh, your hair is beautiful’ first. The song transformed into an erotically charged pop-rock anthem. The song title most likely came from Harry trying to find a word that matched the guitar hook. It was perfect. Although some think the title has no fixed meaning, to me, it’s describing the potentially explosive level of attraction she’s feeling for the person she’s singing about.

Review

Coward of the County spoiled a very impressive run of number 1 singles but Atomic puts us firmly back on track. What a single. It doesn’t matter that the lyrics are somewhat basic because they fit the mood and get the message across perfectly. It’s a night out, and a girl wants a man to ‘make it magnificent’. The tense, edgy sound here is a million miles away from the sedate bounce of Rogers’ song. It’s Blondie at their best, and is expertly produced by Mike Chapman, as you’d expect from such a prolific pop and rock hitmaker. For me, although Heart of Glass edges it as their best chart-topper, Atomic does a better job of combining disco, rock and pop naturally. However, the album mix, with its intro based on Three Blind Mice, features a bass guitar solo, which makes the disco element more obvious. This is the essential version and is nearly a minute longer than the single edit.

It’s worth nothing that singing backing vocals is Ellie Greenwich. The singer, songwriter and producer wrote or co-wrote some of the most famous pop music of the 60s, including Da Doo Ron Ron, River Deep – Mountain High and Do Wah Diddy Diddy, number 1 for Manfred Mann in 1968.

Eat to the Beat was the first full LP to have a video made for every song, by director David Mallet. The video for Atomic has a very literal premise but is a charming product of its time. The band are seen performing in a post-apocalyptic nightclub as the crowd do some freaky dancing. Harry is one of the only people in the world who could manage to look cool while dancing badly in a binbag. The video also features Gia Carangi – considered the world’s first supermodel. You can see similarities in Mallet’s video for Ashes to Ashes later in the year, as both feature solarising effects. Strangely, the version of the song in the full video is the album version, minus the intro.

After

Released in February, Atomic quickly rocketed up the charts to number 1 on 1 March. It was followed only two months later by Call Me, which had already been a US chart-topper and soon repeated the feat here.

The Outro

Atomic is a song that stands outside of time, sounding as hip now as it did 43 years ago. Attempts to update it only end up sounding more dated. In 1994 the ‘Diddy’s Edit’ (not P Diddy) gave the song a backing ideal for clubbing in the 90s, but it’s not aged well. It performed respectably though, reaching 19. To mark the 40th anniversary of Blondie, the band re-recorded Atomic for Greatest Hits Deluxe Redux. It’s better than the 1994 remix but only because it’s so similar to the original – the only real difference is the understandably inferior new vocal performance from Harry.

The Info

Written by

Debbie Harry & Jimmy Destri

Producer

Mike Chapman

Number of weeks

2 (1-14 March)

Trivia

Births

2 March: Footballer Chris Barker 
13 March: Scottish field hockey player Linda Clement

Deaths

1 March: Footballer Dixie Dean/Motorcycle racer Eric Oliver
3 March: Socialite Sir Michael Duff, 3rd Baronet
4 March: Football manager Alan Hardaker
5 March: Historian Jack Gallagher/John Raven/John Skeaping
6 March: Conservative MP Harry Becker/Philanthropist Noel Croucher/Cricket journalist Norman Preston/Physician EA Underwood
7 March: Yacht designer John Illingworth
14 March: Chemical engineer Dudley Maurice Newitt/Artist Vere Temple

Meanwhile…

10 March: An opinion poll in the Evening Standard suggests six out of 10 Britons are unhappy with the Conservative government, who are trailing Labour in the opinion polls. 

449. Pretenders – Brass in Pocket (1980)

/ robbarker1979 / 2 Comments

The Intro

Welcome, welcome, welcome home to Every UK Number 1! Don’t worry, it’s a very niche reference…

Back on we go, with the decade that truly shaped my musical tastes – the 80s (I was born in April 1979). Yet another weird and wonderful 10 years of pop, that started out extremely positively thanks to the foundations set in the late 70s… before, perhaps, the rot begins to set in during the mid-point.

But before we find out if that’s true, let’s go back to January 1980, with the sole number one by new wave outfit Pretenders. Brass in Pocket was by a strong, ballsy woman. But, contrary to popular belief, it’s not about one.

Before

In fact, let’s go further back – to 7 September 1951, when Christine Ellen Hynde was born, in Akron, Ohio. The daughter of a part-time secretary and a Yellow Pages manager, Hynde rebelled from an early age. She recalled in Rolling Stone how she wasn’t interested in high school, or dates either. But she was interested in bands, the counterculture and vegetarianism.

While at Kent State University’s Art School, she joined her first group – Sat. Sun. Mat. – which also featured Mark Mothersbaugh, later of Devo. She was also there during the infamous Kent State Massacre of 1970, in which four Vietnam protestors were killed, including the boyfriend of a friend of Hynde’s.

Hynde moved to London three years later, and within nine months was in a relationship with famed music journalist Nick Kent. She even worked at the NME alongside him, but not for long. Soon after, she was working at Sex, the famed boutique run by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood.

This was just the start of her connection to the early punk movement. Returning from time in France and back in Cleveland, she asked both Steve Jones and then Johnny Rotten to marry her in order to gain a work permit. Rotten was initially up for it but after pulling out, Sid Vicious offered. Fortunately, the big day clashed with a court appearance for the eventual Sex Pistols bassist. A narrow escape.

