Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 53 - Tears For Fears (Mad World)

Today's song is a favourite of mine from 1982 by Tears For Fears.  Mad World was a single from their debut album "The Hunting", and it reached a pretty good number 3 in the UK charts.

A classic 80's track, and definitely one of my favourites.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 52 - El DeBarge (Who's Johnny)

Today's track is from one of my favourite 1980s movies - Short Circuit.  Who's Johnny by El DeBarge was released in 1986 and reached number 3 in the US Billboard Top 100 Charts.  

I remember the song not being as widely available in the UK (I don't think it even charted here), and this was in a time before the internet, so opportunities to listen to it were rare.  As I recall, the song only appeared a few times in the film (incomplete) - in a short scene when Stephanie Speck, played brilliantly by Ally Sheedy, is showing Johnny 5 around her home, and later when Johnny 5 has commandeered a Nova Robotics van.

A great tune, from a great movie.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 51 - Ace of Base (Never Gonna Say I'm Sorry)

Whoa, this is one I haven't heard in a very long time, and one I am definitely including in my favourite music list.   In fact, the only reason I am adding it here is because I heard it for the first time in over 20 years just the other day, and it's been stuck in my head ever since.  Another song I loved back in the day, but forgot about as I got older.

Released as a single from their 1996 album "The Bridge", it never even charted in the UK (shame on us brits for not buying it)., but it did reasonably well in the rest of Europe and the US.  

Pure 90s.  The Swedes sure know how to make good music.  Abba...  Ace of Base....

Enjoy!

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 49 - Ace of Base (Life is a Flower)

There aren't many tunes from the 1990s that will make my list of favourite songs, but I can be pretty sure that anything by Ace of Base will make it! 

This is one of my favourite tracks from Ace of Base.  Released in April 1998, it went straight to Number 5 in the UK Charks in July.

A happy song, from a happy time.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 48 - Erasure (Sometimes)

So here we are with my 48th track, and it's surprising that I've only had one Erasure song on the list so far considering how much of a fan I am of the synth-pop duo.  Well, here we are with track number two!

For me, 'Sometimes' is one of the defining synth songs of the mid to late 1980s.  It's amazing and deservedly sat in the UK charts for an impressive 23 weeks, peaking at Number 2 in December 1986, and only being beaten from the top spot by Europe's "The Final Countdown".

Guaranteed to cheer me up when I feel down (which is a lot these days, but hey ho),  

It does make me think back to a comment my son Kieran made a few weeks ago about how happy songs sounded in the 1980s compared to what is in the popular charts today.

"It's not the way you lead me by the hand into the bedroom

It's not the way you throw your clothes upon the bathroom floor

Been thinking about ya, I just couldn't wait to see

Fling my arms around ya as we fall in ecstasy"

You know the rest :)

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 47 - Sophie Ellis Bextor (Murder on the Dance Floor)

Today's track is a guilty pleasure of mine, but I am struggling to come to terms with the fact that it's now over 20 years old.  Sophie Ellis Bextor's Murder on the Dance Floor will always remind me of the time I met my wife Michelle.  It came out in December 2001 and remained in the charts for 23 weeks, peaking at an impressive number 2.  It was played on the radio quite regularly at the time Michelle and I started dating which is why I look back on this track with fond memories.

And guess who we named our daughter Sophie after?  :)

It's murder on the dance floor
You'd better not kill the groove
DJ, gonna burn this goddamn house right down.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 46 - Pet Shop Boys (Integral)

Today's song is a fantastic track by the Pet Shop Boys from their 2006 'Fundamental' album.  To be honest, I only found out about this song a few years ago, which makes it unsurprising that it only reached 197 in the UK Singles Chart of that year.  

Obviously not one of their more popular tracks, but that doesn't mean it's not any good.  Far from it.

I love blaring this one out.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 45 - The Piranhas (Tom Hark)

While searching for Zambezi by the Piranhas, their cover of Tom Hark popped up and instantly took me back in time to over 40 years ago.  Man, I forgot how much I loved this song when I was little.  It entered the charts in August 1980 (I was three years old), and remained there for twelve weeks, peaking at number six.  It was The Piranha's biggest hit.  Check the video out and enjoy the nostalgia.

"Does anybody know how long to World War III?

I wanna know, I gotta book me holiday

They want me in the Army but I just can't go

I'm far too busy listening to the radio"

What great lyrics!

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 44 - The Piranhas (Zambezi)

Flipping heck... this is a blast from the past!  I remember loving it when I was a kid

A cover of Zambezi by Lou Busch and his Orchestra, this version was released back in 1982 by The Piranhas (and featuring Boring Bob Grover - The Man With The Golden Trumpet) where it entered into the UK Top 40 in September/October.  I was but a 5 year old lad with obviously no decent taste in music.

