Hello!

Happy Sunday from New Wave Beat. This is your host, Jason D'Orazio. I'll dive into some great songs from 1982. Synthesizers continued to be more prominent in new wave hits thanks to Duran Duran🔖✔, Thomas Dolby, A Flock of Seagulls, and others. That being said, there were still other good guitar-oriented new wave songs by the likes of Squeeze🔖✔, Men at Work, etc. The key takeaway is that there was plenty of room for all flavors of new wave music🔖✔.

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Toni Basil - Mickey

All right, let's kick off our list with Mickey by Toni Basil. Basil released her energetic debut album Word of Mouth in 1982, which contained Mickey. A drum beat at the beginning of the song establishes a school marching band or cheerleader feel, done, of course, with a new wave flare. Instrumentation-wise, a farfisa organ is played throughout the song and is the highlight of the choruses. This type of organ is a new wave hallmark, also done by the likes of Elvis Costello🔖✔ and the B-52s🔖✔. In the verses, the guitar and drums take center court and have a punkish energy and tempo to them. Basil's vocals are histrionic and aggressive in a good way, with vocal inflections this side of Adam Ant. Indeed, the vocals really pump up the intensity of the song. I believe Mickey is more straightforward in terms of song meaning. The protagonist has a strong crush on a guy named Mickey. She says, "You're so fine, you blow my mind." Lines like, "You take me by the heart when you take me by the hand," and, "Don't break my heart," suggest that while the love is not necessarily unrequited, she may like him more than vice versa. The video has Toni Basil dressed like a cheerleader, with her band dressed in all sorts of colors and styles. For instance, one is wearing a Mexican hat and lime green shirt, and another has a Mohawk and punk regalia. I must say, Basil's dancing is terrific in the video for Mickey. At 38, her dancing was better than most other new wavers who were mainly in their 20s. In fact, at one point she does a full split. Mickey hit the top of the US charts, but unfortunately it would be Toni Basil's only hit and she only had one more album.

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Men at Work - Who Can It Be Now?

Let's now go over Australian new wave🔖✔ band Men at Work's Who Can It Be Now? Men at Work, not to be confused with Canada's Men Without Hats🔖✔, started out in 1982 with their album Business As Usual. It was influenced by fellow new wavers the Police🔖✔ and the Cars🔖✔. Who Can It Be Now starts and continues with a six-note saxophone riff, which is the main hook of the song. There's also a good saxophone section in the bridge. The bass guitar is very good, especially in the verses. Singer Colin Hay starts out singing a little on the mellow side, but increases the intensity in the chorus for maximum impact. His voice reminds me a little of Sting's, strengthening the similarity with the Police. It sounds like Who Can It Be Now? is about a paranoid individual who wants to shut himself in his home. The narrator wants visitors to stay away, is afraid that men will take him away, and implores them not to invade his home. Indeed, the singer tries to convince the audience that there is no issue with his state of mental health. The chorus is simple as it consists solely of the song title repeated four times, a legacy of the punk era of repetition for emphasis. The video has Colin Hay home alone acting shifty and paranoid, making contorted faces for the camera. A parade of people come to his door, but it's unclear whether or not they are figments of his imagination. The bridge and ending have the band playing live. Who Can It Be Now? garnered a 45 ranking in the UK, but hit the top of the charts across the pond in the US. After a couple more albums in the '80s, frontman Colin Hay still tours.

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Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science