Hynde briefly appeared in several bands, including Masters of the Backside – soon to be known as The Damned, and The Moors Murderers, featuring Steve Strange, later of Visage.

In 1978 she gave a demo tape to Dave Hill (not the Slade guitarist), owner of Real Records and subsequently manager to the Pretenders after he suggested she get a band together. The original line-up of Pretenders (named after Sam Cooke’s version of The Great Pretender) consisted of Hynde and bassist Pete Farndon. They soon added James Honeyman-Scott (guitar, vocals and keyboard) and Martin Chambers (drums, vocals and percussion) to the mix.

Pretenders recorded a demo tape and Hynde handed it to her friend, singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. He was impressed and produced their debut single – a cover of The Kinks’ Stop Your Sobbing, which scraped into the charts at 34 in 1979. Lowe stepped away from further sessions and was succeeded by Chris Thomas. Second single Kid did one better than the first single.

As the Pretenders worked on their eponymous debut LP in 1978-79, one song that had hit potential was Brass in Pocket. Originating from a guitar lick by Honeyman-Scott, Hynde had intended to turn it into a Motown-style tune but that changed during recording. The title was inspired by the first-ever Pretenders gig. After the show, Hynde asked whose trousers were sprawled over a chair in their dressing room, shared with support act The Strangeways. One member of the band, Ada Wilson, ‘I’ll have them if there’s any brass in the pockets’. In this instance, ‘brass’ is Northern slang for money, and it’s not the only bit of colourful language here. Hynde also included other slang such as ‘reet’ and ‘got bottle’.

Review

Thinking back to 1980, anyone who knew of Hynde’s background but hadn’t heard any Pretenders before Brass in Pocket must have been surprised. There’s no punk element to be found, and hardly even any rock. What Brass in Pocket has embodied to most listeners through the years, is that confident swagger Hynde has always had. She’s smart, sexy and confident, but actually more in the mould of a Suzy Quatro than a Johnny Rotten. But of course, the actual music here is tamer even than Quatro’s glam bluster. It’s a soft, catchy, almost plaintive tune. The attitude is all in the words and Hynde’s performance.

If you thought Brass in Pocket was sung from a female perspective, so did I, but we were wrong. In a 1980 Sounds interview, Hynde explained it’s basically about an insecure guy down the pub, geeing himself up to put up a front down the pub with his mates and be ‘one of the lads’. I’m sure you can add to that that he’s hoping to pull, too.

All in all, the image of this guy, ‘Detroit leaning’ (driving around with one hand on the wheel) and skanking, conjures up the image of a bit of a twerp. Discovering this simultaneously makes you view the song differently, and kind of tarnishes it a little. It might partially explain Hynde’s ambivalence towards her biggest hit. Initially she had told Thomas she could release it over her dead body as she hated her vocal, and for a long time she hated performing Brass in Pocket, but age seems to have mellowed her.

Hynde wasn’t a fan of the video either, and again, you can’t blame her. She played a waitress in a rundown cafe, while the rest of the band turn up in a large pink car, with Farndon doing some Detroit leaning of his own. Highlight/lowlights include Honeyman-Scott/Chambers miming terribly the ‘Special!’ backing vocals while holding up the selection of specials on the cafe menu. Bit literal, lads. Farndon and Hynde seem to have a thing going, but the tension is interrupted by three girls who enter the cafe and immediately begin snogging the men. They all leave the cafe and Hynde remains alone and upset. Her initial plan was to have the band arrive on motorbikes and rescue her from her drab life.

So who was right about Brass in Pocket – Hynde or the public? I’m going to side with the latter. It’s a rather low-key start to the decade, but then, every decade up to this point had similar, so no change there. It’s stood the test of time as a memorable enough tune. However, it’s not even Pretenders’ best (I prefer Don’t Get Me Wrong and 2000 Miles). And how did it happen, after two previous relative flops?

Well, the excellent, insightful and blisteringly funny folks at the Chart Music podcast uncovered an edition of World in Action from 1980, called The Chart Busters. Brass in Pocket was among the songs which the programme claimed did so well because of underhanded tactics from the music industry. I’m not aware of how much the Pretenders knew about this.

After

Whatever the controversy over the performance of Brass in Pocket, debut album Pretenders was a critical and commercial success. And the follow-up Pretenders II contained the hits Talk of the Town (number eight in 1980), Message of Love (11 in 1981) and other Ray Davies track, I Go to Sleep (seven, also in 1981). But there was trouble ahead. Farndon was sacked by the others for drug abuse that June, and two days later, Honeyman-Scott died of heart failure due to cocaine intolerance.

Hynde assembled a new line-up with Chambers, featuring members of Rockpile and Big Country, for comeback single Back on the Chain Gang, which went to 17 in 1982. Farndon, who was trying to form a new band, was found dead in the bath after overdosing on heroin in April 1983,

That November, a new line-up featuring Hynde and Chambers with Robbie McIntosh on guitar and Malcolm Foster on bass released the lovely seasonal ballad 2000 Miles, which went on to feature on many a Christmas compilation. This first single from 1984 album Learning to Crawl peaked at 15. Pretenders performed at Live Aid in 1985, but soon after Hynde sacked Chambers, making her the sole original member. Foster quit in protest.

1985 was also the year that Hynde had the first of two number 1s with other artists. Sadly it was the awful reggae-lite cover of Sonny & Cher’s 1965 chart-topper I Got You Babe with UB40.

