My Favourite 45s of the Year: 1985 Quiz

Answer: Kate Bush

Taken as the lead single from Kate Bush's fifth album, "Hounds of Love", "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" became her most successful single released since "Wuthering Heights". Bush composed both the synthesizer and drum machine parts used on the backing track, with the main riff being a Fairlight using a sampled cello track.

The percussion sound on the record is very strong, driving the song forward. The lyrics are about men and women not understanding each other, with a couple wanting to make a deal with god to change places.

The video is a wonderful piece of contemporary dance with Bush and Misha Hervieu; MTV didn't like it and didn't play it. On its release in 1985 it went to number three in the UK Singles Chart and to number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

A remixed version released in 2012 after the song had been used in the London Summer Olympics closing ceremony went to number six in the UK Singles Chart, and a reissue in 2022 on the back of the song being featured in the Netflix series "Stranger Things" went to number one in the UK Singles Chart and to number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

It was also ranked at number 60 in the 2021 "Rolling Stone" list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

Answer: UB40

In 1985 Birmingham reggae band UB40 had a major number one hit in the UK with "I Got You Babe", a duet with Chrissie Hynde. The follow-up was "Don't Break My Heart", a beautifully slow song about a clearly doomed romance. The song just lopes along with a feeling of real sadness. My memories of it are based upon a fortnight spent at Nottingham University teaching on an Open University Summer School, and I just got so addicted to it that I would play it on the juke box in the bar over and over again. Happy Days!
It went to number three in the UK Singles Chart but didn't chart in the US.

Answer: The Clash

By 1985 the Clash had been through a number of personnel changes and were clearly on the verge of splitting, despite their continued political relevance and commitment This song, "This is England", which was the last original single to be released by the band, describes the alienation felt by many young people and the response to the Falklands War. Surprisingly for the Clash it was recorded using synthesizer and drum machine backing music. It's a wonderful, intense track, a worthy way to say goodbye.
It went to number 24 in the UK Singles Chart but didn't chart in the US.

Answer: Simple Minds

"Don't You (Forget About Me)" was written by Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff for a crucial scene in the John Hughes film, "The Breakfast Club". It was offered to a number of acts - Bryan Ferry and Billy Idol among others - and eventually Simple Minds took it on, after Chrissie Hynde (at that time Jim Kerr's wife) had pushed them a bit.

It was recorded in the band's typical rousing style, especially after guitarist Charlie Burchill "ramped up the power chords in the intro". The song proved to be the band's biggest hit in the US: it went to number seven in the UK Singles Chart and to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Answer: Scritti Politti

After the release of the "Songs to Remember" album, Green Gartside started to move away from the original idea of Scritti Politti as a Marxist collective and towards more commercial material. This resulted in two fabulous tracks released in 1984, "Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)" and "Absolute".

In 1985 these tracks were included on the "Cupid & Psyche 85" album along with a new single, "The Word Girl" - a gem! It has the reggae lilt of "The Sweetest Girl" with Green's great vocals - a terrific record.

It went to number six in the UK Singles Chart (the band's highest-ever chart position) but didn't chart in the US. Back when the album came out Scritti Politti announced a UK-wide tour - and I managed to get tickets numbers 1 and 2 for the Belfast gig. Sadly, however, the gig was cancelled - it seems that Green used to suffer from severe stagefright and so he just stopped touring.

Answer: Grace Jones

Grace Jones had been recording for Island Records from about 1977, but I somehow missed what she was doing until "Slave to the Rhythm" was released from her seventh (!) album. Produced by Trevor Horn, a cool, funky rhythm underlies the vocals, which are sung/spoken by Jones with a wonderful deep brown voice. I was so impressed upon first hearing the song that I went out and bought all her albums!
It went to number 12 in the UK Singles Chart but didn't feature on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart; it did, however, reach number one on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs Chart.

Answer: Billy Bragg

One-man folk/punk band Billy Bragg is an inspiring person, a political activist dedicated to left-wing politics and combating racism and fascism - an all-round "good egg", in fact. He's also a remarkably proficient songwriter - see my Top Ten for 1984 for the proof of this, Kirsty MacColl's recording of "A New England".
"Between the Wars" was actually issued as an EP; all four songs are clearly political, but the title track is just a beautiful song. The second verse goes: "I kept the faith and I kept voting, not for the iron fist but for the helping hand. For theirs is a land with a wall around it and mine is a faith in my fellow man". Brilliant, and hugely relevant even now, nearly 40 years later.
It went to number 15 in the UK Singles Chart; it wasn't released in the US.

Answer: Prince and the Revolution

After the "Purple Rain" album in 1984 came "Around the World in a Day" in 1985 - a pop/psychedelic album with less funk and R&B that Prince admitted that had been influenced by the Beatles. The first single from the album was "Raspberry Beret" - Prince's story of a hook-up with a girl who "wasn't too bright but I could tell when she kissed me she knew how to get her kicks".

It's a great pop song, recorded with lots of strings and a constant riff, and I've always loved it. It got to number 25 in the UK Singles Chart and to number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Answer: The Cure

A great record by the Cure, it has a strange claustrophobic feel to it that was brilliantly caught in the video. It's full of different rhythms, heavy on the bass and with a nice organ riff - and it really does sound as though somebody is playing a comb! Robert Smith's vocals are also odd, a bit breathy.
The video of the band all crammed into a sinking wardrobe is tremendous!
It went to number 24 in the UK Singles Chart but didn't chart in the US. A remix version issued in 1990 went to number 13 in the UK Singles Chart and to number 97 in the US Billboard Ht 100.

Answer: The Cult

Music was going in all sorts of different directions in the mid-1980s, and this is a classic example of that. The Cult - formerly known as the Southern Death Cult - formed in Bradford in 1983, and played a kind of goth/post-punk music that I actually quite liked. This track, "She Sells Sanctuary", has wonderful slashing guitar chords and detonating drums - it's terrific stuff!
It went to number 15 in the UK Singles Chart but didn't chart in the US.