song of the day – “Under Pressure” – QUEEN & DAVID BOWIE | 1981 / 1982.

Today, January 8, 2020, would have been David Bowie’s 73rd birthday.  But, on David Bowie’s birthday, for the past few years, I tend to think about January 10th, the day we lost him at age 69.  I know it’s weird to think of it like that.  It also reminds me that one of my first blog posts ever was about David Bowie. 

With this blog being three parts autobiographical, singles chart nerdiness and my love for the 80s, one thing I didn’t count on was how much more about myself I would learn through these songs and these artists when writing about them.  When I first wrote about David Bowie, I mentioned that, growing up, although I enjoyed his music very much, he wasn’t one of my immediate favorites.  But, and this surprised me the most, when I thought about it after he died, I realized that David Bowie was always a part of my life, in some form, at least since the 1977 Xmas special he did with Bing Crosby.  More than 42 years later, “Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy” is still my favorite Xmas song.

David Bowie and Bing Crosby, 1977.

David Bowie was also on the first record I ever bought with my own money, QUEEN’S GREATEST HITS, at the former LaVerdiere’s Drug Store across the river from where I’m writing this (in Wooterville, Maine, or Waterville, Maine for the uninitiated).  You throw in LET’S DANCE, LIVE AID, LABYRINTH and more, over the years, my love for David and his music grew more and more.  For years, I resisted getting a tattoo, and three months and a week after he died, I got my first tattoo with Mr. Bowie on my right shoulder, saying “We can be Heroes, just for one day.”  Just felt right and still does.  Sometimes, when Maryhope and I are on the air together, and we play David Bowie, I tend to refer to him as “the ever-present David Bowie.”  And he is, and not just because he’s on my shoulder.

Some of the early Elektra pressings of QUEEN’S GREATEST HITS had a new song on the album, with David Bowie — “Under Pressure.”  And I’m so grateful I got one of the early pressings.  My 39-year-old copy of the album is beat to shit, after the millions of times I played it, but as the first album I ever owned, I’ll never part with it.

Not my copy, this is mint compared to my beat-up copy!

Being a lanky 14-year-old singles chart nerd (and nerd in general) in 1981, one of the things I enjoyed most about QUEEN’S GREATEST HITS were the liner notes.  It had mini bios of each song, and revealed what positions the songs charted in both the U.K. and the U.S., which was a thrill for me, because at that time, I had little knowledge of how songs did across the pond, or other parts of the globe.

Here’s what the liner notes looked like on the first U.S. pressings of QUEEN’S GREATEST HITS, right down to the crease in the upper right corner.

What I didn’t know is that, on the U.K. and Ireland versions of QUEEN’S GREATEST HITS (or actually just titled GREATEST HITS, though I never called it that), “Under Pressure” was nowhere to be found.  But, on (at least) the American, Canadian and Japanese versions of the compilation, it was thankfully there.  And I instantly fell in love with it. 

“Under Pressure” was the brilliant pairing of two of the greatest voices in the history of music — Queen’s Freddie Mercury and David Bowie.  Absolute total fucking genius.  I’ve heard stories of stressful moments between them during the recording of “Under Pressure,” which, depending on your interpretation of the song, could be about stress and pressure because of work, politics, life, love, family, war, war within yourself, or anything.  When I hear “Under Pressure,” I don’t feel pressure at all, I don’t think about the battles Freddie and David had whilst making the song.  I just feel the love that was put into the song and I hear the passion and conviction in each of their voices:

“Love, love, love, love, love / Insanity laughs under pressure we’re breaking / Can’t we give ourselves one more chance? / Why can’t we give love that one more chance? / Why can’t we give love, give love, give love, give love / Give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?…”

The unassuming, pressure-free cover art for the “Under Pressure” single.

“Under Pressure” was released the last week in October 1981, on the same day as QUEEN’S GREATEST HITS.  Within two weeks, it debuted on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 at No. 80.  In early December 1981, it debuted in the Top 40 at No. 40.  A month later, in early January 1982, it spent a couple of weeks at its peak position of No. 29, 15 total weeks on the Hot 100, and was gone by late February.  I can’t express enough how pissed I was (or as pissed as a then-15-year-old nerd living in Central Maine could get) that “Under Pressure” didn’t get the recognition it deserved. 