"Well if my bank should phone, tell them I ain't at home,
Just say I packed my plastic bag and went away.
As for the landlord's rent, I spent it on a tent,
So if he's asking questions, you'll know what to say.

 You don't get lyrics like that anymore.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 43 - The Carpenters (Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft)

Today, we go back to when I was VERY little with The Carpenters' version of "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft", originally released by them in September 1977 (I was only 7 months old), and is in fact a cover from a song by Klaatu which was used by the pirate radio station Radio Caroline as an opening song for their midnight transmissions - Thanks Wikipedia.  The original is not a bad version, but I prefer The Carpenters cover, especially with the All Hit Radio intro.

I vaguely remember first listening to this one night in the 80s when my Dad put it on, and I've loved it ever since.

Enjoy this, the recognized Anthem of World Contact Day.

Hey babe, what would you like to hear?

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 42 - Phil Collins (Don't Lose My Number)

Whilst reacquainting myself with Phil Collins's excellent "No Jacket Required" album, Don't Lose My Number has given me a massive flashback feeling.  Gosh, I forgot how much I love this song, and how good an album it is.

As already mentioned, the song comes from his excellent No Jacket Required album, but wasn't actually released as a single in the UK.  It did reach an impressive number 4 in the US, and ranked 64th in the US Top Pop Singles for 1985

Anyway, here's the music video.  Stick with it...  the song begins around the 1 minute and 30 seconds mark.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 41 - Nik Kershaw (Dancing Girls)

As I've probably mentioned before in a previous post, my sister was a massive fan of Nik Kershaw, and quite often when I was a young lad in the mid-80s I would be able to hear his tunes coming through the wall between our two bedrooms.  At the time, I was not a fan but over the years I've grown to really like his music.

Whenever I listen to Dancing Girls, I have a vivid memory of helping my sister write a "Nik Kershaw" lyrics program on our Commodore Plus 4 computer in BASIC, a program I still have stored on one of hundreds of old cassettes to this day, named "Nik 16"

Released 38 years ago, on April 2nd 1984, Dancing Girls was a single from his excellent "Human Racing" album and peaked in the UK charts at No. 13 around the same time as classic favourites of mine such as Queen's "I Want To Break Free", Depeche Mode's "People are People" and Blancemange's "Don't Tell Me"

Enjoy!

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 40 - Johnny Hates Jazz (Shattered Dreams)

There are a large number of songs that constantly remind me of family walks from Leigh-on-Sea to Southend, mostly because we used to stop off at different pubs on the way, and most had the songs of the day playing over the speakers.  This was around the mid to late 1980's where we'd jump on a Class 302 from Laindon, get off at Leigh-on-Sea, and stop for a quick drink at the Peterboat, Ye Olde Smack, and then onwards towards Southend-on-Sea with a quick stop at the Cliffs Pavilion for another bevvy - or in my case, another pint of orange squash!.

Shattered Dreams by Johnny Hates Jazz is one of those songs that was played a lot in those pubs at the time.  It was released in March 1987 and went straight to number 97 in the UK charts.  Only through lots of airtime on the radio did it finally reach a deserving number 5 two months later.

An absolute stonker of an 80s track.  Enjoy.

And as a bonus for those like me who also like some classical/orchestral music, here is the track from the 80s Classical live event in 2019.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 39 - Freiheit (Keeping The Dream Alive)

Released in 1988, "Keeping The Dream Alive" peaked at number 14 in the UK Charts during December of that year and was their only UK hit.  It's often played on the radio at Christmas and features on many festive compilation albums mainly due to it being released around that time of year, despite the song having absolutely nothing to do with Christmas!

Crank up the volume and listen to that awesome orchestral sound.  It definitely has a hint of ELO to it with some 80s Paul McCartney thrown in too!

Enjoy.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 38 - Feargal Sharkey (A Good Heart)

Whenever I feel down, I usually resort to listening to some 80s music, and this is one song I can always count on to cheer me up.  Today, I have decided to pick Feargal Sharkey's "A Good Heart" which reached number 1 in the UK Charts in November 1985, and where it stayed for 2 weeks.  It was his only UK number one, and what a great song it is too.

