Tag: 1980’s

Under the Summer Covers XI(1984)

randydafoe16 Comments

1984


In a1984 Prince and “When Doves Cry” topped not only the Songs of Summer chart but would finish the year as the #1 single on Billboards Hot 100 and Black Singles charts. It was a worldwide hit posting #1’s on eight and top ten or top forty on a dozen more charts. From Purple Rain this was his first Billboard #1 song where it spent five weeks in the top spot from July 6 to August 4, 1984.

There are covers of 130 of Prince’s original songs and “When Doves Cry” is the forth most covered with 79 versions. Tough to try and copy Prince when covering I would think so the best ones tend to exploit the great lyrics and basic melody. Here is Patti Smith from 2002.

“Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen, you will note below is #4 on the list. The story (for another day) of this song is known to many, at #2 it his highest charting song ever on the Billboard Hot 100. There are 186 of the songs he wrote that have been covered by other artists. Putting him in the top 10 of Pop music as one of the most covered authors of all time. “I’m on Fire” is #1 with 130 covers and at 117 versions “Dancing in the Dark” is #2, adding to the irony of the story.

The Canadian Indie Pop sister duo Tegan and Sara who were four years old when the song came out recorded this in 2006. It sounds to me, like the way it should be covered.

The 1984 Songs of Summer list from Billboard.com

1, WHEN DOVES CRY, Prince
2, GHOSTBUSTERS, Ray Parker Jr.
3, WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT, Tina Turner
4, DANCING IN THE DARK, Bruce Springsteen
5, STUCK ON YOU, Lionel Richie
6, JUMP (FOR MY LOVE), The Pointer Sisters
7, THE REFLEX, Duran Duran
8, STATE OF SHOCK, The Jacksons
9, EYES WITHOUT A FACE, Billy Idol
10, MISSING YOU, John Waite

Under the Summer Covers X(1983)

randydafoe14 Comments

1983

In 1983 the Billboard pick for Song of the Summer was by The Police with a song written, as were all of their biggest hits by Sting. “Every Breath You Take” became, after four #1 hits in the UK their first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Entering the top 20 in June it quickly rose to #1 for the week of July 9, 1983. The song ended up #1 for the year end, as it spent seven weeks at #1 before being topped by “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics on the week ending September 3.

This is one of the few top Songs of Summer that break the trend, it has a whopping 298 versions. So many to chose from so I went with a recommendation from the Editors at Secondhandsongs.com. Tina Arena covered this in 2008.

Well if Disco was unofficially ‘dead’, then no one told people to stop dancing, that is if the songs on the list this year are any indication. Back once again is the remarkable Donna Summer. Written by Donna with Michael Omartian, “She Works Hard for the Money” was #1 on the Hot Black Singles chart (that ran from 1982 to 1990). It reached #3 on both the Hot 100 and The Dance Club charts. According to Wikipedia, the song would make her the first Black woman to have a music video placed into “heavy rotation” on MTV.

There are 19 versions of this song, the very first was by 葉蒨文, known as Sally Yeh (1984)

Directly from Billboard.com this is the list of songs for the summer of 1983.

1, EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE, The Police
2, FLASHDANCE…WHAT A FEELING, Irene Cara
3, SWEET DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THIS), Eurythmics
4, MANIAC, Michael Sembello
5, ELECTRIC AVENUE, Eddy Grant
6, SHE WORKS HARD FOR THE MONEY, Donna Summer
7, NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO, Sergio Mendes
8, IS THERE SOMETHING I SHOULD KNOW, Duran Duran
9, STAND BACK, Stevie Nicks
10, WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHIN’, Michael Jackson

Under the Summer Covers IX(1982)

randydafoe14 Comments

1982

It may have been the Year of the Dog, but the Summer of 1982 was “The Eye of the Tiger”.

This was the song that was ‘commissioned’ by Sylvester Stallone and used as the theme for Rocky III. It was recorded by the Chicago based band Survivor and written by the co-founders, Frankie Sullivan and Jim Peterik (formerly from Ides of March). Lead vocals were provided by David Bickler and the song was a worldwide smash hit with eleven #1 chart positions and over a dozen top 10’s.

Released within a week of the movie it entered the Billboard top 20 in June, and starting in late July it was #1 for seven straight weeks. Survivor were then ousted for one week by “Abracadabra” from Steve Miller, who (speaking of Chicago) actually spent a few years playing blues in Chicago prior to forming The Steve Miller Band. The following week Survivor was still at #2, this time surpassed by the band Chicago with “Hard to Say I’m Sorry“. It may have been hard but I don’t think they were very sorry, actually.

Donning the beret and all is a Big Band leader from Germany, Tom Gaebel from 2018 with one of the better of the 116 versions of “Eye of the Tiger”.

“Hurts So Good” was the #2 Song of Summer but I am not sure that the hurt was quite that good for John Cougar (as he was called back then). Mr. Mellencamp’s song was held back for the whole month of August from ever reaching #1 by “Eye of the Tiger”. Things worked out ok for “Hurts So Good” as it did hit #1 on the newly formed Billboard Rock chart, which was eventually named The Mainstream Rock Chart.

Just to follow these songs a bit, “Abracadabra” magically reappeared to take back #1 from “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” and Chicago for the last week of September. Then Mellencamp with “Hurts So Good” still in the Top 10 would make his own magic and “Jack and Diane” would be his first #1 on the Hot 100. It arrived there the week ending October 2 and stayed four straight weeks. It would also find success as the Billboard #1 Song of the Year, beating out Survivor‘s “Eye of the Tiger” which ended the year at #2.

Sorry for getting out of season on that, now “Hurts So Good” has only 15 documented covers by Secondhandcovers.com, here is one by Jack Wild and the Small Town Rockers from 2003.

From Billboard.com the 1982 Songs of Summer list

1, EYE OF THE TIGER, Survivor
2, HURTS SO GOOD, John Cougar
3, ABRACADABRA, The Steve Miller Band
4, HOLD ME, Fleetwood Mac
5, DON’T YOU WANT ME, The Human League
6, HARD TO SAY I’M SORRY, Chicago
7, ROSANNA, Toto
8, EVEN THE NIGHTS ARE BETTER, Air Supply
9, LET IT WHIP, Dazz Band
10, KEEP THE FIRE BURNIN’, REO Speedwagon