1980s – Page 5

Flim + the BBs | At the Hop

Even in the world of instrumental jazz fusion, which represented a tiny slice of recording sales even at its height, the trio known as Flim and the BBs enjoyed only a cult following as a band. Over the years, much of the information from the few short articles about the band has already been excerpted here on MotD. Some additional information about the trio’s musicians:

“Bassist Jimmy ‘Flim’ Johnson has played on countless standout sessions with everyone from Stan Getz to Ray Charles. Since 1991, he has recorded and toured regularly with James Taylor,” (VinylDiscovery). “Drummer Bill Berg, who was never credited for his work on Blood On The Tracks, is a native of Hibbing, Minnesota, birthplace of Bob Dylan. He now lives in western North Carolina where he plays gigs from time to time. Pianist, composer, filmmaker, screenwriter (etc.) Billy Barber wrote the theme song for the long-running ABC soap opera All My Children, along with a whole bunch of other stuff you’ve probably heard of.”

Keeping a focus on a light-hearted yet strongly syncopated melody and plenty of dynamic range, “At the Hop” (1985) starts with an emphasis on Bb major. There’s a shift to Gb major at 3:13, another to Ab major at 3:39, and then a return to the original key drops at 4:05. After a (mostly!) very soft-spoken percussion break, the full band returns to end the track.

Whitney Houston | How Will I Know

“’Falling in love is so bittersweet,’ Whitney Houston wails. ‘This love is strong. Why do I feel weak?’ But falling in love doesn’t sound bittersweet, and Whitney Houston doesn’t sound the slightest bit weak,” (Stereogum). “Instead, she sounds like an volcano of joy, an unstoppable natural force of pure exhilaration. At least on paper, ‘How Will I Know’ (1985), Houston’s second chart-topper, is a song about uncertainty — about feeling your way around in the dark, trying to understand if someone else feels the same way you do. But that’s not how Houston sings it. Instead, Houston sings ‘How Will I Know’ as if she can barely contain the excitement that comes along with that uncertainty. She sings it like she already knows.

… Houston just goes off on this thing. It’s amazing to behold. Houston sells the emotion of the song, sounding like she’s utterly caught up in this dazzling, exciting, world-ending crush. She also nails every little melodic turn … But even in the context of a song as fast and bubbly as this one, you can still hear the power and control in her voice. There’s a lot of gospel in her delivery, in the unearthly joyous yelps and whoops and out-of-nowhere high notes. (There’s a whole lot of gospel in those backing vocals, too.) And while Houston never fully cuts loose on ‘How Will I Know,’ she also keeps her abilities in full view. You can hear that voice bursting its way out of the song, ready to dive and curl and soar. The biggest note — the ‘how will I knoooooow‘ just as the sax solo kicks in — is enough to give a motherfucker goosebumps.”

After a start in Gb major, the bridge consistently builds via a repetitive short melody fragment (“If he loves me / If he loves me not”) layered over harmonies that shift with each iteration of the lyric (3:07 – 3:31). As the sax solo kicks in, there’s a massive downward jump to Eb major — but there’s no accompanying deflation in energy, as Whitney’s vocal moves decisively up at that point, not down. In the closing bars, however, the return of the chorus clearly demonstrates the lower key.

Tommy TuTone | 867-5309

“Who here remembers Tommy Tutone’s ‘867-5309’? The 1982 radio staple once gripped the nation, and gave away the digits of the fetching Jenny, last name unknown … Spencer Potter, the New Jersey owner of (201) 867-5309, auctioned off the telephone number, along with his DJ company, netting $186,853.09 on eBay. ‘This is really, in my opinion, one of the last cultural remnants of 80s pop,’ Potter told CNN, ‘other than the mullet.’ Potter said he received over 100,000 phone calls a year from overzealous fans.

… Why is the song so valuable? ‘The sound of the number has a certain hypnotic quality, and I’m not sure what it is. It must be something in the number itself,” Tutone told the Wall Street Journal.” (American Songwriter).

Built in a noticeably de-tuned G minor overall, the tune’s short bridge (1:59 – 2:13) shifts to the closely related key of D minor.

Heart | What About Love

“This was Heart’s first single under their new contract with Capitol Records,” (Songfacts). “It marked a turnaround for the band, which after a triumphant run of hits in the ’70s got off to a rough start in the ’80s with a decline in sales and little airplay for their new material on radio or MTV … It was written by Brian Allen and Sheron Alton of the Canadian band Toronto, along with Jim Vallance, who co-wrote many of Bryan Adams’ hits. The song was written for Toronto but they didn’t record it. The demo found its way to Heart, which turned it into their first Top 10 US hit since their cover of ‘Tell It Like It Is’ in 1980. Their next two singles did even better: ‘Never’ hit #4 and ‘These Dreams’ went to #1.

The video was directed by David Mallet, who was known for avante-garde videos like David Bowie’s ‘Ashes To Ashes’ and Queen’s ‘Radio Ga Ga’ … It was the first Heart video to get significant airplay on MTV (and) was the first Heart song to chart in the UK, where it reached #14.”

