Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Rick James - "Super Freak, Part 1" (#78 of 1981)

I'm Rick James, bitch!  Sorry, couldn't resist.  The Master of Funk, Rick James, began crossing over into the mainstream dance charts in 1981.  The bassline riff is a classic, being sampled on MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" in 1990.  Also, 10-year old Abigail Breslin does a very inappropriate burlesque routine to the song at a children's beauty pageant in "Little Miss Sunshine".

The video featuring James and his bevy of "freaks" is pure fun.  One particularly overzealous "freak" dancing around him before jumping in a limosine is entertaining simply for holding a quellazaire very close to Rick's heavily jheri curled glittery wig!  Hopefully, it was not lit.


 
 
My Personal Chart Data:

Debuted: November 6th, 1981


Peak Position: #11

Number of Weeks:  6

Little River Band - "The Night Owls" (#7 of 1981)

Australia's Little River Band was one of my favorite groups of the late 70's and 80's.  Like most early videos, "The Night Owls" combines band performance with snippets of video images.  This brief "storyline" may be about the dangers of being a "night owl"!  A woman is chased through rain-soaked streets in the dead of night by a man in a trenchcoat! 


 
 
My Personal Chart Data:

Debuted: November 6th, 1981


Peak Position: #2

Number of Weeks:  12


Kim Carnes - "Draw of the Cards" (#67 of 1981)

Kim Carnes' follow-up to her smash hit "Bette Davis Eyes", this strange video is a mish-mash of dream sequences ranging from Carnivale dancers to what appears to be escapees from an insane asylum. 
 
 


My Personal Chart Data:

Debuted: October 30th, 1981


Peak Position: #8

Number of Weeks:  8

Dan Fogelberg - "Hard to Say" (#17 of 1981)

Sunday, September 16, 2012

REO Speedwagon - "In Your Letter" (#61 of 1981)

REO Speedwagon's album Hi Infidelity was one of my favorites during my sophomore year in high school.  "In Your Letter" is not one of the best songs on the album, but I liked the 50's retro vibe.

The video was the band's stage performance combined with a woman typing a Dear John letter as she watches them on video.  At the end, she is the one on the video screen with the band "dismissing" her.



My Personal Chart Data:

Debuted: August 30th, 1981


Peak Position: #8 (October 4th, 1981)

Number of Weeks:  8

Christopher Cross - "Arthur's Theme" (#11 of 1981)

From the film "Arthur", this hit for Christopher Cross won the Academy Award in 1981 for Best Original Song. 

The original video was a performance of the song with scenes from the movie woven in.  I was unable to find it, so here is a rare video done for the Western Germany TV show "Bananas".  Very hokey special effects with a nearly comatose performance by Christopher Cross.  (Not that he's usually all that exciting of a performer.)



My Personal Chart Data:

Debuted: August 23rd, 1981


Peak Position: #1 (October 18th, 1981)

Number of Weeks:  14

Sheena Easton - "For Your Eyes Only" (#4 of 1981)

"For You Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton used the opening title sequence of the movie for the "music video".  One of the best James Bond themes, the song made it to #4 on the Billboard chart.  (The only Bond theme to make it to #1 was Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill".)



My Personal Chart Data:

Debuted: August 23rd, 1981


Peak Position: #1 (September 20th & 27th,  1981)

Number of Weeks:  11