Here we are, back again looking at the 40 Songs I worry have been forgotten over the years. These songs are awesome and I remember them with such great affection - I worry not many others remember them though!
http://theinternaljukebox.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/40-songs-you-should-remember-first-20.html
So take a look, feel free to tell me your memories and enjoy. There's a lot of pop on this list, it's like my drug!
21 – Ordinary Angels – Frente!
Anyone who
knows me well, knows my love of Frente! I was so lucky to be upfront at their
reunion tour last year. Angie Hart’s voice is so amazing, and I have probably
seen them more than other live act that didn’t involve a close friend. While
they may be best known for “Accidentally Kelly Street” and their US smash, “Bizarre
Love Triangle”, for me it’s all about this song. It is as close to perfect for
me as music gets. A constant, satisfying beat, beautiful vocals and quirky lyrics.
This made the final years of high school better for my friend Vera and I. Is it
possible to bleed love for a song? If so, this is the one for me!
22 – Wait – Gyan
I once
appeared on a TV show with Gyan. Saturday Morning Live with Johnno and Danno
had a game show where teens were matched with celebs to answer music questions.
I was paired with Gyan, and we won. Not only was she good with music
knowledge, she was really nice. She gave me a signed and advance copy of her
debut LP. I was smitten. It was more than her being nice though, the whole was
album was perfect and the first single was just brilliant. “Wait” is a totally
underrated song, Gyan’s voice is wonderful and I adore the song, so fucking
much!
23 – Shattered Dreams – Johnny Hates Jazz
A few years
ago I was working as an announcer on Penrith radio, Kick FM, and they had this
song on their playlist – I was so delighted. They may have been the only radio
station. This is such an 80s sound, with the synths and random tribal drums.
The vocals are great and the lyrics are bittersweet. I don’t know why Johnny hated
Jazz so much, but I love this song. So dramatic, so fabulous!
24 – You Belong To Me - JX
Techno was
so massive in the early 90s. There was a lot of bad techno, but when done
right, there is quite a beauty to it. This song, through all its brash and
repetitive sounds, has quite a beauty. While we remember C&C Music Factory
and Snap, JX created a number of brilliant pieces of club music. This was their
best – effortless vocals, catchy lyrics and a beat that could keep you dancing
all night. I am dancing all over again, just listening to it now!
25 – Little Bird – Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
is pop music royalty, her discography with The Eurythmics is grand and vast.
Her solo career is also amazing, but never got the same attention. Her debut
solo album “Diva” is splendid, so beautiful. “Why” was the big single, but many
forget the brilliant ease of “Little Bird”. A great film clip with different
Annie’s, and a song that is perfect for singing along with. There is an ease to
this song and a savage beauty. I now want to go home and play the “Diva” album
again!
26 – Bad Girl – Madonna
The third
single from the “Erotica” album is a big and tragic ballad. It was never a big
hit, so maybe that’s why Madonna has only ever performed this song live once?
This is a very adult sounding Madonna, and the vocals are so powerful. There is
a beautiful yearning in this song that both breaks my heart and makes my soul
sing. Then there’s the film clip, a-mazing. Directed by David Fincher and
starring Christopher Walken, this piece about a self-destructive woman
colliding with a serial killer is brilliant and one of Madonna’s best – high
praise for a woman known for her amazing clips!
27 – Martika’s Kitchen - Martika
“The table
is set, the oven is hot”. Yes it is Martika, yes it is! The whole “Martika’s
Kitchen” album is like a religion to me. “Love .. Thy Will Be Done” is
sublimely brilliant and very loved, but the funky title track was overlooked.
This Prince written track is just so sexy and funky. Martika’s voice sounds
wonderful and the production is exquisite. I don’t care that people didn’t like this song,
I will always adore it – and sing along!
28 – What Do I Have To Do – Kylie Minogue
Even today,
Kylie’s “Rhythm of Love” album is my favourite of hers. These were iconic
singles, “Better the Devil You Know” and “Shocked” are so famously Kylie. But it
was single number three that was always my favourite from the album. A little
harder than the other tracks, with some great production from the boys of
Stock, Aitken & Waterman; this track makes me feel lost in the groove. I
remember dancing to this in the first nightclubs I went to, and loving it so
very much. Early 90’s Kylie was so, so good!
29 – I’ve Had You – Jenny Morris
Kiwi Jenny
Morris had some great hits over the years, you’ve got to love “Break in the
Weather” and “You I Know”. For me though, her best release was always this
haunting and glorious ballad. It is such a simple song, just beautiful
instruments and her singing sweetly – it works so well. It has such a
melancholic feeling and I often forget how much this song meant to me. Then I
listen to it, hear the ending, and fall deeply in love with it again.
30 – I’d Die Without You – PM Dawn
R&B duo
PM Dawn were really big for a little while there in the early 90s. Their hits
“Set Adrift on Memory Bliss” and “Looking Through Patient Eyes” iconically used
some great samples. However, my favourite track of theirs will always be the
incredibly sweet, “I’d Die With You”. It is truly a beautiful love song with
some great lyrics. The laidback beat is infectious and the track makes me think
of great friends I don’t see anymore – and after all, the best songs make us
remember the good and bad times.
