Music In The 1980s - Lesser Known Hits

[Benny]

America - The Last Unicorn (1984)
origin: USA

Germany #38

[radcl]

SENSUS - SENSUS

Netherlands,1984

Germany-#21

https://www.discogs.com/artist/155964-Sensus

[radcl]

AMSTERDAM - CORA

Germany,1985


(english)

(german)

France-1985-#22

Wikipedia

Covers:

Axel Fischer feat. Cora

Germany-2008-38

[Benny]

Colonel Abrams - Trapped (1985)
origin: USA

UK #3
Ireland #4
Netherlands #11
Germany #13

[Benny]

Barclay James Harvest - Life Is for Living (1981)
origin:UK

Switzerland #1
Germany #2
UK #61

[Benny]

I forgot to check the other thread before posting, my mistake!

[heppolo]

https://www.ukmix.org/forum/chart-di...d-biggest-hits

Righeira had a few hits here and there, like "No Tengo Dinero" whilst in the UK they didn't reach the top 40 at all.

[anpt]

https://www.ukmix.org/forum/chart-di...d-biggest-hits

Vamos A La Playa - RIGHEIRA
Origin: Italy
Year: 1983
Not sure if this can be considered an obscure one (in the English-speaking countries probably), this is an Italo disco classic.

Despite its ostensibly innocuous beach theme, the song actually talks about the explosion of an atomic bomb.

[anpt]

Laid Back - High Society Girl (DE-9)

Laid Back - White Horse(US-26,NL-15;UK-90;NZ-49)

Laid Back -Bakerman(DE-9,AT-1;CH-10;SE-13;NL-20)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yByP88jUQH4

were better examples

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laid_Back

We must choose songs that were successful in a few countries.

https://www.ukmix.org/forum/chart-di...d-biggest-hits

39. Laid Back - Sunshine Reggae [16 / 4]
40. Righeira - Vamos a la Playa [14 / 2]

Laid Back - Sunshine Reggae (1983)
origin: Denmark

The original B-side to the single, 'White Horse', became a top 40 hit in the US in 1984, peaking at number 26.

[Benny]

Laid Back - Sunshine Reggae (1983)
origin: Denmark

Germany #1
Austria #1
Italy #4
Netherlands #4
Switzerland #9

The original B-side to the single, 'White Horse', became a top 40 hit in the US in 1984, peaking at number 26.

[Benny]

^
Benny: according to discogs.com 'Hijo De La Luna' was released in Spain on 25 July 1987

https://www.discogs.com/Mecano-Hijo-...elease/4335899

Thanks Robbie! According to the 'Book About Spanish Charts' thread, 'Hijo de la luna' peaked at number 29 in Spain:

https://www.ukmix.org/forum/chart-di...12#post3068526

[Robbie]

^
Benny: according to discogs.com 'Hijo De La Luna' was released in Spain on 25 July 1987

https://www.discogs.com/Mecano-Hijo-...elease/4335899

[Gambo]

Yes, Talk Talk released a number of excellent singles and albums. They were initially marketed by EMI as a Duran Duran type band (and indeed had the same producer) but Mark Hollis had the good sense to take the band in a different direction with their second album.

Very underrated commercially in their home country and it's refreshing to find that they were apparently appreciated a lot more abroad. Although musically some of their middle-era stuff was probably superior, I still maintain their first album had some pretty decent highlights on it. I have it on vinyl somewhere. Never thought of them in the same bracket as Duran and if that was how their label initially saw them then that was pretty short-sighted. Mind you, in Britain if they'd ploughed that furrow they might've ended up selling a lot more records! As well as 'Such A Shame', there was the excellent 'My Foolish Friend' from '83 which criminally never made the Top 40. Just love Hollis's voice - reminiscent I always thought of Justin Hayward - and it's sad that he is no longer with us.

'Vamos A La Playa' is about an A Bomb explosion?! Well you really do learn something everyday on this thread.