Unbeknownst to me, though, in many other parts of the globe, “Under Pressure” DID indeed get the recognition it deserved.  In the U.K., it spent two weeks at No. 1, a week at No. 1 in the Netherlands, and reached the Top 10 in (at least) Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.  Why Americans couldn’t get behind this masterpiece is a question that eluded me for a very long time.

10 years to the week after “Under Pressure” hit No. 1 in the U.K., Freddie Mercury sadly passed away at the age of 45.  His loss was felt everywhere, and less than six months after he died, a benefit concert was put together in honor of him.  Many artists performed with the surviving members of Queen, including Robert Plant, Paul Young, Seal, Lisa Stansfield, George Michael, Elton John, and when it came time for “Under Pressure,” Queen’s Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon performed with David Bowie, and singing Freddie’s part of the song, the extraordinary Annie Lennox of Eurythmics.  The performance was magnificent, and an amazing tribute indeed, that I’m sure Freddie would have loved.

Annie Lennox and David Bowie, from the Freddie Mercury Tribute, April 20, 1992.

Over the years, you couldn’t escape “Under Pressure” being featured in numerous TV shows and movies, including a touching scene in the brilliant 1997 John Cusack film, GROSSE POINTE BLANK.

John Cusack and a baby, quietly jamming out to “Under Pressure” in 1997’s GROSSE POINTE BLANK.

When David Bowie died in 2016, many of his songs returned to the charts everywhere in the world, even here in America.  On the BILLBOARD Hot 100, “Under Pressure” was the highest Bowie song to re-enter the chart, at No. 45 — over “Let’s Dance,” over “Fame,” over “Space Oddity.”  And now (maybe also due in part due to the excellent 2018 Freddie Mercury biopic, BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY), “Under Pressure” is in heavy rotation at Retro Rock and Classic Rock stations all over.  It took awhile, but here in the U.S., “Under Pressure” has finally gotten the recognition it has deserved all along.

I want to travel back in time and go to there!

It’s hard to believe that, at one time in my life, David Bowie was not one of my favorite artists.  But, today, January 8, 2020, and well before today, and with many eternally grateful thanks to Maryhope, I can honestly say David Bowie is one of my all-time favorite artists.  I can’t imagine my life without him or his music. 

If I had access to a working DeLorean time machine, you can bet your 88 miles an hour ass that I would go back in time and see David perform live and buy everything of his that I could, at those moments.  But, since that’s not yet physically possible, I take comfort in the fact he left us an incredibly brilliant catalog of music that stretches far across the universe and then some. 

I also take comfort with something Maryhope often reminds me of, how we existed on this planet at the same time as David Bowie.  That’s so fucking cool.  Also so fucking cool is a thought I’ve had of David hanging out with Maryhope’s dad, Dennis, and my two baby brothers, Mark and Jonn — because they can.

Happy Birthday, Starman, wherever you are.  My love to you all…

“Cause love’s such an old fashioned word / And love dares you to care for / The people on the edge of the night / And love (people on streets) dares you to change our way of / Caring about ourselves / This is our last dance / This is our last dance / This is ourselves / Under pressure / Under pressure / Pressure…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a01QQZyl-_I

song of the day – “One Vision” | QUEEN | 1985 / 1986.

Today, 1.21.2019, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day here in the United States, an annual holiday to remember the life and legacy of the nonviolent activist, civil rights leader and American Baptist minister.  Cities and states across America started celebrating holidays to Dr. King (born on January 15, 1929) as early as 1971, three years after he was assassinated in Memphis.  He was just 39.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during his “We Shall Overcome” speech, 3.17.1966.

In 1983, Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law, and was first observed three years later, on January 20, 1986.  Not all states were on board at first, and it took 14 years for all 50 states to observe and recognize MLK Day as a federal holiday, with South Carolina being the last.

A couple of months before the first officially-recognized MLK holiday here in America, over in the U.K., Queen released the first single from their forthcoming twelfth studio album, A KIND OF MAGIC: “One Vision,” a song either inspired by their triumphant performance at Live Aid four months earlier, or inspired by Dr. King, and the extraordinary things he did in his far-too-short lifetime.  I’d say “One Vision” was truly inspired by both.