The next Pretenders album, Get Close, was recorded with various session musicians. Released in 1986, Hynde must have felt vindicated when Don’t Get Me Wrong soared to 10 and Hymn to Her outdoing it at eight. But the latter was their last top 10 hit for eight years, and there were yet more line-up changes. Parliament/Funkadelic’s Bernie Worrell briefly featured on keyboards while they toured, and Johnny Marr, post-Smiths, joined the band in 1987 for a year. That same year they recorded two tracks for the soundtrack to James Bond movie The Living Daylights.

The 90s didn’t begin too well, with Hynde the only official Pretender on unsuccessful LP Packed! in 1990. Three years later Hynde teamed up with guitarist Adam Seymour to form a new version of the group with a revolving door of bassists (including Andy Rourke from The Smiths) and drummers. By the time the next album Last of the Independents was finished and released in 1994, Chambers had returned and was joined by Andy Hobson of The Primitives. And they struck gold, with power ballad I’ll Stand by You, a number 10 smash and a number 1 in 2004 for Girls Aloud. But it was the last time they made a serious impact on the charts.

In 1995 Hynde had another rubbish chart-topping cover outside of the Pretenders name. This time, the tedious power ballad Love Can Build a Bridge with (ironically) Cher, plus Neneh Cherry and Eric Clapton. It was that year’s official Comic Relief single. No laughing matter.

The Pretenders settled into the career of a band who will always have faithful support, but no longer trouble the charts. They collaborated with Tom Jones on his 1999 album Reload, and Human was their last song to enter the top 40, making it to 33 in the same year.

Since the new millennium, the Pretenders line-up has continued to change as five albums came and went. Loose Screw in 2003, Break Up the Concrete in 2008, Alone in 2016, Hate for Sale in 2020 and most recently, Relentless in 2023. In 2005 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where Hynde paid tribute to Honeyman-Scott and Farndon.

Brass in Pocket features in a memorable scene in the 2004 film Lost in Translation, in which Scarlett Johansson performs the song at karaoke to Bill Murray.

The Outro

Brass in Pocket continued the trend for edgy, new wave pop that would continue to chart well in the late-70s and early 80s. But it was only the start of a bumper year of a diverse range of number 1s, which would end with the death of an icon.

The Info

Written by

Chrissie Hynde & James Honeyman-Scott

Producer

Chris Thomas

Weeks at number 1

2 (19 January-1 February)

Trivia

Births

19 January: Grime MC D Double E
20 January: Racing driver Jenson Button/Welsh Bullet for My Valentine singer Matthew Tuck
21 January: Boxer Nicky Booth
30 January: Model Leilani Dowding
31 January: Journalist Clarissa Ward

Deaths

27 January: Economist Sir Eric Wyndham White

Meanwhile…

19 January: The first UK Indie Chart was published in trade weekly Record Business. The first number 1 was Where’s Captain Kirk by Spizzenergi.

20 January: The record for largest TV audience for a film in the UK is set when 23,500,000 viewers watch the James Bond film Live and Let Die (1973).

21 January: MS Athing B is beached in Brighton.

28 January: A controversial edition of Granada Television’s current affairs series World in Action is broadcast on ITV. It alleged that Manchester United chairman Louis Edwards made unauthorised payments to the parents of young players in the club, as well as dodgy deals to try and win the local council meat contracts for his chain of retail outlets.

433. Blondie – Heart of Glass (1979)

/ robbarker1979

The Intro

Simultaneously one of the hottest and coolest new wave bands, US six-piece Blondie were also one of the most successful, notching up five UK number 1s in under two years (and another in 1999). Heart of Glass melded new wave, rock, disco and pop with a slither of punk attitude, and it’s their best single.

Before

Blondie’s beginnings start back in New York in 1973. Guitarist Chris Stein joined rock band the Stilettoes. He began a romantic relationship with one of their vocalists – Debbie Harry. She had been a waitress, a Playboy Bunny and a member of folk-rock group the Wind in the Willows in the late-60s. Harry and Stein decided to leave the Stilettoes and start a new band in 1974. Together with former bandmates Billy O’Connor on drums and Fred Smith on bass, they became Angel and the Snake that August.

Two months later and with only two gigs under their belts, they changed their name to Blondie. As the whole world knows, Harry was one of the most beautiful women in the world, and would turn heads wherever she went. Among no doubt filthier shouts, lorry drivers would bark ‘Hey, blondie!’ at her as they drove by her walking down the street.

Fast forward to spring 1975 and Blondie’s line-up had changed several times – including experimenting with female backing singers. Drummer Clem Burke then joined them, along with Gary Valentine on bass. They became regular performers at hip joints CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, wowing crowds with power-pop and Harry’s stage presence. A few months later they recruited keyboardist Jimmy Destri to fill out their sound.

Signing with Private Stock Records, their eponymous debut LP was released in December 1976. It made little of an impression, and first single X Offender sank without trace, despite them supporting Iggy Pop on tour. However, the follow-up In the Flesh became a number two hit in Australia after being played by accident on TV (they were supposed to be showing X Offender).

Blondie decided to buy back their contract and switched to the British label Chrysalis Records. Blondie was re-released on Chrysalis in October 1977 and the critics began to take note. Nevertheless Valentine left the group and they recorded second album Plastic Letters as a four-piece, released in 1978.

The first single from the album Denis (a cover of a 1963 song by Randy and the Rainbows) finally saw their commercial stock rise – all the way to number two in the UK, where the music papers made a story out of Harry battling it out for the top spot with another strong female pop star, namely Kate Bush, who won out with Wuthering Heights. Denis did reach the top spot in the Netherlands and Belgium though, and when the next 7-inch, (I’m Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear peaked at 10 in the UK, it seemed Blondie were here to stay. They were.

