100 Pop Songs (51 to 60)

Broadly chronological ...

(51) Electric Light Orchestra – Here Is The News

ELO surprised me with “Here Is The News” from the album “Time”. The violins etc. seemed to have been replaced by synthesizers, though the feel of the song is typical of the band. A great song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSEVhQoka8E

(52) Electric Light Orchestra – Ticket To The Moon

From the same album as the previous song, “Ticket To The Moon” and is probably the most beautiful song they have ever performed. It is a supremely nostalgic song for me, bringing back both sweet and melancholy memories. This is ELO at their very best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4XNq7_OzPE

(53) Iggy Pop – The Passenger

I have made such a drunken fool of myself in the past dancing around on the dance floor with no respect for the safety of other dancers as I jump about waving my arms and singing to this magnificent tune. When I look back, it is embarrassing in the extreme but I must admit that even now I can’t resist occasionally coming out of retirement at weddings etc. whenever the DJ puts this on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSFV6RhdsNs

(54) Tears For Fears – Head Over Heels

From “Songs From The Big Chair”, this is a superb and stunning pop song that almost brings tears to my eyes even today some twenty years later. It summarizes why Tears For Fears were one of the best pop bands of the eighties.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2s4wbFAhFw

(55) U2 – The Unforgettable Fire

There are so many classic songs by U2. However, you have to go back to the mid eighties, even before “The Joshua Tree” to find my favourite song by the band. From the album of the same name, “The Unforgettable Fire” is an epic pop song that exceeds anything they have done since.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yiNqwEAtpk

(56) A-ha – I’ve Been Losing You

A-ha have produced some of my favourite pop songs of all time. I was slightly embarrassed to admit to liking them initially but their output was the very best quality. Their best album in the eighties was “Scoundrel Days” and this is the best song on that album. I was lucky enough to see the band in 1986 and this was the opening song in a superb set.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbg4JFdcbY4

(57) Talk Talk – Life’s What You Make It

This song is my favourite song by Talk Talk and I played it to death upon its release. The best song from a great band.

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

(58) Black – Wonderful Life

The video accompanying this splendid song adds to its appeal. It is certainly one of my favourite videos of the eighties, moody and magnificent and perfect for the song. “Wonderful Life” is a truly wonderful song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyfu_mU-dmo

(59) Julian Cope - Trampoline

There aren’t many songs as catchy as “Trampoline” by the eccentric Julian Cope. This was the first solo effort I heard after “The Teardrop Explodes” and in a way it is as infectious as the brilliant “Reward” that I listed earlier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRD9PTj5r6k

(60) New Order – True Faith

Talking of eccentricity, New Order must have had a mad moment when the concept for the video accompanying “True Faith” was conceived. That said, it is a work of pure genius and as odd as it is, for me it complements the song flawlessly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og1HAkjOuL0

61 to 70 to follows