Thanks to the film BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY and the phenomenal award-winning performance by Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, Queen had an incredible year in 2018.  Queen was everywhere from commercials to sporting events to the BILLBOARD Album chart, where the soundtrack to BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY reached No. 3, and to the BILLBOARD Rock Songs chart, where 10 songs from the soundtrack made appearances for (at least) the first time.  Several songs even reached the Top 5 on that chart: “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites The Dust,” “Somebody To Love,” and outside the soundtrack, seven other songs charted as well, including “We Will Rock You” and “Don’t Stop Me Now” reaching the Top 10.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY gave more insight on how they came to play at Live Aid.  The band wasn’t interested in performing at first, as they had just come off an extensive Spring 1985 tour for their 1984 album, THE WORKS.  But, at almost the last minute (the band wasn’t even listed on the Live Aid poster), Queen was finally convinced by Live Aid co-organizer and Boomtown Rats singer / songwriter, Bob Geldof to perform. 

Queen’s Freddie Mercury, embracing the Live Aid crowd at Wembley Stadium, 7.13.1985.

Their 21-minute, six-song set not only breathed new life and inspiration into the band, it was hailed by many as the greatest performance in the history of Rock and Roll.  I also believe Queen’s late entry into Live Aid was the reason Howard Jones performed only song at Live Aid — “Hide And Seek” — on Freddie Mercury’s Steinway grand piano.  I’m sure HoJo was more than happy to oblige and so very happy to be involved with the event.

Howard Jones, performing at Live Aid, 7.13.1985, on Freddie Mercury’s Steinway grand piano.

Howard Jones, performing “Hide And Seek” at Live Aid.

There are many Queen classics solely written by one or two members of the band, but “One Vision” was credited to all of them; the band as a whole.  That’s the way they wanted it.  And it paid off.

The album, A KIND OF MAGIC, wasn’t even finished when “One Vision” was released in November 1985 (and wouldn’t be released until June 1986).  “One Vision” was well-received in the U.K. and Ireland, reaching Nos. 7 and 5, respectively, and reached the Top 40 in at least six other countries around the globe, as well as the BILLBOARD Rock chart.  On the BILLBOARD Hot 100, it debuted in early December 1985, but stalled for a couple of weeks at No. 61 in mid-January 1986 and was on the chart for just 10 weeks.  The song was also featured in the film, IRON EAGLE, starring Louis Gossett, Jr.

“One Vision” may not be one of Queen’s most-remembered hits, but thanks to Live Aid, it gave the band the renewed energy to head back into the studio for the first time in about two years, record and release “One Vision” before the end of the year (guitarist Brian May is even sporting his Live Aid T-shirt in the song’s video).  And, in the process, Queen’s vision was back on track, and at the same time, they were able to pay tribute to the great Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision, in their own way…

The MLK Memorial, Washington, D.C.

“I had a dream / When I was young / A dream of sweet illusion / A glimpse of hope and unity / And visions of one sweet union / But a cold wind blows / And a dark rain falls / And in my heart it shows / Look what they’ve done to my dream, yeah…”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OGd4gplxQM

Queen, L to R: Roger Taylor, Brian May, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, for Live Aid, 7.13.1985.

song of the day – “Caravan Of Love” | THE HOUSEMARTINS | 1986 / 1987.

Happy Winter Solstice and Happy Holidays everyone!

As a proud singles chart nerd, I have loved singles chart info from all over the globe ever since I can remember.  One chart phenomenon I wasn’t really aware of until well into my adulthood was this phenomenon over in the U.K. and Ireland, a tradition that started back in 1952 and is known as the Christmas No. 1. 

The Christmas No. 1 is prolly the most-coveted piece of chart nerdiness for everyone (artists and fans alike) during the entire year over in the U.K. and Ireland.  Artists rush out to release singles, many of them Christmas singles, in hopes to reach the top of the charts the week in which Christmas falls.  It’s a big deal.