Hiring Frank Infante on guitar and British bassist Nigel Harrison, the six-strong Blondie toured the UK and became one of the first new wave acts to hit the mainstream. Here at last was a rock group in which the men stayed out of the spotlight. It shone fully on Harry, who had star power like few others at the time.

In a clear attempt to really leave their mark on the pop scene, Blondie worked with a big-name producer. Australian Mike Chapman had been half of ‘Chinnichap’ with Nicky Chinn. Together they wrote and produced glam rock number 1 classics by The Sweet, Mud and Suzi Quatro. The latter proved particularly appropriate, as Chapman had experience in helping female rock stars climb the charts with catchy commercial pop songs.

Blondie’s Chapman-produced third album Parallel Lines was released in September 1978. first single Picture This climbed to 12 and Hanging on the Telephone peaked at five. Their first number 1 was next.

Heart of Glass was one of Blondie’s earliest tracks. Originally known as Once I Had a Love, it was written by Harry and Stein and 1974 and demoed a year later. Although slower and funkier than the released version, It had a disco influence right from the start, having been influenced by one of the genre’s earliest hits – The Hues Corporation’s Rock the Boat (1974). Harry later recounted that the lyrics to Heart of Glass weren’t directed personally to a former love of hers, it was written as a ‘plaintive moan about lost love’. They tried it as a ballad and even reggae over the years, but it never quite worked.

Blondie remained in thrall to disco, to the consternation of some rock die-hards, over the years, occasionally adding dance floor hits to their setlists. Harry expressed her love of the work of producer Giorgio Moroder in the NME early in 1978, and the band surprised a CBGB crowd with a cover of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love later that year.

When it came to meeting Chapman to start work on Parallel Lines, the producer asked Blondie to show him what they could record. At the end he asked if there was anything else, and the band sheepishly decided to perform Heart of Glass. Despite their reticence, Chapman loved it and saw a potential hit. Blondie began to agree, but having also become fans of Kraftwerk, wanted to recreate the futuristic sounds of the German innovators as well as Moroder’s hits.

The six-piece assembled at the Record Plant in New York in June 1978 to record Heart of Glass. Unusually at the time, a rock band chose to build the song around a drum machine. The Roland CR-78 had only been released earlier that year, and it was Stein and Destri who introduced it to the studio, having bought one from a store in Manhattan. Destri in particular had a lot to do with the sound of Heart of Glass and brought in some synthesisers. Other technology used in the production included the Roland SH-5 and Minimoog.

Review

Heart of Glass is one of my favourite number 1s of the 70s and one I’ll never tire of. It never dates either. You could argue the 80s began right here and it certainly had an influence on music over the next few years. It’s icy, cool as fuck and one of the greatest disco tracks of all time – despite not actually being that easy to dance to. I love the lyrics, which suit Harry’s ‘not arsed mate’ attitude. Yes, she was once in love. She’s not any more, and you only have to listen to the first few lines to know she’s totally over it.

The lyrics to Heart of Glass are fascinating. What actually is a heart of glass? Does she have a heart of glass or does he? If it’s him, does she mean she’s cut herself because of him? Or does she mean she’s discovered her heart is fragile and he broke it into pieces? Hard to tell, because although she’s given the impression she’s moved on, the choruses suggest otherwise. In the second one Harry suggests he’s cheated on her, and she sings ‘I’m the one you’re using, please don’t push me aside’. ‘Mucho mistrust’ also suggests infidelity.

It’s worth noting that, as far as I can tell, Heart of Glass is the first chart-topper to contain a swear word of sorts. Blondie decided to try and get away with one instance of ‘Soon turned out, it was a pain in the ass’ in both the single and album mixes. It soon got replaced on the radio with another ‘heart of glass’, but good on them for trying! The song then ends on that catchy-as-hell, resigned ‘Ooh ooh ooh, ah-ah’, which comes across as another ‘ah, fuck it’.

With Heart of Glass, Blondie and Chapman really melded those influences of Moroder and Kraftwerk together to create something unique. Like I Feel Love, it feels like it could go on forever and that wouldn’t be a bad thing. I listened to 45 minutes of different versions of this in one go and I only began to tire towards the end. And like Kraftwerk, its machine-like, but scratch the surface and there’s human emotions underneath.

For the single, Chapman beefed up the sound and accentuated the double-tracked bass drum. For me, the best version is the 5:50 ‘Disco Version’ released as a 12-inch. Unlike a lot of 12-inch mixes of the time, it doesn’t sound like bits have been unnecessarily tacked on. It sounds like the natural version, just for letting the rhythm stretch out that bit longer.

The promo video to Heart of Glass was directed by Stanley Dorfman, a British director who did just that on the very first edition of Top of the Pops. The film begins with aerial shots of New York, slowly revolving like a mirrorball, before showing the streets of the city and landmarks including the Ed Sullivan Theatre and Studio 54. Although we’re meant to get the suggestion the latter is where this is filmed, it was actually made in a long-forgotten, short-lived club.

The rest of the video alternates between close-ups of Harry miming and mid-distance shots of the rest of the band ‘performing’. Harry looks particularly drop-dead gorgeous here, her hair slightly dishevelled, in a silver dress with one shoulder strap. Her bored, slightly pissed-off performance really suits the song and apparently came about through a genuine sulk. Harry wanted to dance but she was told to stay still. She wasn’t keen on Dorfman after that and didn’t appreciate all the close-ups. Nonetheless, it’s an iconic performance.

