Each week, I am releasing a list of my 15 favorite songs from the first 15 summers I lived in my beloved hometown of Toms River, N.J. between 1974-88. That takes me from the summer I was 7 until the summer I was 21. Each song from each summer has a special meaning and I will try to convey them as best as I possibly can. So I will rank each summer's hit song memory from Nos. 15 through No. 1. Each song was a hit that peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend.
This week, it's the Sounds of the Summer of '85:
15. Would I Lie To You?—Eurythmics (#5, July)
Shazam! Just like that Dave and Annie went from synthesizer-driven pop tunes to a hard-driving rocker thanks to the work of Dave Stewart's rousing guitar and that vocal by Annie Lennox getting bluesy and a little rougher. It was a breath of fresh air to hear Dave and Annie get away from the synth-driven stuff to a more mainstream sound that was half bold and half beautiful and enjoyable. I always loved how Annie just lets it all go with her powerful vocal.
14. Walking On Sunshine—Katrina & The Waves (#9, June)
Perky pop at its finest! And there's no apologies. This record fit in the day-glo colors of the middle part of the decade. You couldn't get away from hearing it and yet it was in your head the whole summer -- and it was time to feel good! Katrina Leskanich was pop music's favorite singing cheerleader this side of Toni Basil and the fast-paced sound of this record always made you remember that the smile on your face was worth every second that song was on. No dreariness here, EVER … it's all about feeling good. Yeah!
13. Neverending Story—Limahl (#17, June)
Always loved the fade-in of this song and then Limahl's familiar voice from Kajagoogoo's "Too Shy" falls in as he narrates the whole way through the title song from the film "The Neverending Story." Beth Anderson provides the female voice that rides in unison with Limahl's vocals and the instrumental, done beautifully by the legendary producer on keyboards, Giorgio Moroder, provides for another amazing chapter in Moroder's never-ending story. Nice guitar work in the middle, too, by Dee Harris. A truly lost hit from the Summer of '85.
12. Suddenly—Billy Ocean (#4, June)
There are love songs out there that every man wishes they could have written to express the love they have for the woman in their lives. This powerful ballad is such a song. As a matter of fact, not only did Billy Ocean sing the title song from his album "Suddenly," but he also co-wrote it with songwriting partner Keith Diamond. And I always believed this song had such a Jersey Shore feel -- "Holding hands as we walk along the shore. Never felt like this before. Now you're all I'm living for." Yes, every man was jealous of Billy Ocean for such beautiful words he co-wrote and sang.
11. Power Of Love—Huey Lewis & The News (#1, August)
You couldn't go anywhere without the rocked-out sound of Huey Lewis & The News on the smash No. 1 hit from the "Back To The Future" soundtrack, "Power Of Love." Lewis' vocals are like a strong beacon on a foggy San Francisco night and the guitar solo of Chris Hayes cuts through that fog. It's flat out rockin' pop at its finest with super horns provided by Johnny Colla throughout. It was the band's first No. 1 hit and a perfect song to make it to the top.
10. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free—Sting (#3, August)
Even in his days with the Police, you can tell Sting just wanted to go in a totally different direction than the one that made him famous. On "The Dream Of The Blue Turtles," Sting tones down his "I've read all the smart books" persona from his "Synchronicity" album to give us jazzy-pop where his message is the total opposite of "Every Breath You Take," a total antithesis of letting someone you love go and if they come back, then great! Great kickoff first release as a solo performer for the former Policeman!
9. Heaven—Bryan Adams (#1, June)
This song should never have been a Summer of '85 tune at all. This power ballad should have been a hit in early 1984 when it was first put out and released from the movie "A Night In Heaven" The song never made a dent. However, given another chance as the third release from the "Reckless" album in the spring of '85, "Heaven" shot toward the chart heavens and hit No. 1 in late June 1985. Longtime Adams guitarist Keith Adams provides another great solo and Adams' rough-sounding vocal makes this song as genuine as it's going to get. A wonderful piece of summer pop … "heaven."
8. People Are People—Depeche Mode (#13, August)
The moment you hear that first sound synthesized bell rattling, you get excited. Great Depeche Mode music of the mid-1980s was first released in Europe in 1984, but it was worth the wait the following summer with lead singer David Gahan's passion seeping out the tempestuous relationships among all men and women and how if we were better, this world would be a better place. Because as Gahan sings it, people are people so why should it be, you and I should get along so awfully? Great musical backdrop as Gahan repeats the line, "I can't understand what makes a man. Takes another man to help me understand." One of their best songs ever and is relevant more than ever in today's world.