Next up, let's talk about She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby🔖✔. After producing for rap artist Whodini and new waver Lene Lovich🔖✔, Dolby released his first album, which contained Science. It was an out of left field eccentric hit. That is one of the things I like about new wave, is that it was more open to experimentation than some of the other sub-genres. Dolby's synthesizers in She Blinded Me With Science have many layers and fit each other well. Appropriately, these synths kind of have a sci-fi mad scientist vibe to them. Throughout, there is an ominous four-note synth riff followed by Magnus Pike yelling, "Science!", adding to the quirkiness. Dolby's haa's and mmmm's and a female high-pitched vocal saying the song's title contribute as well. Dolby's tense, occasionally over-the-top vocals remind me a bit of David Byrne🔖✔, which I like. The lyrics are quite tongue in cheek, but I think they are about the scientist narrator falling for another scientist. Lines like "Good heavens, Ms. Sagimoto, you're beautiful," suggest this. According to the lyrics, his love interest failed him in biology and other subjects, so the song suggests Dolby is more junior level than her. The self-directed video is interesting. It features Thomas Dolby as a patient in a mental asylum. A psychologist subjects him to therapy and a series of tests. He has eyes for a woman that is part of the asylum team and imagines himself dancing with her. By video's end, Dolby gets his comeuppance against the psychologist. She Blinded Me With Science was a top 10 hit in the US, but oddly didn't do nearly as well in his native UK. Dolby was not the most prolific artist, but had some good albums later on, though he veered somewhat from his synthpop format.

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Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes

Next up is the upbeat-sounding Goody Two Shoes by Adam Ant🔖✔. Adam Ant started off as a punk singer, then transitioned to a more new wave sound with his band, Adam and the Ants. In 1982, he went solo again and released Goody Two Shoes. Goody Two Shoes has three major instrumental elements throughout the song. The first two are a strong drum beat and Marco Pirroni's guitar, carryovers from Ant's earlier work. The third is a cheerful horn section, more prominent in Goody Two Shoes, and most of the accompanying Friend or Foe album for that matter. Adam Ant's vocals are energetic, though not quite as intense as when he was with Adam and the Ants. The song is about Adam Ant's feud with the press during his Adam and the Ants days, as well as the beginning of his solo career. He says that the media consistently tries to dig dirt on him, as evidenced by the lines, "Don't drink, don't smoke. What do you do?" And the press' insistence that there must be something inside. Another theme is that the press likes to quickly proclaim artists stars, and then proceed to tear them down. The Goody Two Shoes video🔖✔ is hilarious, as Adam Ant is playfully mocking the media, his fans, and even himself. Like the song, the video has the theme of Adam versus the media, but it adds a plot of him successfully seducing one of the reporters. By the end of the song, she's chasing Adam Ant to his bedroom, and the rest is left up to the viewers' imagination. Goody Two Shoes made a goody run up the charts, being to number one in the UK and 13 in the US. Adam Ant would have another American hit with Wonderful in 1995, and returned to a music scene several years ago after a long absence, in part due to personal problems.

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A Flock of Seagulls - I Ran

Let's conclude a retrospective of 1982 with I Ran. Flock of Seagulls released their self-titled debut in 1982. I Ran was the fourth single off this album, but was the biggest hit, similar to the Human League's🔖✔ situation with Don't You Want Me🔖✔. The song begins with a half-minute intro, featuring a space-age sounding synth. This synth permeates throughout I Ran. A short, fast guitar riff is also a highlight of the song, along with a guitar section during the bridge. Mike Score, the vocalist and keyboardist, has a nasal, slightly detached vocal style, the latter of which matches the futuristic sounding instruments well. The lyrics for I Ran are not extensive. I think I Ran is about being smitten with a woman, but being afraid of his love for her. The narrator describes her beauty, for instance. "The kind of eyes that hypnotize me through." But then he talks about running so far away, showing his fear. As it stands, he cannot escape his feelings for her. There's an alternate theory that the song is about being abducted by aliens. But in this case, a cigar is just a cigar. The video for I Ran is pretty basic. It has the band performing in what seems like a hall of mirrors. The camera gives the impression that the room is rotating. A futuristically dressed woman appears, corresponding to the narrator's love interest. However, this is de-emphasized in the video, and I would've liked to see more about the relationship. But then again, I'm biased against videos that lack a narrative. I Ran, well, ran its way to the top 10 in the US. As far as other songs are concerned, Flock of Seagulls had a few minor hits, but nothing approaching I Ran. The song was later covered by diverse artists, such as Tori Amos and Bowling for Soup.

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Outro

Okay, that's a wrap on our retrospective of 1982. This is Jason D'Orazio from New Wave Beat, wishing you a great day, and we'll catch you next time. So long.

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