After

Heart of Glass was a deserved global smash and number 1 in most countries, including the US. Harry became a pin-up and hero to millions of teens and were a breath of fresh air. With this song toppling Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick, 1979 was shaping up to be a hell of a year for pop.

The Info

Written by

Debbie Harry & Chris Stein

Producer

Mike Chapman

Weeks at number 1

4 (3 February-2 March)

Trivia

Births

13 February: Labour MP Rachel Reeves

2 March: Comedian Jocelyn Jee Esien

Deaths

14 February: Conservative MP Reginald Maudling – 14 February

19 February: Comedian Wee Georgie Wood

Meanwhile…

9 February: Trevor Francis signed for Nottingham Forest. He was the first player to sign a deal worth £1 million.

12 February: The Winter of Discontent continued, with more than 1,000 schools closed due to the heating oil shortage caused by the lorry drivers’ strike.

14 February: Talks between unions and the government, known as the ‘Saint Valentine’s Day Concordat’ marked the end to the Winter of Discontent.

15 February: However, the damage was done. Opinion polls showed the Tories up to 20 points ahead of Labour.

22 February: Saint Lucia became independent of the UK.

1 March: Scotland voted for a Scottish Assembly in the devolution referendum. However this was less than 40% of the electorate, which meant it wasn’t followed through.
Also on this day, Wales voted against devolution.

432. Ian Dury and The Blockheads – Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick (1979)

/ robbarker1979 / 4 Comments

The Intro

In 1979, anything seemed possible in pop. Need proof? How about outsider misfits Ian Dury and The Blockheads scoring a number 1 with the new wave classic Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick?

Before

Frontman Ian Robins Dury was born 12 May 1942 in Harrow Weald, Middlesex. His father William was absent for long periods, so mother Peggy took him to live with her parents in Cornwall. After the Second World War the Durys moved to Switzerland, where William chauffeured for a millionaire. In 1946 the family went to live in Essex with her sister, but WIlliam remained.

At the age of seven Dury contracted polio, which he believed he caught in a swimming pool during the 1949 epidemic. In and out of hospital for two years, the illness resulted in the paralysis and withering of his left leg, shoulder and arm. He went to Chailey Heritage Craft School in East Sussex, which also served as a hospital. Children were taught to toughen up and learn a trade but his mother wanted Dury to be more academic so he switched to the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe, then aged 16, the Walthamstow College of Art. In 1967 he served under pop artist Peter Blake, who that year co-designed the legendary album sleeve for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

In 1970, while occasionally painting illustrations for The Sunday Times, Dury formed the pub rock band Kilburn and the High Roads. In 1974 they signed to Dawn Records and recorded two albums, for which he sang and wrote lyrics. Despite a support slot with The Who, they disbanded in 1975.

Meanwhile, in 1974 pop group The Loving Awareness Band formed, releasing only one album in 1976. In 1977 they split and its bassist Norman Watt-Roy and drummer Charlie Charles joined Dury and pianist/guitarist Chaz Jankel in their new band. An LP was recorded but they struggled to find a record label, perhaps in part due to Dury’s unique and unusual appearance.

Eventually however they found a home with the independent label Stiff Records. Their first release, credited to Dury alone, was Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, which was a critical success and became a slogan in itself. The album New Boots and Panties!! followed and although sales were modest at first, it’s now regarded as perhaps his finest work, including fan favourites like Billericay Dickie.

Watt-Roy and Charles’ former bandmates, guitarist John Turnbull and keyboardist Mick Gallagher, joined the line-up, as did former Kilburn and the High Roads saxophonist Davey Payne, who had played on New Boots and Panties!!. Inspired by the name of a song from the album, they became Ian Dury and The Blockheads when the next single Sweet Gene Vincent was released. Their next single, another fan favourite, was What a Waste, became their first hit when it peaked at nine in 1978. New wave was becoming increasingly popular, and this was the year of its first chart-topper, Rat Trap.

According to Jankel, who co-wrote the track, Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick was written in Rolvenden, Kent during a jam session between him and Dury. The tune was apparently inspired by a piano part on Wake Up and Make Love with Me, the opener on New Boots and Panties!!. Dury once claimed the lyrics had been written three years previous and after his death a typed manuscript from 1976 showed the lyrics, nearly fully formed, along with ideas for the music (‘drums and fuzz bass doing Roy Buchanan volume trick’). His daughter Jemima said he was working on the track as early as 1974.

The track was recorded in the Workhouse Studio on Old Kent Road in London. Unusually, an uncredited Laurie Latham produced it by recording The Blockheads live, situated in different places around the studio, with Dury sat in the centre. There were allegedly 28 takes recorded, but it was the second that was selected. Despite this, Latham was unhappy with the finished result. He was unhappy that Watt-Roy’s bass wasn’t loud enough. It’s hard to disagree, as that bassline is amazing and certainly one of the highlights. He was also unhappy with the vocal and piano, and he has a point that the piano does drop out just before the final verse. To my ears though, this kind of adds to the song’s unique power. Jankel was far more happy with the recoding. After they finished, he rang his mother to tell her he’d just recorded his first number 1.

Review

I’d argue that Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick is one of the coolest chart-toppers of all time, certainly up to this point. There’s so much to love about it – the aforementioned bassline (how is he playing that?), the ultra-catchy rollicking piano from Jankel, the way it turns from rock’n’roll and blues into cosmic funk, with Payne playing two saxophones at once, and of course Dury’s gravelly, occasionally unhinged performance of childlike lyrics that – and this has genuinely only just occurred to me – refer to sex. It is odd how his delivery seems more restrained after the funk section… or is it just because that stands out so much? Here’s a track I’ll never tire of hearing.

