Songs from the 1980s - It's a Knockout (Winner: Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler)

[Imperium]

pfff no point me voting looking at the votes so far this round.

 

All I care about is that the best song is going out in Round and Round by Ratt to the rubbish version of tainted love...

[Corki]

Well, time to wrap up the first round before we move onto the first ties of Round 2.

 

In tie 13, You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC eased to a 4-1 victory over Take My Breath Away by Berlin.

 

Tie 14 saw a stroll in the park for Tainted Love by Soft Cell, which beat Round and Round by Ratt by 5 votes to nothing.

 

There was another 4-1 scoreline in tie 15, with victory going to I Melt With You by Modern English, which beat Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper.

 

And in our final tie of Round 1, In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins cruised to a 4-1 victory over Straight To Hell by The Clash.

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 1

 

 

 

Billie Jean by Michael Jackson

Long live the King of Pop! The dance/R&B song became an instant worldwide hit when it was released in January 1983. It topped the charts in the UK and US, and several others across the globe. The song is well known because of its distinctive bass line, and because of Jackson's "hiccu" style vocals. The song has won many awards, including two Grammy Awards, one American Music Award and an induction into the Music Video Producers Hall of Fame.

 

 

vs.

 

 

Walking On Sunshine by Katrina and The Waves

This song is considered the "crown jewel" in EMI's catalogue because it is one of EMI's biggest earners from advertisers. Also, it is estimated that royalties have earnt band members nearly $1m every year for the last 10 years. It was originally recorded in 1983, and again in 1985, when it was released as a single. It's highest charting was in Australia at number 4. In the UK, it peaked at number 8, and was the group's first top 40 hit in the US at 9.

 

 

Voting ends Tuesday 22nd February 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 2

 

 

 

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics

Released by the British pop music duo Eurythmics in 1983, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) topped the US Billboard and reached number 2 in the UK. The song is well known for being the one that provided the group with their breakthrough into commercial success. It was also helped by the rather striking music video that accompanies the song. The song was ranked at number 356 on the Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time issue in 2003.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJE_Sc1Wags

 

 

vs.

 

 

Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners

Dexys Midnight Runners released Come On Eileen in 1982, when it reached number 1 in the UK and the US, where it is considered a one hit wonder. They had a previous UK number 1 in the shape of Geno. The song won Best British Single at the 1983 Brit Awards. Opening with a Celtic-style fiddle played over a drum beat, the bass guitar and keyboard soon begin. The song is well noted for its regular changes in tempo and key. The song reached #18 on VH1's Top 100 Songs of the 1980s.

 

 

Voting ends Tuesday 22nd February 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Krakalakachkn]

Billie Jean

Come on Eileen

[Jeannaisais]

Billie Jean

Come on Eileen

[Adrian44]

Billie Jean

Sweet Dreams

[_wolfbrother_]

Billie Jean

Come on Eileen

[Corki]

Tie 1: Billie Jean

 

Tie 2: Come on Eileen

[Corki]

So, our first two songs have made the quarter-finals.

 

From tie 1, Billie Jean cruised to a 5-0 victory over Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves.

 

And from tie 2, Come On Eileen eased through with a 4-1 victory over Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by the Eurythmics.

 

Time for the next two ties of Round 2!

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 3

 

 

 

Walk Like an Egyptian by The Bangles

Walk Like An Egyptian is a 1986 number 1 hit in 1986 for the American all-female band The Bangles. It topped the US Billboard, and reached number 3 in the UK. The song was written by Liam Sternberg while he watched people on a ferry walking awkwardly to keep their balance - and this reminded him of figures on Ancient Egyptian reliefs. The music video was nominated for Best Group Video in the 1987 MTV Video Music Awards. One of the popular scenes from the video is of Susanna Hoffs moving her eyes side to side in a close up.

 

 

vs.

 

 

Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi

Time to roll out the number 1 song from the 1980s according to VH1. It was the third single from their Slippery When Wet album, and was released in October 1986. It was well received on both rock and pop radio stations, and the music video received heavy play on MTV. It became the band's second consecutive number 1 on the US Billboard, and with time, has become their signature song. Like all great songs, it wasn't liked by Jon Bon Jovi. It is just as well that Richie Sambora convinced him otherwise for it has collected a host of awards and honours.