Built in D minor overall, the 1985 track features a very late shift to the parallel D major at 3:12.

The Kane Gang | Motor Town

Vocalist and songwriter Martin Brammer and multi-instrumentalist Dave Brewis met at school in the northeast town of Seaham, County Durham, England,” (AllMusic). “Teaming up with Paul Woods (vocals), the trio developed a liking for 60s/70s soul, funk and R&B which led them through several bands before forming the Kane Gang in late 1982 … ‘Motortown’, which brought (the band) a Top 40 hit … In 1991, vocalist Paul Woods departed to concentrate on a solo career. Brammer and Brewis attempted to record a new album before pulling the plug on the Kane Gang. Brammer went on to enjoy success as a songwriter, composing songs for the likes of Tina Turner, Beverley Knight, the Lighthouse Family, and James Morrison.”

“Motortown” (1985) peaked at #36 (US pop), #12 (US Adult Contemporary), #87 (Australia pop) and #45 (UK pop). The tune rides on a buoyant, sunny 12/8 groove throughout. After a start in G major, the chorus shifts to Bb major at 0:49. At 1:10, an unprepared shift brings us back to the original key for the next verse. The pattern continues until 2:19, when the extended bridge shifts to G minor, followed by an instrumental break in Eb (2:36 – 2:51) and a return to the pre-chorus and then the chorus, both in the original keys.

Squeeze | Black Coffee in Bed

“Few bands who came of age in the late ’70s and early ’80s released music that has stood the test of time like the British outfit Squeeze was able to do,” (American Songwriter). “That’s because the band’s success had nothing to do with hopping on any musical trends. Instead, it was all about songwriting, which never goes out of style. With songs like ‘Black Coffee in Bed,’ they ensured their music would enjoy a lengthy shelf life. Squeeze’s founding duo of Tilbrook and Difford remain in the band today, about 50 years after they first met and began writing songs together. That process has also become a major part of the band’s lore. Basically, Difford writes the lyrics and hands them off to Tilbrook who then puts those words to a tune. Other than Elton John and Bernie Taupin, it’s hard to find any other rock songwriting partnerships of that type that have enjoyed as much success.

… ‘Black Coffee in Bed’ (1982) came to life when Difford noticed that a page on one of his writing notebooks had the outline of his coffee cup on it. That set him off on a twisting tale of a guy moving from one relationship to the next. Difford told American Songwriter he made sure to hold onto the notebook: ‘Yeah, I still have the notepad in my office. That’s how the opening lines always happen,’ he said. ‘In fact, I’ve been working on something today that came from a picture that I saw. That’s how a lot of songs start. You have to see something or visualize an image, and pick up a pen and off you go.'”

After two verses and choruses in D major, the tune shifts up to Eb major for a guitar-centric interlude 2:58. But at 3:07, we’ve already started a transition back to the original key, made completely clear by 3:16.

Talk Talk | Living in Another World

“Led by the hugely talented Mark Hollis, the London-based four-piece transitioned from bright, hard-edged pop to mesmeric, meditative post-rock over the course of nine years and five albums … The Colour of Spring, released in 1986, was a major breakthrough, commercially and artistically,” (The Guardian). “Gone were the synths and the icy bombast. In their place came big, woody textures, an organic sensibility more obviously suited to Hollis’s evocations of shifting seasons and inner change. The pounding, krautrock-on-the-farm groove of ‘Life Is What You Make It’ delivered the big hit, but nothing signalled the transition quite as magnificently as ‘Living in Another World,’ the album’s second single.

A surging, seven-minute tour de force, propelled by Steve Winwood’s organ (there’s a definite whiff of Traffic in the album’s headily pastoral aroma), Morris Pert’s percussion and Mark Feltham’s harmonica, the song is a mile high and rising by the time the key change kickstarts the chorus. Hollis is in characteristically wracked form, singing so hard he seems fit to burst as he digs around his romantic and cosmic alienation: ‘Better parted … speech gets harder/ There’s no sense in writing.’ He might be hankering after wide, open, quiet spaces, but the music thrums with verve and vibrancy.”

The widescreen feel of the track isn’t surprising, given the heft of the band’s best-known hit, 1984’s “It’s My Life.” Starting in A minor, the tonality shifts upwards to B minor for the pre-chorus (0:56) before unwinding the cathartic chorus, shifting upwards by an unsettling tritone to F minor (1:14 – 1:48); the cycle then begins again. Many thanks to MotD regular Rob P. for yet another great find!

Don Henley | The Heart of the Matter

“Don Henley knew to listen when Mike Campbell came calling with a piece of music,” (American Songwriter). “The first time it happened, Campbell provided Henley with the foundation for his biggest solo hit, 1984’s ‘The Boys Of Summer.’ When Campbell delivered another unused instrumental piece as Henley was making 1989’s The End Of The Innocence, the end result was ‘The Heart Of The Matter,’ which became the album’s closing track and turned into one of the most resonant ballads of the decade. Indeed, the first lines of ‘The Heart Of The Matter’ tell the news of the narrator’s former flame finding someone new, putting him in a wistful, reminiscing mood: ‘And I thought of all the bad luck and the struggles we went through/How I lost me and you lost you.’