Since 1952, The Beatles hold the record as the act with the most Christmas No. 1’s.  Band Aid’s original 1984 version of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (the Christmas No. 1 for that year) is not only the biggest-selling Christmas song of all-time in the U.K., it’s also the second biggest-selling U.K. single of all-time (behind Elton John’s “Candle In The Wind 1997”).  Two other incarnations of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” were Christmas No. 1’s in 1989 and 2004.  The third-biggest selling U.K. single of all-time is Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which is the only song to hold the title of Christmas No. 1 twice – during its original 1975 release, and in 1991, following the passing of singer Freddie Mercury a month before.

There are also many popular Christmas singles that didn’t become the coveted Christmas No. 1, including “Last Christmas / Everything She Wants” by Wham! (released the same week as “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and itself is one of the biggest-selling U.K. singles ever), and in 1987,  the beloved “Fairytale Of New York” by The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl, the most-played Christmas song of the 21st century and oft-regarded as the best Christmas song of all-time.  It was denied the Christmas No. 1 spot by the Pet Shop Boys’ cover of “Always On My Mind.”

In 1986, the race for the U.K. Christmas No. 1 was between a couple of non-holiday songs: a posthumous re-release of “Reet Petite,” a 1957 single by Jackie Wilson, who died in early 1984, and an a cappella cover of “Caravan Of Love,” the third U.K. Top 40 single by Hull, England’s The Housemartins.

“Caravan Of Love” was a song originally by Isley-Jasper-Isley, one-half of the famous Isley Brothers lineup dating back to the 1970s.  The song was a huge R&B hit, spending three weeks at No. 1 on BILLBOARD’s R&B chart in late 1985, and reaching No. 51 on the BILLBOARD Hot 100 (it was climbing the Hot 100 this week in 1985).

A year after the popularity of the Isley-Jasper-Isley original version of “Caravan Of Love,” The Housemartins released their version, a non-album single and a cappella cover.  With this cover, The Housemartins scored their second Top 10 U.K. single in a year (1986’s “Happy Hour” went to No. 3), and a month after its release, “Caravan Of Love” went to No. 1 on December 20, 1986.  It was only the second a cappella single in U.K. singles chart history to reach No. 1 (the first was the Christmas No. 1 from 1983, “Only You” by The Flying Pickets, a cover of the 1982 Yaz gem).

Jackie Wilson’s re-release of “Reet Petite” reached No. 1 in the U.K. on December 27, 1986 (thanks to a popular claymation video created for the song, which aired on a BBC Two documentary series called ARENA), and stayed there for four weeks.

The 1986 re-release of “Reet Petite.”

Now, even though “Reet Petite” reached No. 1 two days after Christmas 1986, it was No. 1 the week Christmas fell that year (Christmas was on a Thursday that year; the charts were dated for that Saturday, 12/27/86), and therefore won the race for the U.K. Christmas No. 1 for 1986.

“Caravan Of Love,” meanwhile, was a huge hit throughout the globe, reaching No. 2 in Germany, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland, No. 3 in The Netherlands, No. 4 in Spain, No. 5 in Belgium, No. 7 in Austria, No. 24 in Australia, and spent eight weeks at No. 1 during 1987 in Sweden.

From the “Caravan Of Love” video.

Though the quartet lost out on the U.K. Christmas No. 1, The Housemartins could take solace in the fact that they claimed the Christmas No. 1 in Ireland, as “Caravan Of Love” spent four weeks on top over the holiday season.

The Housemartins would go on to chart four more times in the U.K. Top 40, before splitting up in 1988.  Singer Paul Heaton, drummer / vocalist Dave Hemingway and roadie Sean Welch would go on to form The Beautiful South, which enjoyed success for the nearly 20 years they were together.  Bassist Norman Cook found some success with Beats International, but is prolly best known for his work under the pseudonym Fatboy Slim, which has given him massive success since 1996.  In January 2018, he released a remix album called FATBOY SLIM VS. AUSTRALIA.

Former Housemartin Norman Cook, AKA Fatboy Slim.

I know not everyone is a singles chart nerd like myself, but I think it’s cool that, at least once a year in at least a couple of countries across the globe, many people become singles chart nerds and then some.  I mean, c’mon, who wouldn’t want a No. 1 song for Christmas?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehfiQd7lcPY