 

 

Voting ends Wednesday 23rd February 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 4

 

 

 

I Wanna Be Adored by The Stone Roses

Released as the third single from the band's debut album The Stone Roses, it was released in the US at the very end of 1989. The song was the atmospheric opener on the album. The song features Mani's recognisable bass line, John Squire's droning guitars and Ian Brown's hushed ominous vocals. Nominated by Majsju, he says "it is a key link between Madchester and the Summer of Love, and the Brit pop that would come to dominate the early 90s. And no song is more symbolic of all that than this".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suwIhdHfHFA

 

 

vs.

 

 

Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran

Released in 1982, Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran peaked at number 5 in the UK, and number 3 in the 1983 in the US. The song eventually broke into the US stream through repeated play by MTV. Filmed in the jungles of Sri Lanka, the music video evokes the atmosphere of the film Raiders of the Lost Ark, and won the first Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video in 1984. Nominated by Imperium, he isn't sure why he likes it so much, but "it's just one of those songs I hear on the radio and I won't flick over".

 

 

Voting ends Wednesday 23rd February 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[_wolfbrother_]

Livin' On A Prayer

I Wanna Be Adored

[Krakalakachkn]

LIvin on a prayer

I wanna be adored

[Karasayl]

9- Gold

10- West End GIrls

11- Total Eclipse

12- Wake Me Up

[Jeannaisais]

Livin on a prayer

Hungry like the wolf

[Corki]

9- Gold

10- West End GIrls

11- Total Eclipse

12- Wake Me Up

 

I think you are several rounds behind! We are voting on ties 3 and 4 of the second round, as posted above.

[Corki]

Tie 3: Livin' on a Prayer

 

Tie 4: I Wanna Be Adored

[Corki]

Time to wrap this up.

 

In tie 3, Bon Jovi and Livin' on a Prayer eased into the quarter-finals with a 4-0 win over The Bangles and Walk Like An Egyptian.

 

And joining them in the Quarter-Finals, it is I Wanna Be Adored by The Stone Roses, which beat Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran by 3 votes to 1.

 

The next two ties are on the way.

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 5

 

 

 

Call Me by Blondie

Released in 1980, Call Me was one of the biggest chart successes for American new wave group, Blondie. It topped both the UK and US charts. The song was the main theme of the film American Gigolo. The song was originally intended for Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks, but a contract agreement prevented her from recording. Instead, it was offered to Debbie Harry and Blondie. There are many different versions of this song available - and even today, over 30 years on since its release, it is awesome live!

 

 

vs.

 

 

Every Breath You Take by The Police

Written by Sting, Every Breath You Take became one of the biggest hits of 1983. It spent 8 weeks at the top of the US Billboard, and 4 weeks at the top of the UK charts. Sting won Song of the Year and The Police won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 1984 Grammy Awards. This song is considered to be The Police's signature song. It is also estimated that the song generates between a quarter and a third of Sting's music publishing income. Many people think it is a positive song - far from it, since it was written during the collapse of Sting's marriage.

 

 

Voting ends Friday 25th February 2011 at 8:30am (GMT)

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 6

 

 

 

Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler

Time for a power ballad sung by the Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler. It was the first single release from her fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night. It topped many charts across the world, including the UK, the US and New Zealand. At its peak, it sold 60,000 copies per day, and approximately 6 million copies in total. For football fans, former Chelsea favourite Gianfranco Zola appears prominently in the closing scenes of the music video. Tyler's big powerful vocals probably help this perform well in polls - including number 72 in the UK's "The Greatest Number Ones Of All Time" back in November 2002.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ujmb3jQAJE

 

 

vs.

 

 

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!

English pop duo Wham! released Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go in 1984, and it became the group's first UK number 1. It was written and produced by George Michael, and started a softer, sunnier image for the duo. Inspiration for the song came from a note written by Andrew Ridgeley (the other half of the duo) which was intended to read "wake me up before you go" but with "up" accidentally written twice, so Ridgeley wrote "go" twice on purpose. This song also appeared in soundtrack for the 2001 movie Zoolander.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF3Y5qfnhGc

 

 

Voting ends Friday 25th February 2011 at 8:30am (GMT)

[Corki]

Please note the slightly different end time. This is because I won't be around much during the evenings for the next few days.

[_wolfbrother_]

Every Breath You Take

Total Eclipse Of The Heart

[Krakalakachkn]

Call Me

Wake Me Up

[Jeannaisais]

Call Me

Total Eclipse of the Heart