The video has left a lasting impression on me too. It was directed by Laurie Lewis, an old art school friend of Dury’s, who filmed the band performing the track on stage. It has an unreal, disturbing quality, and as a child I was at once frightened and entranced by Dury.

On 27 January, Turnbull, Watt-Roy and Charles were sat outside a cinema listening to a car radio when they heard the news they had toppled the Village People from the top spot. Dury was on a beach in Cannes when hotel staff gave him the news and brought him a bottle of champagne. To celebrate, the whole band bought Moss Bros suits for their Top of the Pops performance. Dury normally bought his whole wardrobe bar footwear and underwear second hand (hence his debut LP’s title). It started to look as though the record may sell a million, and Stiff announced that whoever the millionth buyer was, they would receive a mystery prize. Sales stalled however and it didn’t sell a million until downloads were counted towards sales. Nobody received a prize.

After

The group followed this up with the first LP credited to The Blockheads as well as Dury – Do It Yourself. They didn’t like to include singles on their albums, with neither their number 1 nor number three follow-up, Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3, featuring. The latter track is also excellent and among their best.

Jankel and Dury’s relationship had begun to sour, and the former left The Blockheads in 1980. Former Dr Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson replaced him for the recording of the album Laughter. The single I Want to Be Straight, also released that year, was their final charting single, at 22. The next, Sueperman’s Big Sister, was their last. Dury was drinking heavily, and it was taking its toll.

In 1981 Dury teamed up with Jankel and reggae duo Sly and robbie to record his second solo album Lord Upminster. It was poorly received, though it did include the controversial Spasticus Autisticus, which went from being banned by the BBC to being performed at the 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony. It’s a shame Dury wasn’t around to see it. Around this time, Andrew Lloyd Webber asked him to write the libretto for Cats. He refused, later saying, ‘I hate Andrew Lloyd Webber. He’s a wanker isn’t he?’.

Dury signed a solo deal with Polydor and The Blockheads disbanded. He instead recorded with the jazz-influenced Music Students, and his commercial and critical appeal floundered upon the release of their 1984 album 4,000 Weeks’ Holiday. They did however record the memorable Profoundly In Love with Pandora, the theme to ITV’s 1985 adaptation of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4. Also that year, fellow number 1 artist Paul Hardcastle remixed Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick, re-recording all the instrumental parts with keyboards.

Dury had tons of natural charisma, making it inevitable that he would make the move into acting. In 1986 he had a cameo in Roman Polanski’s Pirates and his most notable role was in The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover in 1989. He also, despite his hatred of Lloyd Webber, wrote a musical, called Apples with an accompanying album released that same year.

Ian Dury and The Blockheads briefly reformed for a tour of Japan in 1987. Three years later they got together again to play two benefit concerts for the family of Charles, who had died of cancer. Steven Monti replaced him on drums. That December, with Merlin Rhys-Jones augmenting them on guitar and Will Parnell on percussion, they recorded a live album, Warts & Audience. They toured Spain, minus Jankel, the following month.

In 1992 Dury released his seventh solo LP, The Bus Driver’s Prayer & Other Stories. It featured all The Blockheads minus Watt-Roy. Jankel returned from California in 1994 when Ian Dury and The Blockheads were invited to reform for Madness’s festival Madstock at Finsbury Park – the perfect warm-up act for the Nutty Boys. Sporadic gigs followed.

The Outro

In 1996 Dury was diagnosed with cancer. After recovering from an operation, he reunited with The Blockheads to record their first album since Laughter in 1980. Mr Love Pants, released in 1997, was considered a return to form. It was to be their final album. Monti was replaced soon after by Dylan Howe and Payne left soon after, with Gilad Atzmon becoming their new saxophonist.

Sadly this line-up was cut short when Dury died of cancer on 27 March 2000, aged 57. A true original, Dury was a giant of new wave but refused to be pigeonholed and is sadly missed. But thankfully, you can hear his influence in the music of his son Baxter Dury, and The Blockheads continue to perform. These days, Jankel, Watt-Roy, Gallagher, Turnbull and Atzmon perform with John Roberts on drums. Dave Lewis also appears on sax, and Dury’s friend and minder Derek the Draw writes and sings alongside Jankel.

The Info

Written by

Ian Dury & Chaz Jankel

Producer

Laurie Latham

Weeks at number 1

1 (27 January-2 February)

Births

27 January: Actress Rosamund Pike

Deaths

2 February: Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious (see Meanwhile…)

Meanwhile…

1 February: Liverpool grave-diggers call off a strike which has delayed dozens of burials.

2 February: Simon John Ritchie, aka Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols, is found dead in New York’s Chelsea Hotel, having suffocated on his own vomit after a heroin overdose. Vicious was on bail for the second degree murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen, who had been found stabbed to death on 12 October 1978.

429. Rod Stewart – Da ‘Ya’ Think I’m Sexy? (1978)

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The Intro

Rod Stewart was derided by many for jumping on the disco bandwagon with Da ‘Ya’ Think I’m Sexy? and it began his transformation into a figure of fun. However, it’s one of the more enjoyable of his six number 1s.