Henley muses about the tendency for even those who are seemingly at peace in a relationship to seek greener pastures: ‘What are these voices outside love’s open door/Make us throw off our contentment and beg for something more?’ ‘The Heart Of The Matter’ strikes such a chord because the themes are universal, especially for those who have lived, and lost, a little. Many breakup songs get bogged down in rancor and recrimination, but here is one that strives for something nobler, even as it admits how hard it is to get there.”

Built in D major overall, the track shifts to C major for most of its brief bridge (3:32 – 3:49) before shifting back into D major via its Vsus/V chord (3:49-3:54). Then we drop back into another verse in the original key.

Jill Sobule | Sad Beauty

“Jill Sobule, who raised eyebrows with her cheeky 1995 anthem ‘I Kissed a Girl,’ has died,” (NPR). “According to her publicist David Elkin and manager John Porter, the 66-year-old singer-songwriter died in a house fire in Woodbury, a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota (this week) … Sobule was staying with friends in Minnesota before heading to her hometown of Denver to perform songs from her autobiographical coming-of-age musical F*ck 7th Grade on Friday.

‘Jill Sobule was a force of nature whose music is woven into our culture,’ said Porter. ‘I hope her music, memory and legacy continue to live on and inspire others.’ Sobule’s confessional songs sparkled with irony and humor and often told stories. Her hit ‘Supermodel’ appeared in the 1995 movie Clueless and she even once wrote a song at the behest of NPR. Her guitar-accompanied performance of ‘Philosophy 101‘ on All Things Considered in 2009 included the lyrics: ‘I am who I am today / Philosophy 101 / Before class, we’d all get high / Philosophy 101 / We think therefore we are / I’m thinking here on NPR.’

But the single that Sobule is most remembered for is ‘I Kissed A Girl.’ Recounting with tongue-in-cheek humor a tryst between two women, the single reached 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was one of the first openly gay anthems … In a 2018 interview with NPR, she added, ‘Still to this day, I get people who are saying, you know, that song meant a lot to me growing up in Alabama.’ ‘Jill Sobule wasn’t just a trailblazer in music—she was a beacon for queer artists,’ said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President & CEO in an online statement. ‘Long before it was safe or common, Jill was writing and singing about sexuality and identity with raw honesty and wit. At a time when doing so could have cost her everything, she chose truth. That courage helped pave the way for today’s artists like Brandi Carlile, Tegan and Sara, Lil Nas X, Sam Smith, Adam Lambert, and so many others who now stand proud and open in their music.'”

Sobule’s 1989 debut album, Things Here Are Different, was produced by Todd Rundgren and features many subtle touches which enhance the singer/songwriter’s guitar-centric live sound. The mid-tempo track “Sad Beauty,” driven by gentle latin percussion, might be surprising to listeners who are familiar only with Sobule’s broad array of lighter-hearted material. Starting in a distinctive A lydian, the first verse shifts to C lydian at 0:32, the rangy melody vying for attention with the surprising harmonies. The chorus, starting at 0:48 after a long grooveless pause, is in E minor. Verse 2 begins at 1:24; the pattern continues from there.

Natalie Cole | I Live for Your Love

“Nine-time Grammy Award–winning singer, songwriter, and performer Natalie Cole has proven to be one of the most beloved performers of all time,” (The Kennedy Center). “Natalie Cole rocketed to stardom in 1975 with her debut album, Inseparable, earning her a #1 single, ‘This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)’ and two Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, as well as Best female R&B Vocal Performance. More hit singles followed, including 1977’s “I’ve Got Love on My Mind,” 1987’s “I Live for Your Love,” and a remake of Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac.”

In 1991, Natalie took a bold leap that would change her life and career forever. Already a highly successful R&B artist, Natalie amazed everyone when she recorded Unforgettable … With Love, an album of standards from the American Songbook that included a duet with her late father — Nat King Cole — on the title track. The album spent five weeks at #1 on the pop charts, earned six Grammy Awards (including Song, Record, and Album of the Year) and sold more than 14 million copies worldwide.” Branching out beyond music, she made more than 300 major television appearances, including Law and Order and Touched by an Angel and talk show episodes with Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, and Larry King. She went on to release other albums through the 2010s; her final album, En Espanol, was an entirely Spanish language album. Cole died of kidney disease in 2015.

1987’s “I Live for Your Love,” written by Steve Werfel, Pam Reswick, and Allan Rich, reached #13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1988; it was also a big Adult Contemporary (#2) and R&B hit (#4). The track shifts keys even before the first verse starts: the intro is in C# major, while the verse falls down to B major! The chorus returns back to C# major at first (1:11), but then transitions to E major before ending in C# major (1:32). Verse 2 starts at 1:41 in B major; the pattern continues from there, other than the bridge (2:51 – 3:18), which throws a few more changes in just for good measure. The tune wraps up in D# major.