Tag: England

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1987

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date August 26, 2022

Hello again retro music fans. Every Friday I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 25, 30, or 35 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 35 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday August 30TH 1987:

“What Have I Done To Deserve This ?” – Pet Shop Boys With Dusty Springfield
“Call Me” – Spagna
“Toy Boy” – Sinitta
“True Faith” – New Order
“U Got The Look” – Prince With Sheena Easton

“It’s A Sin” (Pet Shop Boys) was a great track during the greatest summer ever – the British Summer of 1987. I still love to hear it today. But then Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe released a track that was even greater than that – a collaboration with Dusty Springfield titled “What Have I Done To Deserve This ?”. I consider it to be one of the greatest songs ever made. On this weekend 35 years ago it hit # 1 on my weekly Top 50 chart at the time. It did so in its 3RD week. The previous week it was at # 2, and the week before that – # 44. (It surged 42 notches in its 2ND week.)

But it had trouble reaching # 1 in most places around the world. In the U.K. it spent 2 weeks at # 2, as it was held back for both weeks by Rick Astley’s debut smash “Never Gonna Give You Up”. 6 months later in the U.S. it also spent 2 weeks at # 2, as it was held back by Expose’s “Seasons Change” and George Michael’s “Father Figure”. (Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” actually replaced it at # 2.)

“What Have I Done To Deserve This ?” also peaked at # 2 in Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, and Sweden. But in one nation it was a # 1 smash – Ireland !

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 15 years ago to the start of September 2007. It’s when a young pop-punk trio from upstate South Carolina took their “Galactic Conquest” to # 1 with God’s love.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !

Tags 1987, Dusty Springfield, England, Music, Pet Shop Boys, Radio

Blogging Career Military Travel Weather

Phoenix Arizona

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date August 25, 2022

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Yesterday was the 30TH anniversary of Hurricane Andrew’s destruction of Homestead Florida – my home of almost 5 years at the time. After 19 months of living in Maryland, Virginia, and Central Florida (Melbourne and Tampa) – I returned to Homestead in March 1994, and I’ve been here since. That’s almost 35 years (minus 19 months). When I first arrived here in Homestead – I was 20½-years-young. Now I’m 55.

I don’t think I’ve told anyone this before – other than my coworkers at the time in Gloucestershire England – but in July 1987 I actually received vague military orders for my next assignment / duty station to Phoenix Arizona. (Those orders were inexplicably replaced 3 months later with orders to Homestead Florida.)

I’ve never been to Phoenix – “The Valley Of The Sun”. Someday I’ll probably visit. I wonder how much different my life and career would’ve turned out had I gone to Phoenix instead of Miami / Homestead. There would’ve been no hurricane to drastically change my life 7 years into my military career. Maybe I would’ve stayed 20+ years on Active Duty. Maybe I would’ve fallen in love with Arizona – much like I’ve fallen in love with Florida. Maybe I would’ve never gone on a Caribbean cruise.

I know that I would’ve thoroughly explored much of what there is to see and do in Phoenix and beyond. I’ve only stepped foot on a small part of Arizona – the northern part from Hoover Dam to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. That was part of a family excursion out of Las Vegas in January 2002.

I grew up with hot and humid summers up in the Washington D.C. area, so South Florida’s weather wasn’t such a shock when I first arrived here. It just lasts much longer here than there. British weather was similar to Maryland and Virginia weather in the wintertime. Of course winter weather lasted much longer in the U.K. I generally don’t do good with dry desert weather – whether it’s sizzling hot in the summertime or freezing cold in the wintertime. I guess if I made that move to Arizona I would’ve gotten used to it after a short little while.

As a creature of humidity – even North Texas (where much of my family lives) – is too dry for me. My nose and skin don’t like arid-extra-dry. South Florida air always feels refreshing after returning home from a week or two in Texas.

Next #TravelThursday let’s visit Luxembourg. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Arizona, England, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C.

1980s Blogging Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1987

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date July 22, 2022

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 35 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday July 26TH 1987:

“A Little Boogie Woogie” – Shakin’ Stevens
“La Bamba” – Los Lobos
“Misfit” – Curiosity Killed The Cat
“My Pretty One” – Cliff Richard
“F.L.M.” – Mel & Kim

Some would say that the legendary Shakin’ Stevens jumped the shark with his Summer of 1987 hit – “A Little Boogie Woogie” – a cover of Gary Glitter’s wild track from a decade earlier, but it was one of the anthems of the greatest summer of my life – living and working in Gloucestershire England as a 20-year-old.

#Shaky kicked-off a special LIVE edition of “Top Of The Pops” on the BBC on Thursday July 09TH 1987, and the young 39-year-old got the nation dancing in unison via an over-the-top performance complete with back-up dancers. He did not do a “dad-dance”, but rather a very hip and frenetic dance that was quite worthy of the London nightclubs of the era. His performance of the 133 BPM track made an impact. The very next week it soared to # 1 on my chart, and it moved up 13 notches from # 26 to # 13 nationwide (BBC-Gallup). 2 weeks later Shaky did it again on “The Roxy” on ITV on Tuesday July 21ST 1987. 2 days after that he did it for the 2ND time (a rarity) on “Top Of The Pops” on Thursday July 23RD 1987. It peaked at # 12 nationwide the following week, and that’s as high as it got on the charts. Promotion for it ended after that.

It’s 35 years later, and I still love that song !

Every “Top Of The Pops” episode ended with a music video, so I’ll do the same here with “F.L.M.” – # 5 – 35 years ago:

Mel Appleby (1966-1990)

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 45 years ago to the end of July 1977. I’ll share which songs on “American Top 40” that Sunday July 31ST 1977 that I still hear almost every day via my iPod Shuffles that play at my desk at my workplace. I’ll also reveal which songs from that chart that I plan to buy immediately on iTunes.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !

Tags 1987, BBC, England, Gloucestershire, ITV, Music, Radio, Shakin Stevens

1980s Blogging Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1987

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date June 24, 2022

It’s the 4TH Friday of the month, so I go back 35 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday June 28TH 1987:

“Star Trekkin'” – The Firm
“Let’s Dance” – Chris Rea
“Don’t Dream It’s Over” – Crowded House
“When Smokey Sings” – ABC
“It’s A Sin” – Pet Shop Boys

Has it really been 35 years since this 20-year-old teenybopper danced like a maniac in his dorm room to “Star Trekkin'” (across the universe – on the Starship Enterprise under Captain Kirk !)

What a corny song that was, but it was a # 1 smash on my chart – # 1 nationwide in the United Kingdom, and it was also huge at the record stores on the European continent and also in Australia and New Zealand. Dr. Demento made it a cult favorite here stateside as well.

But allow me to share more on my # 2 hit exactly 35 years ago. It’s Chris Rea. You may remember him for his Summer of 1978 radio hit “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)”. It was his biggest hit here stateside. But it wasn’t his biggest hit worldwide. That would be “Let’s Dance”. I took an instant liking to “Let’s Dance” as soon as I heard it for the first time in late-May 1987. The very fast-paced song (175 BPM) spent 11 weeks on my chart – peaking at # 2 for 3 weeks in a row. To this day I still hear this song almost daily via my iPod Shuffles that play at my desk at my workplace. I consider it to be one of the greatest pop songs ever made, and it’s part of the amazing soundtrack of the greatest summer that I’ve ever seen – the Summer of 1987 – living and working in Gloucestershire England.

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 15 years ago to the start of July 2007. It’s the week that a hard rock band was in my Top 5, and they showed me how I can my rock face off to my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !