Intro

This is your host, Jason D'Orazio, welcoming you to another episode of New Wave Beat. Today, we're cover some great new wave songs from 1985, which was a crossroads year in new wave music. That year, many popular rock artists teamed up for a large concert dubbed Live Aid to help combat Ethiopian famine. 1985 also saw a lot of change with new wave bands. For example, Duran Duran split into two spinoff bands🔖✔, and Depeche Mode were making a pivotal change in their sound🔖✔, etc. 1985 had the largest number of new wave bands/artists who had songs in the Billboard year-end chart (10 out of 100).

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“Synth wizard Howard Jones debuted in 1984 with a shimmering set of synth pop, with little guitar to be found. He followed it up with his largest hit at the time, Things Can Only Get Better."

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Take On Me (A-Ha)

Let's start with Take On Me by Norwegian band A-Ha. They were debuted late in the new wave scene, but their first album, Hunting High And Low, was full of synthpop goodness. They're influenced by several earlier new wave/new romantic bands, including Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet.

A-Ha's second stab at making Take On Me a hit single paid massive dividends - it topped US charts, but also managed a top-10 showing in the year-end charts too.

Vocalist Morten Harket has a high register that can soar with the best. Take On Me's chorus features excellent vocal range, which makes it difficult for karaoke, but easy for replayability. The synths are also effervescent and supplement nicely. And the bridge has a memorable rapidfire synth section.

The drums are vigorous and remind me of those in Devo's🔖✔ Whip It🔖✔ (covered in my 1981 episode). Judging from the lyrics, the song might be about a proposed one-night stand. Harket's character tries to convince a love interest to take him on, and that evading is no better. In the chorus, Harket sings, "I'll be gone in a day or two." The video for Take On Me is one of the most famous, garnering over half a billion views on YouTube. It features memorable pencil sketch animations. In it, a woman is mentally absorbed in a black and white comic book featuring a racer (Harket). He then literally absorbs her in the comic. They're enjoying each others' company when a group of sore losers chase them with wrenches. Spoiler alert: by video's end, Harket's sketch character becomes a real person. A-Ha had some more minor hits in the US throughout the rest of the '80s, kept recording into the 2000s🔖✔, and after a long hiatus in the 2010s, are touring again.

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Don't You (Forget About Me)

Coming up to bat is Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds, hailing from Scotland. Simple Minds actually had been around in 1979 (early new wave). Their anthemic rock was sometimes compared to U2, but with more of a new wave flare. Don't You was actually around the time of their eighth album, and topped the US charts. This showing was helped by Don't You being featured in the 80s classic 🔖✔ The Breakfast Club.

Simple Minds' vocalist, Jim Kerr, sings prominently and in the middle range. In Don't You, Kerr's delivery reminds me of a lower-pitched Bono. The synths during the verses, while subtle, give the song a lot of color and intrigue. The chorus unleashes these synths, and they soar. The drums are no slouch either, giving military flare a bit before the intro.

I believe the song is about a breakup; Kerr's character is lobbying hard for them to get back together, but given the long odds would be a little content to at least be a memorable ex to her. For instance, he says that slow change may pull them apart, but also says, "I'll put us back together at heart, and it's my feeling we'll win in the end." The narrator's desperation creeps in towards the end, so I believe his efforts will be futile. The video for Don't You consists mostly of the band performing along with a few clips from The Breakfast Club playing on a television (good movie tie-in but it doesn't overwhelm the video). The room they're in is full of toys and is dimly lit, giving their performance a homey feel. After several more hits in the '80s, Simple Minds disappeared from the music charts. However, they never stopped making albums and touring, showing great longevity. Billy Idol🔖✔, having turned down Don't You in the first place, covered it in the 2000s (and was uncannily similar).

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Shout (Tears For Fears)

Now let's go primal and Shout. Not Isley Brothers-style, but Tears For Fears-style. Tears For Fears consists of singer and lead guitarist, Roland Orzabal, and bass guitarist and backup vocalist, Curt Smith. Their debut in 1983, having a loose theme of suffering trauma, was naturally followed up by one in 1985 with a loose theme of therapy. Indeed, the six-minute single, Shout, on the surface may allude to primal scream therapy.

"Shout, shout. Let it all out. These are the things I can do without. Come on."

It may also, on a deeper level, be about expressing oneself and being heard, whether through political protest or in general. Now, about the music. The ominous baseline is quite catchy. The synths sound a little bit like early Depeche Mode in spots, which is fine by me. The lead guitar towards the end provides good contrast from the synths. The guest drummer and producer, Chris Hughes, lent his skills from being in Adam and the Ants. Orzabal has a resonating powerful voice, which adds well to the instrumentation without drowning it out.

The video has the band performing in an isolated and picturesque landscape. Halfway through however, they're performing in the studio and are joined in song by a crowd of men, women, and children.The duo look a little pained in the first half when by themselves, but look happier when they're joined by the crowd, almost as if singing the song and being in company had a therapeutic effect. It is a powerful, mobilizing, and ultimately uplifting video. Shout was good for number one in the US and number four in the UK. That same album later spawned the equally popular single Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Tears for Fears didn't have another album until 1989, which made them lose a bit of momentum. After a breakup in the '90s, the duo came back together again, and now still touring. Fourth on our list is Walking On Sunshine by Katrina and The Waves. The band reminds me somewhat of The Go-Go's, what with their punkish new wave energy and a little bit of a retro vibe. Originally a ballad released on their debut album in 1983, Walking On Sunshine was re-recorded and released as a single in 1985, walking its way to a top 10 showing in both the US and UK. The fast drum intro sets the tone for the rest of the song nicely.

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Walking On Sunshine

Indeed, Walking On Sunshine is vigorous in all aspects. Katrina's vocal enthusiasm is infectious and catches you right away, in particular in singing the song title and subsequent woahs.

"And I'm walking on sunshine, woah-oh. I'm walking on sunshine, woah-oh."

The guitar at the end of each line drives the song further. I think the topic of the song, like the melody, is upbeat. The narrator loves someone and feels great when he is around or coming to see her. Indeed, she says, "'Cause I just can't wait till you write me you're coming around." Later on, she proudly proclaims, "I feel the love that's really real."

There is a possibility that the narrator's love is unrequited and is in denial, but I'm gonna go with the cigar is just a cigar angle on this one. The video has Katrina dancing around parts of London, interspersed with shots of the band performing in front of a black backdrop. Ironically, the video was recorded on a cloudy day in sometimes stark-looking parts of town. Perhaps this was intentional, as Katrina looks and feels like she is walking on sunshine despite the gloomy weather and environs. Unfortunately, Katrina and The Waves were a one-hit wonder, unable to replicate the chart success of Walking On Sunshine. The band's last album was in 1997, though Katrina herself is still out there touring.

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Things Can Only Get Better

Let's conclude today's episode with Things Can Only Get Better by Howard Jones. The synth wizard Jones debuted in 1984 with a shimmering set of synth pop, with little guitar to be found. He followed up in 1985 with Dream Into Action, which contained his largest hit up to that point, Things Can Only Get Better.

The gloomy synth in the beginning is a good counterpoint to the rest of the song, which is upbeat. After all, Jones is saying that things can only get better. The song is straightforward, as it's a call to keep on moving forward, despite success or failure. Like a lot of Jones's other work, it's a song full of positivity. Combined with the melody, this song truly is uplifting. Jones hits some high notes for emphasis and does it quite well, and he sounds passionate and positive.

The synths are quite catchy to boot. The horn section throughout the song adds some good variety to the song, as there are little to no guitars. The video for Things Can Only Get Better has Jones and stage crew preparing for a performance. Jones appears kind of nervous, but in line with the song's lyrics, he won't stop and falter. At some point, Charlie Chaplin enters Jones's dressing room. About halfway through, it's showtime, and Jones starts performing enthusiastically for the crowd, decked out in orange. His live show looked like a lot of fun. Things Can Only Get Better was a top 10 hit in both the US and his native UK. Jones had a big hit the following year with No One Is To Blame, and had some minor hits into the early '90s. He occasionally makes new albums and still tours. In fact, on a personal note, I will be seeing him live in less than two short weeks.

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Outro

And that's a wrap for the year 1985. And that's also a wrap for this episode of New Wave Beat. I'm your host, Jason D'Orazio, wishing you a great week, and we'll talk in seven days. Take care. Like this article? The Vault has bonus writeups on five articles.

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