31 – Money Don’t Matter 2 Night - Prince
Prince’s
“Diamonds and Pearl” album meant so much to me in High School. I thought about
writing about “Gett Off”, but this track seemed more overlooked. This lovely
ballad about excess and the dangers of money may seem ironic from a very rich
singer, but the sentiment was still beautiful. Prince is a wonderful lyricist
and I have, and will always, love his voice. Plus, the New Power Generation
were a great backing band, and backing vocalist Rosie Gaines could sing me the
phone book and I’d be in heaven.
32 – No Ordinary - Sade
There’s
always been something stunning about Sade’s voice, so rich and smooth. There’s
such an ease to her music, it would be simple to overlook the complexities of
the writing. Her best track, for me, will always be this song from the film,
“Indecent Proposal” (remember that horrible, let me sleep with your wife for a
million dollars, film?). I love the subtle guitar that sits behind the constant
beat and the haunting vocals. This reminds me of Uni and the short films we
used to make.
33 – You’re History – Shakespear’s Sister
Siobhan
Fahey left Bananarama and I was pretty shattered, the three girls were such a
favourite of mine – the “Wow” album was in fact wow. Then she formed this duo,
it wasn’t house pop, but pop/rock. She had dyed her hair jet black and was
singing much lower. The end result? Perfection. We all remember their wonderful
ballad “Stay”, but their debut single was just as good. It’s a catchy little
number with a great beat and some clever lyrics. Fahey, with Marcella Detroit’s
high voice, were the perfect match. I adored so many of their songs, but this
one will always hold a special place in my heart.
34 – I Love Your Smile – Shanice
This sweet
little pop / R&B / New Jack Swing
number from 1991 reminds me of a simpler time in my life. I would do homework
of a Sunday afternoon listening to the American Top 40 on the radio. There was
more listening that actual work. This was a song I loved in that countdown.
Yeah, it’s pretty saccharine sweet but has a beautiful innocence. The “do-do-do-do”
through line is also great, and highly addictive. This really is the epitome of
the early 90s sound.
35 – You’ll Never Stop Me From Loving You -
Sonia
Love. Just
love for this song. The fiery little pocket rocket was another in the Stock,
Aitken & Waterman stable and really sold this great pop/house song. Sure,
the lyrics sound like they belong to a stalker, “You’ll never stop me from
loving you, it doesn’t really matter what you put me through”. Okay crazy! But
seriously, great song, I owned it on 7” vinyl and played it incessantly. So
catchy, so fun, so easy to dance to really badly in your bedroom while no one
else is around!
36 – Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)
– Soul II Soul
If I was
compiling a list of my favourite tracks of all time, this would no doubt be in
the top ten. What a song, was massive in 1989 (best year of music ever), and
while they were never as big in Australia as they were in the UK and the US, they had a few hits. I remember dancing at the school disco to this, losing myself in the
music. Embarrassingly, at the time, it was popular to write your favourite
singers on your arms and I used to proudly write Madonna on one arm and Soul II
Soul on the other. This piece of acid jazz with brilliant vocals by Caron
Wheeler was just truly hypnotising. Still, so good. Relisten people!
37 – Two of Hearts – Stacey Q
“Two of
Hearts” is full on mid 80s High NRG pop, just listen to those amazing synths
and that great drum machine. Stacey Q was a major one hit wonder, but what a
great song to be your only hit. It is so full of energy and is super fun. It
truly makes me happy and makes me want to sing along and dance. Someone should
really do a cover of this song, it would be amazing!
38 – All Around the World – Lisa Stansfield
Here’s
another early 90’s fave of mine. She had such a soulful voice, and continued to
make great albums, even when not that many people were buying them. This, her
debut single, is brilliant. The strings and the beat match together perfectly,
and her amazing voice cooing over these lyrics of loss are a true treat. My
manager and I were once singing along to this at the counter and two young
customers laughed, not cause we were singing, but because we were into a song
they had never heard. Shame girls, shame!
39 – This Time I Know It’s For Real – Donna
Summer
Donna is
most famous for her disco hits, such iconic tracks. But my favourite work of hers came
when she went pop in the late 80s with Stock, Aitken & Waterman. Many
Aussies will know this song as a Young Divas hit, but Donna totally owned it
first. SAW’s bubblegum beat and Donna’s great voice was the perfect match and resulted
in a track that is awesome. I bought the 7” single of this, the same time as
Sonia, and played each one over and over again, taking turns. Clearly I loved
the Stock, Aitken & Waterman sound – still do!
40 – Looking For a New Love – Jody Watley
The last
track, and we finish with a great one. A classic 80s sound from a diva with a
big voice. Jody Watley was never really the big star she deserved to be, ending
up, unfortunately, as a poor man’s Janet Jackson. This is a powerful pop song,
her voice is so strong and the beat is so funky. Whenever I find someone else
who remembers this song with affection I get so excited, it truly does deserve
to be remembered.
So that’s my
list, what did you love out of these songs? And what is an old tune you wish more
people would remember?
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