Music to my Years: 1984

The year was 1984 and I turned 13. All of a sudden I started to realise how music can have such an impact on your life. This was the year that we went to The Broughty Ferry Children’s hotel based in Boscombe, Bournemouth. They were set up for families and downstairs, they hosted magic shows and plenty of kids entertainment. There was a jukebox down there where I would constantly put on Wham’s ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’! My brother, Jeremy, was born. I was the eldest of 7 children.

As I am now a radio presenter on Radio Ninesprings, and I will be sharing my Top 10 all week and sharing 1 track from the list each day, Monday to Friday, on my show from 3pm. Plus, there is now a compilation show on Sunday’s at 6pm.

So, from the year I was born taking me right up to 2021, I am going to be sharing my top 10 chart songs from the year in question.

Here are this week’s honourable mentions:

• Chaka Khan – I Feel For You
• Duran Duran – The Reflex
• Wham! – Freedom
• Nena 99 – Red Balloons
• Paul McCartney – Pipes Of Peace
• Kool & The Gang – Joanna / Tonight
• Prince – When Doves Cry
• Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time
• Nik Kershaw – Wouldn’t It Be Good
• Duran Duran – The Wild Boys
• Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want To Have Fun
• Frankie Goes To Hollywood – The Power Of Love
• Laura Branigan – Self Control
• Giorgio Moroder & Philip Oakey – Together In Electric Dreams
• The Thompson Twins – Doctor Doctor
• Nik Kershaw – The Riddle
• Culture Club – The War Song
• Limahl – Never Ending Story
• The Weather Girls – It’s Raining Men
• Miami Sound Machine – Dr Beat
• Bananarama Robert De Niro’s Waiting
• Howard Jones – What Is Love
• Madonna – Like A Virgin
• Depeche Mode – People Are People
• Elton John – Sad Songs (Say So Much)
• Alphaville – Big In Japan
• Michael Jackson – Farewell My Summer Love
• Spandau Ballet – Only When You Leave
• Madonna – Holiday
• Chicago – Hard Habit To Break
• Alison Moyet – Love Resurrection

20. Drive by The Cars

I don’t think I took much notice of this song at the time – I did when they played it over malnourished children at Band Aid the following year though!

19. All Cried Out by Alison Moyet

A brilliant song to sing at the top of your lungs – especially if you are dealing with heartache!

18. Careless Whisper by George Michael

A song which has lost it’s shine a little as it has been played so much. Still brilliant though and still amazed that George wrote it when he was 14!

17. White Lines (Don’t Do It) by Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel

For some reason, this song reminds me of when I first started to go to teenage parties. I was never one of the ones who got kissed though!

16. Like to Get to Know You Well by Howard Jones

For some reason, a bit like Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet, you had to like Nik Kershaw or Howard Jones. I liked both – but for me, Nik always had the slightly better tunes!

15. Hello by Lionel Richie

I would listen to this ALL the time thinking about the boy I quite liked. Years later, I realised that the video was a little bit ‘stalkery’!

14. Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

A track which was banned by the BBC – which then made it even more famous!

13. Let’s Hear It for the Boy by Deniece Williams

This song was on the Footloose soundtrack and, when eventually getting round to the scene it appeared in, I loved it even more!

12. Ain’t Nobody by Rufus & Chaka Khan

I loved this track. Years later, as I started to go out clubbing, I still loved it.

11. No More Lonely Nights by Paul McCartney

I can remember Paul McCartney making a film called Give My Regards to Broad Street. He released an album of the same name and this track, from the album, reached number one. Another song where it was better than the film! It was nominated for a BAFTA and Golden Globe.

10. Missing You by John Waite

This song reached number 9 in the UK and I can remember loving it every single time I heard it (which wasn’t that often at the time). The song was nominated for the 1985 Best Pop Vocal Performance Male Grammy Award.

9. Too Late for Goodbyes by Julian Lennon

I can remember Julian releasing this track and being fascinated by the fact that the actual son of John was old enough to have a singing career!

I loved the catchy beat. It reached number 6 in the UK and was dedicated to his father, who was shot dead in New York in 1980.

8. You Take Me Up by The Thompson Twins

I can really remember the cover to this single as I bought it at the time. The song itself prominently features a harmonica and a melodica solo. It was their highest chart position for a song, peaking at number 2, and spent eleven weeks on the chart.

7. Break My Stride by Matthew Wilder

I can remember thinking at the time of release just how much this singer looked like Steve Wright, the BBC Radio DJ. It wasn’t though, of course!

The song reminds me of driving home to the house we lived in in Mayford, Surrey. I think it was played quite a lot during the home run (by Steve Wright!).

6. Two Tribes by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

I can remember FAR preferring the second single by this group. The video featured doubles of both Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev in a sort of sumo wrestling wring – and reminds me a lot of the fact that nuclear war was a bit of a fear of the time. There was a lot of ‘stuff’ going on between the USA and the USSR which I was a bit young to understand but knew I was a bit worried about!

It entered the charts at number one on 10 June 1984 and stayed at the top of the UK Singles Chart for 9 weeks, during which time the group’s previous single “Relax” climbed back up the charts to number two. It was the longest running single of the 1980s.

5. Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr

There are a lot of songs from films of the same name on the chart this week – and this is one! Ghostbusters became quite a big deal in our house, especially with my both of my brothers!

I found out during my research that Huey Lewis successfully won damages against Ray Parker Jr for this song – as it sounded so much like I Want a New Drug!

4. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go By Wham

What a song this was! It started the Choose Life t-shirt craze and was probably one of the most upbeat songs I had heard to that point. As stated in the first paragraph of this post, it made it’s way onto the jukebox every night we were on holiday and continued to be a massive hit for me many years later!

3. Against All Odds By Phil Collins

A song written by Phil Collins about his ex-wife and another which is also the title of the film it came through. A fantastic power ballad, even now. So full of emotion. I love listening to it.

2. I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me – Nik Kershaw

The first memory I have of this song is that I can recall knowing ALL the lyrics to it and my mum sitting there in amazement watching me sing along.

The second – and best – memory is that 10 years ago, Ross and I took our first trip to the Rewind Festival in Henley and we saw Nik Kershaw perform this very song as the sun was setting. This has to be one of my favourite music memories EVER. It would have got to number one – had it not been for my number one this week!

1. Footloose By Kenny Loggins

This! This song will still get me up dancing every single time. Rob Lowe and Tom Cruise auditioned for the lead role but it wouldn’t have been the same if Kevin Bacon had not have got the part. Lori Singer played the lead female – and I knew her as Julie from Fame so was another reason I wanted to see the film.

The song is still as good now as it ever was!