Singles have historically been used to preview and promote new studio albums however, as our newest countdown reveals, many hit information within the 80s have been self-contained items of artwork – right here’s our High 20 Standalone Singles of the 80s
The standalone single wasn’t a phenomenon birthed within the 80s, it was pioneered within the 60s by the likes of The Beatles and The Kinks, whose writing and recording prolificacy was matched by their paymasters’ insatiable urge for food for brand new product. Within the punk period and past, many acts duly adopted of their stead, providing followers materials unique to the one, a observe that in a notoriously fickle market was typically essential to hold them within the public eye in between their album releases. Our countdown consists of singles that weren’t included on the vinyl variations of the period-relevant studio LPs. We now have additionally discounted tracks written to order for soundtracks, and singles used to advertise hits compilations.
Phrases by Barry Web page
20 DEPECHE MODE – GET THE BALANCE RIGHT! (1983)
It might not seem in critics’ lists of Depeche Mode’s biggest tracks, however this transitional hit actually marked a yr zero second following the recruitment of Alan Wilder. Beforehand restricted to touring and miming duties, the classically educated boffin lastly had an opportunity to chop unfastened within the studio, working his magic on Martin Gore’s newest world-weary composition. “I believe it’s quite a bit tougher, extra highly effective and extra direct,” Gore advised File Mirror,“matters that everybody can relate to”.
19 BIG COUNTRY – WONDERLAND (1984)
Introduced by Bruce Watson’s chiming guitar and a thunderous drum roll from Mark Brzezicki, this standalone single stemmed from a request from Huge Nation’s label to chop a brand new observe earlier than they jetted off to the US on tour. Although not used to recording to such tight time constraints, the Scottish band by some means managed to conjure up a chunk of magic, utilizing the chorus from certainly one of Watson’s demos as a place to begin. Persevering with their spectacular run of UK High 20 hits, the longer term fan favorite peaked at No.8.
18 TEARS FOR FEARS – THE WAY YOU ARE (1983)
Arguably essentially the most divisive merchandise within the Tears For Fears again catalogue, this underrated gem discovered the primal screamers in a state of inventive flux following the success of debut album The Hurting and its singles. Traversing Japan-esque art-rock terrain, The Approach You Are turned a minor hit and purchased the duo useful time earlier than their subsequent album launch, but it surely’s since been disowned by its makers. “We went down the rabbit gap of the intricate and intelligent manufacturing, however forgot concerning the track,” rued Curt Smith to Vulture in 2022.
17 HOWARD JONES – LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU WELL (1984)
With 4 UK High 20 hits already below his belt, everlasting optimist Howard Jones stored up the chart momentum with this memorable single, recorded throughout a spot in his hefty touring schedule in 1984. Launched to coincide with the Summer time Olympics, this reggae-tinged paean to international citizenship discovered Jones ruminating on the unique spirit of the Video games, and the way such an enormous multicultural occasion might be used to interrupt down limitations. Rising up the UK charts, it spent three weeks at No.4.
16 TOYAH – THUNDER IN THE MOUNTAINS (1981)
In a yr that noticed 12 million tune in to BBC2 to look at them play on the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Toyah stored up their spectacular chart run with this spirited hit, written in a summer time that noticed a heatwave instantly give rise to violent thunderstorms. Recorded throughout Toyah Willcox’s Boadicea section, Thunder In The Mountains discovered the flame-haired singer ruminating on the inner-city violence and simmering tensions of the interval, though its requires riot have been straight out of the punk rulebook.
15 THE CURE – THE LOVE CATS (1983)
Reinvented as a synth-pop duo following Simon Gallup’s exit, The Remedy discovered themselves within the higher reaches of the charts with what Robert Smith would later dub “silly pop songs”. An antidote to the doom-mongery of the Pornography album, the diversion alienated the fanbase, however the goth rockers picked up loads of new admirers, and this feline favorite hit the High 10. The jollity could be short-lived. “That is the final ‘enjoyable’ single that we’ll make,” Smith advised No.1. “Any longer we’ll be heading again into the abyss.”