[Benny]

'L'Italiano' is indeed very catchy, no wonder it was a hit in several European countries. In Germany & Austria, Cutugno had a bigger hit with 1990's ESC winner 'Insieme: 1992' (#3 in Austria and #13 in Germany).

'Hijo de la luna' is absolutely beautiful. Does anybody know if it was released as a single in Spain, and if so, how it did on the charts?

[radcl]

HIJO DE LA LUNA - MECANO

1986

Spain-1987-#29

Germany-Dec 1989 - #49-Jan 1990 - 45

Netherlands-Jul 1990 - #5

Belgium-Aug 1990 - #18

France-May 1991 - #6

COVERS:

LOONA

Austria-Jan 1999 - #3
Germany-Dec 1998 - #1
Netherlands-Feb 1999 - #21
Switzerland-Dec 1998 - #2

BELLE PEREZ & VOICE MALE

Netherlands-Jan 2004 - #28
Belgium-Feb 2003 - #8

PSY 4 DE LA RIME ENFANYS DE LA LUNES

[heppolo]

Amoureux Solitaires was also a number one hit in Italy and France.

thank you for that correction, I wasn't able to obtain French and Italian chart data for 1980-1981.

[heppolo]

You all are going to hate me for doing this, since it's anything but obscure...however

L'ITALIANO - TOTO CUTUGNO
Origin: Italy
Year: 1983

Italy
#1
France
#1
Portugal
#1
Switzerland
#1
Belgium (Vl)
#11
West Germany
#23

This is probably that one song that should have actually been marketed in the English-speaking countries, it is so damn catchy and sing-a-long. It's hard to believe it, but this actually only finished 5th in SanRemo that year.

[heppolo]

IDEAL WORLD - THE CHRISTIANS

Origin: United Kingdom
Year: 1987

United Kingdom
#14
Ireland
#11
Netherlands
#20
Belgium (Vl)
#35

[Benny]

"Such A Shame" and "It's My Life" could have been absolutely massive if properly marketed.

True! 'It's My Life' reached its chart peak in the UK in 1990 (#13) when it was re-issued to promote the band's Greatest Hits album. It had only peaked at number 46 in 1984.

[heppolo]

Yes, Talk Talk released a number of excellent singles and albums. They were initially marketed by EMI as a Duran Duran type band (and indeed had the same producer) but Mark Hollis had the good sense to take the band in a different direction with their second album.

"Such A Shame" and "It's My Life" could have been absolutely massive if properly marketed.

[radcl]

Hitx9!

Vamos A La Playa - RIGHEIRA
Origin: Italy

Italy#1Switzerland#1Spain#6Norwa#6United Kingdom#53Belgium (Vl)#2France#2Austria#11Germany#3
Not sure if this can be considered an obscure one (in the English-speaking countries probably), this is an Italo disco classic.

Despite its ostensibly innocuous beach theme, the song actually talks about the explosion of an atomic bomb.

"!

[radcl]

Hitx7!

[QUOTE=Benny;n10469142]Marianne Faithfull - The Ballad of Lucy Jordan (1980)
origin: UK


Marianne Faithfull - Broken English (1980)

1980

Australia-25
France-8?
New Zealand-#25
Sweden-#17
Germany-#36

[Benny]

Marianne Faithfull - The Ballad of Lucy Jordan (1980)
origin: UK

Austria #2
Germany #5
Switzerland #5
France #17
Australia #18
Netherlands #19
New Zealand #20
UK #48

[Robbie]

It's extraordinary to realise Talk Talk never had a Top Ten Single in the UK.

Such A Shame was a brilliant single (as were Living In Another World, My Foolish Friend, It's My Life, etc). but minor hits, all of them....

Yes, Talk Talk released a number of excellent singles and albums. They were initially marketed by EMI as a Duran Duran type band (and indeed had the same producer) but Mark Hollis had the good sense to take the band in a different direction with their second album.

[Metalweb]

It's extraordinary to realise Talk Talk never had a Top Ten Single in the UK.

Such A Shame was a brilliant single (as were Living In Another World, My Foolish Friend, It's My Life, etc). but minor hits, all of them....