I remember at the height of “Human”‘s success, someone (I’m fairly sure it was Donnie Simpson on BET’s “Video Soul”, but I’m not 100% positive) remarking that it was the “hardest” sounding slow jam that he’d ever heard. That’s the truth. Slow jams were…well, soft. “Human” was sensitive, but the beat kicked. Producers Jimmy Jam… Read More “Human” by The Human League (1986)
“Holding Back The Years” introduced Simply Red to American audiences in early 1986, zooming to the top of the pop charts while also placing respectably on the adult contemporary and R&B listings. Mick Hucknall (who, for all intents and purposes, is Simply Red) wrote the song about his childhood, focusing on the strained relationships he… Read More “Holding Back The Years” by Simply Red (1985)
Under The Cherry Moon was Prince’s second film, and expectations were high after the surprising success of Purple Rain. I mean, I think they were? I was 10, what the hell did i know about critical expectations? I’m sure that there were many people who expected Cherry Moon to be a Purple Rain sequel of… Read More “Girls & Boys” by Prince & The Revolution (1986)
The S.O.S. Band were the first act that Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis did consistent production for. 1986’s Sands of Time was the sixth S.O.S. album overall, and the third to benefit from Jam & Lewis’s involvement. There will be other S.O.S./Jam & Lewis team-ups on this list, and I’ll go further in depth on… Read More “The Finest” by The S.O.S. Band (1986)
“Don’t Get Me Wrong” is another one of those great bar jukebox songs. Four minutes of peppy, jangly goodness from Chrissie Hynde. It was also the song that officially confirmed me as a Pretenders fan. I was already familiar with “Back On The Chain Gang” (and, to a lesser extent, “Middle Of The Road”), but… Read More “Don’t Get Me Wrong” by The Pretenders (1986)
A few random thoughts. I think Neil Finn is a class “A” songwriter, but I think his most effective lyricism was with Crowded House. I’m not sure why that is. But whether it’s Split Enz, his work with Tim as The Finn Brothers, or Neil’s solo stuff–none of that hits me the same as any random… Read More “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House (1986)
The issue with cataloguing every five song in your iTunes library is that certain songs (actually-most songs) don’t feel like unequivocally perfect songs every day. Looking ahead at the next few songs, I’m not sure whether they are “5″s or very high “4″s. But I’m going to go with my initial ratings for each. Somewhat interestingly, each… Read More “A Different Corner” by George Michael (1986)
Janet’s 1986 declaration of independence caused reverberations that are still being felt in 2018. Control, the album, changed the game for pop and R&B in a way not unlike her brother did with Thriller four years before. It found the youngest Jackson crossing the child-to-adult star finish line in classier fashion than anyone outside her… Read More “Control” by Janet Jackson (1986)
This was five stars, then it was four stars. Now, it’s five stars again. I love “Change Of Heart”. Really. It’s maybe the toughest-sounding song of Cyndi’s imperial phase, and it was a nice change pace single following “True Colors”. The background vocals by The Bangles are a really nice touch. California vocals floating through a… Read More “Change Of Heart” by Cyndi Lauper (1986)
Five Star was a British group of brothers and sisters, created in the mold of DeBarge and The Jacksons. They broke through to U.S. audiences in late 1985 with “All Fall Down” and “Let Me Be The One”. “Can’t Wait Another Minute” was the lead single from their second U.S. album, Silk & Steel, and it’s one of… Read More “Can’t Wait Another Minute” by Five Star (1986)
Five Star Jamz 