It will always remind me of family walks along the seafront at Southend.  Many of the 'watering holes' where we would stop off between Leigh-on-Sea and Southend-on-Sea would play this on the jukebox whilst I drank my pint of orange squash and spent countless 10p's on the arcade machines.  Happy days.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 37 - Carly Simon (Why)

Here's another song that always brings back nostalgic memories of when I was a wee lad in the early 1980s.  There's nothing special about the song - in fact, the video is three and a half minutes of cringe-worthy footage of Carly prancing along a street (back in the days when music videos could be done on the cheap and still be successful).   Still, it has a nice melody and I remember listening to this on the radio when it came out.  I guess that memory has just stuck with me ever since. Whenever I hear it, I think back to happy times when I was little.

Released in 1982, it reached number 10 in the UK charts in August of that year....  I was only 5 years old at the time.  Gosh, I feel old. 

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 35 - Men at Work (Down Under)

It's funny how this song always reminds me of a particular memory so long ago.  Men at Work's "Down Under" brings back vivid memories of getting ready to go on a family day trip to London to visit the Cutty Sark.  It was on in the kitchen, and I can still remember my Dad's old radio that it was playing on.

Weird!

Such happy times, and good memories from a period of less stress and worry.

Anyway, it's a great song that was released way back in 1981 when it stayed in the UK charts for 12 weeks, 3 of which were at Number 1...  Back when I was just 4 years old.

And for even further nostalgia, here's a picture of me on that very trip to the Cutty Sark.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 34 - Visage (Fade to Grey)

As a massive fan of 1980s music, I find that this song pretty much sums up the beginning of this great decade, during a time when pop culture movement New Romanticism was beginning to take over the nightclubs (ok, I was a bit too young for that) and the charts.  It was a time when it was perfectly acceptable for a guy to wear more makeup than your average woman!  It was also during this great period when synth music was set to become much more widespread in the music world leading to some of the best pop songs ever written in subsequent years by different groups.  This itself is one of the main reasons why I love this song.

It was released in 1980 and reached number 8 in the UK Charts. 

Such a great song, and great memories from a time long gone. 

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 31 - Pet Shop Boys (Heart)

The Pet Shop Boys were a band I was never particularly into back in their heyday, which is surprising when you consider the similarities between them and my favourite synth group Erasure.  Sure, I loved West End Girls, It's a Sin, Always On My Mind and pretty much every track on their "Please" and "Actually" albums, but I never paid much attention to what they produced after that until only a few years ago.  Boy, was I missing out!

Having said that, I always had a fondness for Heart.  Released in 1988, it entered the charts in March at number 30 before rightfully reaching the number one spot the following month where it stayed for a few weeks.  

Pop Quiz - When not being Gandalf, what famous actor played Nosferatu in the Heart music video? 

The answer....  Well, I didn't realise until only recently that it was none other than Sir Ian McKellen. 

Ahhhhhh...  I was just 11 years old at the time.  Life was so much easier (and less stressful) back then.

Now That's What I Call Stuart's Favourite Music 28 - Edelweiss (Raumschiff Edelweiss)

Erm....  Where do I start with this one?

I'm feeling a bit down at the moment and while going through my vast library of songs on my hard drive, I was trying to find some tunes to cheer me up and put a smile on my face.  After a bit of searching, I found and remembered this one...

...  So...  My next favourite track is a rarity from the Austrian dance group Edelweiss which never actually made it into the UK charts.  It was released in 1992 but I didn't get to hear it until early 1995 during a Star Trek documentary on MTV to coincide with the then imminent release of the movie Star Trek Generations.

The song in question is...  "Raumschiff Edelweiss", or in English, Starship Edelweiss. 

Edeweiss were a popular eurodance/pop group in Europe during the late 80's and early 90s.  I don't suppose many readers of my blog will know who they were and you might be surprised to hear that their hit song Bring Me Edelweiss actually reached number 5 in the UK charts back in May, 1989, beating the likes of The Bangles (Eterna Flame), Queen (I Want It All) and many others.  Now, I'm no expert on the group, and as far as I can tell they only ever released one album - but what an album!

Raumschiff Edelweiss is a Star Trek-inspired spoof song (which in my opinion is miles better than The Firm's Star Trekkin') and features the original Star Trek theme, mixed with plenty of yodeling (which Edelweiss are well known for), a dance track, and a music video with some whacky visuals that could only have been made with the use of certain recreational drugs and high levels of alcohol consumption.

Have a listen, and give it a chance....  It's not all that bad!

AND if you liked that...  The song had a follow up - called Planet Edelweiss (featured below) which I swear sounds like something that could have been 'tracked' on a Commodore Amiga!  That’s a good thing by the way.  

Yes they're cheesy, but I'm proud to admit I actually have this album in my music collection, and it always makes me smile.  It's also the only place you will ever get to see a Klingon rapping and singing reggae!