Before

After his fourth chart-topping single kept The Sex Pistols from number 1 (so we’re led to believe – see First Cut Is the Deepest/I Don’t Want to Talk About It) in 1977, he remained in the upper reaches of the singles chart. One of his most popular tunes, the love song You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim) peaked at three. It was the first release from his eighth album, Foot Loose & Fancy Free.

Next up was Hot Legs/I Was Only Joking, a number five hit in 1978. The former, a Rolling Stones-style raunchy blues number, hasn’t aged well, with lyrics like ‘Are you still in school?’ and ‘Hot legs oh you’re pussy’s whipped/Hot legs I just love your lips’. He later wisely changed these last lines.

A huge football fan (and former player), Stewart then teamed up with the national Scotland squad for their 1978 World Cup song Ole Ola (Mulher Brasileira). It fared better than the team’s performance in the tournament. Despite manager Ally MacLeod’s bold claims, they were unable to get past the first round. The song climbed to four.

Setting to work on his ninth LP, Blondes Have More Fun, Stewart developed an increasingly outlandish look. With his peroxide bouffant and tight spandex, he began to resemble a prostitute. Seeing an ever-growing number of fellow rock stars adopting disco (best of the bunch was The Rolling Stones’ sleazy Miss You), Rod the Mod went full throttle down the disco avenue.

Released on 10 November, a week before the album, Da ‘Ya’ Think I’m Sexy? was co-written by Stewart with his drummer Carmen Appice (formerly of Vanilla Fudge) and producer and musician Duane Hitchings. However, several other names should be on those credits, really. The chorus is remarkably similar to Brazilian singer Jorge Ben’s 1972 track Taj Mahal. A lawsuit ensued which ended in Ben’s favour. However, in a potentially sly move to avoid him making royalties from the track in the future, Stewart donated them all to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Stewart claimed in his 2012 autobiography that it was an unconscious steal on his part and Taj Mahal had stuck in his brain after hearing it at the 1978 Rio Carnival. He did admit to purposefully stealing from elsewhere though. The yearning synth line in Da ‘Ya’ Think I’m Sexy?, which is the highlight of the track, came from Bobby Womack’s 1975 soul song (If You Want My Love) Put Something Down On It. Now that’s a great title, isn’t it?

https://youtu.be/Hphwfq1wLJsn

Review

As we all know, Da ‘Ya’ Think I’m Sexy? has become synonymous with Stewart’s image as an egotistical, leopard-skin-wearing joke. There’s been countless spoofs – perhaps the most memorable being from Kenny Everett in the early 80s. A friend of Stewart’s, he performs this song glammed up as him, strutting around in the same stupidly tight spandex Stewart wears in the real video. His arse grows ever bigger, eventually causing the DJ to fly off into the sky.

It’s worth noting though, and it hadn’t really occurred to me before, that the song isn’t about him. It’s another of his character studies and it only takes a read of the first verse to realise this. A guy in a nightclub wants to try his luck with a girl, but ‘He’s so nervous, avoiding all the questions/His lips are dry, her heart is gently pounding’. As if Stewart would be nervous in that situation! Come the second verse he’s worked up the courage to ask her back to his ‘high-rise apartment’. We even get a porn-style saxophone interlude, which is clearly there to symbolise them getting it on. Come the last verse, it’s dawn and it sounds like he may have talked up his situation as he confesses he has no milk or coffee for a pick-me-up after their night of passion but, in a nice play on words ‘Never mind sugar, we can watch the early movie.’

Da ‘Ya’ Think I’m Sexy? has been in my mind for decades as a song to laugh at. So it came as a surprise to find myself enjoying it upon this review. It’s a lot more fun and less ‘worthy’ than his earlier number 1s and the third-person narrative adds a new dimension to the song. Also, Phil Chen’s disco bass is great and the aforementioned synth line is even better, despite beingstolen. Not so good when the sax mirrors it at the climax, though, and Stewart’s voice isn’t the right type for the chorus, I’d argue. He rather bludgeons it.

I’d say the video is a big reason for this song and Stewart himself becoming a joke. He stars as the guy in the song, sat with his prey, watching himself and his band on a little TV on the bar. Inbetween the footage on stage, in which Stewart’s outfit is somehow actually more ridiculous than Everett’s, we cut to Rod the Mod and the girl, about to get it on, while watching him and the band on TV. In case you’re not sure what the song is about, Stewart gets on the floor and humps thin air. The interplay between him and the band is good knockabout fun though. For the dawn scene, they remain clothed and the band are still on TV, which suggests either Stewart gets off on a looped performance of himself, or they’ve just fallen asleep for a minute or so.

After

This, Stewart’s last UK number 1 of the 70s, also went to the top around the world. In 1997, UK dance act N-Trance released a cover version, featuring Rod the Mod’s vocal on the chorus, which peaked at seven. It’s not a patch on their best work, Set You Free.

The Outro

Written by

Rod Stewart, Carmen Appice & Duane Hitchings

Producer

Tom Dowd

Weeks at number 1

1 (2-8 December)

Trivia

Births

6 December: Screenwriter Jack Thorne
7 December: Historian Suzannah Lipscomb

428. The Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap (1978)

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The Intro

After a total of 16 weeks at the top of the charts in 1978, suddenly John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John were served notice. In a real changing of the guard moment, The Boomtown Rats became the first new wave act (and first Irish band) to have a number 1. They commemorated this on Top of the Pops (as seen below) by yawning and ripping up photos of Travolta. Enough of the 50s revival – the groundwork laid by punk finally paid off with Rat Trap.