7. Glory Days—Bruce Springsteen (#5, August)
Coming from the Jersey Shore, I can relate to this one. But then again, maybe everyone can releate to the song if it wraps itself in a blanket and screams, "Hey listen to me!" That's what Bruce Springsteen's tale is all about -- one night he meets a guy who used to be a great pitcher in baseball in high school and they sit around and talk and then there's another girl who lives up the block where back in school she could turn all the boys' heads, and life gets so hard that when she thinks about the good times, instead of crying she starts laughing, thinking about the "glory days." Roy Bittan and the late Danny Federici put a great keyboard backdrop behind the Boss and Little Steven Van Zandt does a super job in following Springsteen's lead vocally. It's nostalgia without being overly nostalgic and it works for all fans, not just Springsteen fans.
6. 19—Paul Hardcastle (#15, July)
Here's something completely unique … a documentary in pieces on the Vietnam War done with a dance beat in the backdrop. Now THAT is what you call creativity. Taken from a 1982 ABC-TV documentary in this country on the war, English producer-mixer-arranger Paul Hardcastle put a sunny and bright dance beat on record, then interspersed those documentary bits onto the foreground. "The average age of the combat soldier in World War II was 26. In Vietnam, it was 19 … in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in Vietnam, it was 19 … nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nineteen." Sobering record that hit No. 1 in the UK, then crossed over to be a summertime smash on the dance chart and a Top 15 hit on the pop chart here. Good thing there hasn't been a record like this about the Iraq War or Afghanistan since.
5. You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)—Dead Or Alive (#11, August)
This record comes out of the box with batteries operating this helicopter at 200 mph. Lyrically, it's not too tempting, but it's the heart-racing, blood-pumping pace of this song that never stops being the iconic '80s summer smash that this was. The late Peter Burns dressed up all Boy George-like as the group's lead singer and goes brash and bold with a vocal that would make Divine smile in heaven. It's tempting and full of unadulterated joy. But these days, press a younger generation about a "record" and you'll get tears in your eyes over the blank stares looking at you.
4. Get It On (Bang A Gong)—Power Station (#9, August)
When I bought the Duran Duran off-shoot, self-titled cassette tape "The Power Station," I remember hearing this song over and over and over again since it started side two of the cassette. I always loved the guitar-driven opening with guitarist Andy Taylor and former Chic drummer Tony Thompson pushing the fast limits, that booming rousing drum piece by Thompson leading into this record featuring the suave and debonair Robert Palmer's soulful lead vocal and the jamming bass guitar of John Taylor pounding away. As much as I thought the original T. Rex version of "Bang A Gong (Get It On)" was cool and commanding, the Power Station version was in-your-face bold and blasting. I always felt like Andy Taylor got permission to push the amp beyond 11 on this record. This is definitely where the remake outshined the original.
3. Raspberry Beret—Prince & The Revolution (#2, July)
Whatever it was I missed at Old Man Johnson's farm, I was both sad and envious. You knew Prince felt the pressure of a great first single from both a new album ("Around The World In A Day"), but a new record label (Paisley Park, also his home headquarters). As funky as I always thought the title track was from the album, it was without doubt that "Raspberry Beret" was the hit with Prince taking us on the ride of a lifetime. The animation of the music video was superb. The strings? Extraordinary. Just a great tune that probably should have been No. 1 if not for ...
2. A View To A Kill—Duran Duran (#1, July)
Hard to believe with all the great James Bond movie theme songs recorded over the years that THIS would be the one that gave James Bond his first No. 1 hit and the British band Duran Duran its second No. 1 hit. Following the Bond theme music that made the brand so familiar, lead singer Simon Le Bon can't help being his old self bringing an alternative music side to the Bond brand. It's delightful and Nick Rhodes has a field day with his synthesizer and keyboard toys he gets to play with. With Wings' "Live And Let Die," Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" and Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only" coming and going as challengers to the No. 1 throne, but coming up short, maybe it took a hot and happening band like Duran Duran to finally bust through and make it to the top.
1. Just As I Am—Air Supply (#19, July)
For years as the Australian group, then duo Air Supply was totaling up hit after hit after hit, one thought went through my mind: What would the group sound like if someone gave them a rocked out sound with layers of guitars? It took until the Summer of '85 to find that out and then the duo did this record, produced by Alice Cooper and Pink Floyd producer Bob Ezrin. Giving it a screaming guitar on and off throughout, lead vocalist Russell Hitchcock's voice echoes throughout the song in a record that sounds every bit like an Air Supply song, but given the royal rock treatment that lasts forever. Finally … a perfect rocked-out Air Supply song! Who knew of the 11 Top 40 hits the band had, we had to wait until the group's last Top 40 hit to prove the point that they could rock out! Now play "Free Bird!"
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