My Favourite 45s of the Year: 1989 Quiz

Answer: Tears for Fears

One of many new wave synthesizer bands, Tears for Fears had been around since about 1981 and had experienced considerable chart success with songs like "Mad World", "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". Their third album, "The Seeds of Love", had this one cracking song, "Sowing the Seeds of Love".

It has all sorts of things going on in its five-and-a-half minutes; quite a few of them sound very much like the Beatles, such as the solo trumpet that owes a lot to "Penny Lane" and the general orchestration and tempo.

It was also a clearly political song, with one line of the lyrics referring to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as "Politician granny with your high ideals, have you no idea how the majority feels?". The video was an orgy of special effects and repeated solar images. It went to number five in the UK Singles Chart and to number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Sadly the band broke up very soon afterwards.

Answer: Electronic

Electronic were a 1980s "supergroup" comprising Bernard Sumner of New Order and ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, with backing vocals contributed by Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys. "Getting Away with It" was the group's debut single, and it's lovely - it has a great melody, it's lushly orchestrated and there's a lovely Spanish-style guitar solo by Marr. It took me some time to realise that the lyrics poke fun at the morose Morrissey; his response to the song was predictably negative.
It went to number 12 in the UK Singles Chart and to number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Answer: Dusty Springfield

1989 saw the release of the film "Scandal", an account of the Profumo affair (a British political scandal in 1963 in which a British government minister lied to Parliament). When the film's producer asked the Pet Shop Boys to write a song for the soundtrack, they came up with "Nothing Has Been Proved" and suggested that Dusty Springfield record it - she was already a recording star at the time of the affair. The song outlines the events of the scandal, and is played over the end credits of the film.
It went to number 16 in the UK Singles Chart; it wasn't released in the US.

Answer: Stone Roses

Because of the appearance of several new bands and of the Hacienda Club, Manchester - or Madchester, as it came to be called - was a really happening city in the late 1980s. The Stone Roses released their first album, "The Stone Roses", in 1989, and the biggest hit from the album was "Fools Gold".

It's an extraordinary track, unlike anything I'd ever heard before. Bass guitarist Mani lays down a really funky bass line, with excellent muted drumming by Reni. John Squire uses all sorts of wah-wah effects pedals, while Ian Brown whispers and mumbles the lyrics.

The whole thing has an irresistible dance rhythm. It went to number eight in the UK Singles Chart; it didn't chart in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart but it did well in the US Dance chart.

Answer: Neneh Cherry

Having done amazingly well with her first single, "Buffalo Stance", Neneh Cherry followed it up with an even better track, "Manchild". It's slow and melodic with a great hook; the song balances around the phrase, "Turn around, ask yourself". There's lots of keyboard effects too. All-in-all it's a lovely ballad.
It got to number five in the UK Singles Chart but didn't chart in the US.

Answer: Kirsty MacColl

"Days" was originally written and recorded by the Kinks, who took it to number 12 in the UK Singles Chart in 1968. It's the classic "goodbye" song", thanking somebody who's leaving for all the good things they've brought into the singer's life, but it's actually quite an optimistic song.
The wonderful Kirsty MacColl picked the song up and included it on her second album, "Kite". Her version is a bit slower than the Kinks' original recording but it has nice harmonies and wonderfully lush orchestration.
It went to number 12 in the UK Singles Chart but didn't chart in the US.

Answer: The B-52's

I'd been aware of the B-52's for some time, thanks to the band's charming and quirky debut single "Rock Lobster" released in 1978. After this initial success things quietened down for the band, and sadly guitarist and founder member Ricky Wilson died.

However, after rejecting the idea of disbanding, the group came up with a brilliant album packed with hits, "Cosmic Thing". By far the stand-out track for me was "Love Shack" - it's an absolute belter, a real rocker, with masses of exuberance and feeling.

It's full of hooks and is one of the best dance records around. It went to number two in the UK Singles Chart and to number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was ranked at number 246 in the 2010 "Rolling Stone" list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

The video for the song won the award for Best Group Video at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.

Answer: Kate Bush

This wonderful song by Kate Bush, "The Sensual World", was inspired by Molly Bloom's speech at the end of James Joyce's "Ulysses". Part of the orchestration is a traditional Macedonian song played on uilleann pipes - really strange but wonderfully effective. And Kate is drop-dead-gorgeous in the video, dancing through a fairy forest - nowhere near as twee as it sounds!
It went to number 12 in the UK Singles Chart but didn't chart in the US.

Answer: Billy Joel

Billy Joel's song "We Didn't Start the Fire" is a list song: 118 events of interest in US modern history between 1948 and 1989 are mentioned, mainly in chronological order. The music is a bit like a dentist's drill and the lyrics are sung very fast, but it's all tremendously interesting. It has to be said that the critics' response to the song were at best mixed, but it enjoyed huge chart success.
It went to number seven in the UK Singles Chart and to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Answer: Malcolm McLaren and The Bootzilla Orchestra

"Deep in Vogue" by Malcolm McLaren, is a bit left field, but illustrates perfectly McLaren's nose for a trend and his sense of humour. His 1983 album "Duck Rock" helped introduce hip hop to a wider audience, and his 1989 album "Waltz Darling" was a funk and disco album inspired by New York's voguing subculture.

The third single from the album, "Deep in Vogue" really spread the word about voguing and ball culture: it would be fair to say that Madonna's record "Vogue" the next year was to some extent inspired by it. It went to number 83 in the UK Singles Chart but didn't chart in the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart; however it did get to number one in the U.S. Billboard Dance Chart.