Before

So what actually is new wave? It’s not as straightforward as explaining psychedelia or punk. It’s basically used as a loose term to describe what punk evolved into. However it dates back to before then.

Music critics like Nick Kent were using it as early as 1973 to describe acts including The Velvet Underground and New York Dolls. Other US acts that came later, including Blondie and Talking Heads, have little to do with punk but are certainly described as new wave.

To me, new wave is an effective way of describing the new underground (soon to turn mainstream) pop acts that wanted to shake up the staid pop scene of the mid- to-late-70s. Not as stylised as punk, they often came from pub-rock acts that brought some much-needed excitement to music.

It’s interesting to note that often decades are said to not ‘begin’ until several years after they have, ie, the 60s started with The Beatles in 1963, the 70s began with glam in 1973. If so, you could argue the 80s began several years early thanks to new wave. There’s certainly a very welcome injection of excitement and quality in the number 1s I’ll be reviewing from here on in for some time to come. Even as early as 1978 though, some bands didn’t like being referred to as new wave. XTC’s single This Is Pop took aim at the concept – to singer-songwriter Andy Partridge, his group were simply a new pop band.

The Boomtown Rats began as The Nightlife Thugs in Dún Laoghaire, Dublin in 1975. Guitarist Garry Roberts and keyboardist Johnnie Fingers had decided to form a band and recruited Bob Geldof, a former New Musical Express journalist, as singer, plus bassist Pete Briquette, guitarist Gerry Cott and drummer Simon Crowe. Roberts hated their name and threatened to resign unless they changed it. Geldof came up with the name that stuck – he’d been reading Woody Guthrie’s autobiography Bound for Glory, in which Guthrie mentioned a gang of children called The Boomtown Rats.

The Irish music scene was moribund at the time and The Boomtown Rats shook things up with exciting performances of covers by The Who, Bob Marley and The Rolling Stones. Thanks in part to Geldof’s media contacts, by the summer of 1976 the band were performing in the UK and were signed to Ensign Records soon after.

In August 1977 The Boomtown Rats released debut single Lookin’ After No. 1 and they were an instant hit. It reached two in Ireland and 11 in the UK. A month later came their eponymous debut album, which also spawned Mary of the 4th Form. It peaked at 15 here. The Rats transformed from a pub rock band to one heavily influenced by Bruce Springsteen thanks to Geldof’s songwriting. And it’s worth noting that their producer was a young Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange – future husband of Shania Twain. Producing The Boomtown Rats was his first taste of success, with much more to come.

Second album A Tonic for the Troops came out in 1978 and they continued to do well, with She’s So Modern reaching 12 and Like Clockwork made it to six. Which left one more single to come.

Review

Despite the importance of Rat Trap as a sign of pop morphing once more into something new, it’s rather forgotten about. Obviously, Geldof’s later career as one of the men behind Band Aid/Live Aid has overshadowed anything The Boomtown Rats did but I Don’t Like Mondays is much better remembered than this track. And I can kind of see why.

While listening for research it occurred to me the only thing that’s ever stuck with me from this song (and I can imagine it’s the case with everyone else) is the sax refrain, played by Alan Holmes. It’s a great opening, before the song settles down and starts to sound rather similar to Squeeze’s Cool for Cats, also recorded in 1978.

Rat Trap is the tale of bored teenagers Billy and Judy and the track is clearly indebted to Bruce Springsteen both lyrically and sonically. Billy and Judy are bored of their lives and longing for escape. It’s epic in scale and you could also argue it’s progressive rock in the way it changes tack into several different sections. Yet I guess the main difference is the simplicity of the different parts and the youthful energy is more indebted to punk than prog. Scanning the lyrics, there’s some great stuff, especially in the second verse:

‘Billy don’t like it living here in this town,
He says the traps have been sprung long before he was born,
He says “Hope bites the dust behind all the closed doors,
And pus and grime ooze from its scab crusted sores”

And yet, yes I can think of a fair few new wave songs from around this time that might have been more deserved than Rat Trap. I’ve listened to it again several times and it’s one to admire and interest rather than really love. It was perhaps a case of ‘right place, right time’, with young record buyers deciding enough was enough and deciding to get behind anything that could get rid of that bloody Grease film.

The Outro

The video featured The Rats reading Rat Trap by Craig Thomas, which didn’t actually have any link to the song other than its name. It was directed by up-and-coming filmmaker David Mallett. In 1978 he made this, Bicycle Race by Queen and Blondie’s Hanging on the Telephone. Over the next few years he made some of the most imaginative videos for some of the greatest pop of the era, particularly with his work for David Bowie. We’ll be hearing more from those two.

The Info

Written by

Bob Geldof

Producer

Robert John ‘Mutt’ Lange

Weeks at number 1

2 (18 November-1 December)

Meanwhile…

20 November: Buckingham Palace announces Prince Andrew is joining the Royal Navy.

23 November: Birmingham nightclub Pollyanna’s lifts its ban on black and Chinese revellers, after a one-year investigation by the Commission for Racial Equality concluded the nightclub’s entry policy was racist.

29 November: 22-year-old Nottingham Forest defender Viv Anderson becomes England’s first black international footballer, appearing in their 1–0 friendly win over Czechoslovakia at Wembley Stadium. Six months previous he had become the first black player to feature in an English league championship winning team and was also on the winning side in the Football League Cup final. And yet here I am 43 years later writing in a week in which several black England players were bombarded with racist messages after missing penalties in the Euro 2020 final.

30 November: An industrial dispute closes down The Times newspaper until 12 November 1979.