14 SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES – DEAR PRUDENCE (1983)
Followers of The Beatles’ ‘White Album’, the Banshees had beforehand recorded a model of heavy steel prototype Helter Skelter, earlier than turning their consideration to a track John Lennon had penned in the course of the Fab 4’s non secular sojourn to India in 1968. The primary single to function moonlighting Remedy guitarist Robert Smith, the band’s goth-pop remedy of Expensive Prudence arguably outclassed the unique and have become their largest hit since 1977 debut Hong Kong Backyard.
13 THE SMITHS – WILLIAM, IT WAS REALLY NOTHING (1984)
Extremely, the music for this ephemeral hit and its traditional B-sides – Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Need and How Quickly Is Now? – have been all written by Johnny Marr throughout a productive 4 days at his Earls Court docket flat in June 1984. Hypothesis was rife that the protagonist was Affiliate Billy Mackenzie, however what’s sure is it marked an try and craft a single redolent of the band’s musical heroes. “The 2-minute-10-second single was energy,” Morrissey advised Rolling Stone.
12 GEORGE MICHAEL – A DIFFERENT CORNER (1986)
Launched mere weeks after George Michael had introduced his intentions to go away the Trojan Horse that was Wham!, this ballad discovered him at his most susceptible. His sexuality nonetheless a thinly veiled secret, the heartfelt No.1 was penned within the aftermath of a short relationship, the stress heightened by its threadbare association. As if to emphasize the singer’s emotions of emotional imprisonment, the video was devoid of color, its illusory celestial setting extra akin to a psychological well being facility.
11 WHAM! – I’M YOUR MAN (1985)
Wham! spent a lot of 1985 touring the world, together with a historic go to to China. New track The Edge Of Heaven was premiered in the course of the US leg, but it surely was a observe George Michael had written on an inner flight that may turn out to be their penultimate single and third UK chart-topper. In keeping with George, I’m Your Man took its inspiration from “wildly good intercourse”, and its racy lyrics have been proof of a brand new, adult-focused path. It was the ultimate track performed at their farewell live performance at Wembley in June 1986.
10 SOFT CELL – TORCH (1982)
An impassioned story of obsession and unrequited love, this non-LP reduce was impressed by a visit to New York through which Marc Almond had been moved to tears by a bar-room singer. With John Gatchell’s flugelhorn authenticating its smoky jazz membership atmosphere, and visitor vocalist Cindy Ecstasy stepping as much as the plate within the torch singer position, impressed report patrons despatched it to No.2, though Dave Ball later alleged chart compilers Gallup had miscounted, and that Torch had outsold Adam Ant’s No.1 Goody Two Sneakers by three-to-one.
9 GARY NUMAN – WE ARE GLASS (1980)
It takes a courageous artist to preview a brand new studio LP – Telekon – with two non-album singles, however Gary Numan was at his peak, and for Numanoids the purchases of We Are Glass and I Die: You Die represented nice worth. Each 45s consolidated his successes, however as evidenced by the previous’s lyrics, cracks have been starting to seem. “I’d written the track about how I felt within the wake of my success,” Gary wrote in his autobiography. “Fragmented, clear, laborious, brittle, chilly, sharp and nearly prepared to interrupt aside.”
8 PET SHOP BOYS – ALWAYS ON MY MIND (1987)
Commissioned to carry out an Elvis Presley observe of their selecting on an ITV present marking 10 years because the King’s dying, Pet Store Boys gave this nation traditional a hi-NRG makeover. Though the Truly album marketing campaign was in full swing, the duo bowed to strain to launch it, issuing it in between the singles Hire and Coronary heart, and have been rewarded with a Christmas No.1. The sleeve amusingly acknowledged, “not from the album, really”, however a vastly totally different nine-minute model did seem on Introspective.
7 THE JAM – GOING UNDERGROUND / THE DREAMS OF CHILDREN (1980)
By no means ones to short-change followers, half of The Jam’s 18 UK singles have been standalones, together with this double-header gem. Constructed round Paul Weller’s fondness for 60s psychedelia, The Desires Of Kids was the meant A-side, till a manufacturing unit cock-up meant the radio-friendly Going Underground obtained prime billing. Written within the early throes of Margaret Thatcher’s time period, it chimed with the disaffected youth, going straight to UK No.1, the primary to take action since Slade’s heyday.
6 THE STONE ROSES – FOOLS GOLD /
WHAT THE WORLD IS WAITING FOR (1989)
Launched in yr for The Stone Roses, this double A appeared within the slipstream of their debut album, and gave them their breakthrough after a collection of under-performing 45s. Boasting a title befitting of their hubris, What The World Is Ready For was formulaic jangly fare, however most ears have been tuned to Fools Gold, whose mesmerising drum loop had been sourced from an LP of breakbeats. Conceived as an experimental B-side, it’s earned a spot at dishevelled’s prime desk.
5 THE HUMAN LEAGUE – MIRROR MAN (1982)
How do you comply with a collection of smash hits and a multi-platinum album? Within the case of Sheffield’s most interesting, the reply was to maintain calm and keep on touring. A re-release of The Human League’s Being Boiled stored them within the combine, as did remix LP Love And Dancing, which had been painstakingly common from Dare’s multi-tracks. Left off tough fourth album Hysteria however included on US EP Fascination!, Mirror Man discovered the band in Motown territory, with the ladies’ “oohs” and “ahhs” authenticating the retro-pop sound.
4 DURAN DURAN – IS THERE SOMETHING I SHOULD KNOW? (1983)
Capitalising on the Duranmania that was now sweeping the globe, the band on the forefront of the Second British Invasion went straight to No.1 with this smash. “It was a improbable end result,” wrote John Taylor in his memoir, “though our degree of cocksureness was so excessive, it didn’t come as an entire shock.” Constructed on an irresistible guitar riff from Andy Taylor, this arrived in between the Rio and Seven And The Ragged Tiger albums, however within the US was included on a reshaped model of Duran Duran’s eponymous debut.
3 KRAFTWERK – TOUR DE FRANCE (1983)
By the early 80s the musical world had caught up with Kraftwerk, and the unique digital trailblazers have been now sharing chart house with the folks they’d influenced. However though they’d fail to capitalise on the success of The Mannequin and spend a lot of the last decade obsessing over new tech, there could be one additional traditional from the enigmatic Germans. Evolving from classes for the aborted Techno Pop LP, Tour De France manifested their biking obsession with samples of bicycle chains and Herr Hütter’s heavy respiration.
2 JOY DIVISION – LOVE WILL TEAR US APART (1980)
An eerily prophetic and devastating perception into Ian Curtis’ fragile emotional state, Love Will Tear Us Aside was developed within the drab environs of Pleasure Division’s Manchester rehearsal house and debuted on tour in October 1979. Scheduled as a non-LP single and forerunner to second album Nearer, the band’s signature track initially employed a quicker tempo – heard on the punkier Peel session combine and the Pennine model – till Manufacturing facility Information’ Tony Wilson persuaded Curtis to undertake extra of a Sinatra-like croon. Issued posthumously, it peaked at No.13.
1 NEW ORDER – BLUE MONDAY (1983)
Initially conceived as a keyboard-based observe through which New Order could be spared the obvious indignity of encoring by urgent down a particular key that performed a little bit melody of their absence, Blue Monday would morph into what Stephen Morris would later describe as a Frankenstein’s monster of a track, and one whose intelligent distillation of influences as disparate as Ennio Morricone, Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder wouldn’t solely make them the envy of their synth-pop contemporaries, but additionally prick the ears of a sure Inventory Aitken Waterman. However true to Manufacturing facility Information’ unconventional strategies and the band’s personal sheer bloody-mindedness, its path to musical greatness was affected by obstacles.
This was, after all, a band whose lyrics didn’t seem of their track titles, and who wouldn’t begin lifting singles from albums till 1985’s Low-Life. Within the case of Blue Monday – which on the time solely appeared on the US cassette model of Energy, Corruption And Lies – the band refused to edit it down from its seven-minute taking part in time for radio, and wouldn’t mime on High Of The Pops. However Blue Monday’s high quality and recognition within the golf equipment would endure, and the report unwittingly turned the biggest-selling 12″ of all time. And, for 2 completely satisfied weeks in 1983, it even appeared in the identical High 40 rundown as Love Will Tear Us Aside.
Learn Extra: High 40 New Order songs
