THE FAVE SONGS BY YEAR CHALLENGE: 1986

Nic’s Grade 6 Hits of ‘86

The greatest mixtape I ever made

Not the mixtape, but one of my 80s creations. Photo by me.

Back in 1986, when I was in Grade 6 (that’s the 6th grade, if you’re American), I made an epic mixtape I creatively named Hits of ‘86.

The tape wasn’t epic because of the song selection, but epic because of the amount of joy it brought me — playing those songs to death, dancing in the garden, walking around the block blasting them on a ghetto blaster for 10 minutes before the batteries ran out, singing in my room word for word. Man, I wish I’d kept that tape.

Not to worry, I still remember every single song I painstakingly recorded from a combo of Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 and the Fox FM Top 40.

I’ve always enjoyed Buddy Gott’s music challenges and I’m very happy they’re back. When I saw that Buddy chose to write about 1986 for his Fave Songs by Year Challenge, I remembered my old mixtape and decided to write about the same year.

Sadly, I can’t remember the playlist order, but I do remember all the songs. These tracks are hard-coded into my soul. I know every lyric, every riff and every mullety hairdo from the music videos.

So here they are!

“Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer

[embed]Robert Palmer — “Addicted to Love” © The Island Def Jam Music Group

As a kid who’d just discovered the importance of being cool — and cool people in the 80s never smiled — I thought the unsmiling ladies playing guitar behind Robert Palmer were the coolest people I’d ever seen. The boys in my class loved those ladies and I wanted to be one. Even today, when I’m feeling raunchy, I don red lipstick, wear all black, and refuse to make eye contact.

Also, “Addicted to Love” is a bangin’ tune.

“Funkytown” by Pseudo Echo

[embed]Pseudo Echo — “Funkytown” © RCA Records

Yeah, the Lipps Inc version is the better song. But Pseudo Echo were from Melbourne, total spunks and my friend reckoned her grandma lived next door to Pierre Pierre. This was never verified, but Pseudo Echo’s version of “Funkytown” rocked!

Also, the video clip is one of the 80s-est clips you’ll see –stone-washed jeans rolled up past the ankles, mullets and, of course, a keytar.

“Missionary Man” by Eurythmics

[embed]Eurythmics — Missionary Man

I’m half Catholic, so I was definitely born an original sinner…

Even as a child, I found organised religion uncomfortable. And so I loved this song.

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart are always brilliant. But I also loved Jimmy Zavala’s harmonica and Joniece Jamison’s backing vocals in “Missionary Man”.

Stop-animation was big in the 80s, and I thought the “Missionary Man” music video was even cooler than Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer”.

“Nasty” by Janet Jackson

[embed]Janet Jackson — “Nasty”

It took me a while to work out that Michael Jackson’s little sister, Charlene from Diff’rent Strokes (which, incidentally, had its final season in 1986), and the singer of this song were all the same person.

“My first name is Nichola. Miss Scurry if you’re nasty.”

I was still too young to know what a nasty boy was, but I could appreciate a good beat, which this song had.

“Stuck with You” by Huey Lewis and the News

[embed]Huey Lewis and the News — “Stuck with You”

Huey Lewis and a glamorous woman on a rowboat in the middle of the Bahamas. Sounds fun to me!

I was happy to be stuck with this song. It’s cheery, carefree beat still warms my heart every time I hear it.

As a child, “Stuck with You” made me envisage what married life would be like — a bit daggy but happy to be stuck with each other. Awww!

“To Be a Lover” by Billy Idol

[embed]Billy Idol — “To Be a Lover”

Huey Lewis was nice, but Billy Idol had a whiplash smile that was more suited to my punky nature. Buddy picked this song too, and I agree it’s a sizzling cover of the William Bell original.

When it came out, I’d practice Billy Idol’s crooked smile in the mirror, but I only looked like I’d had bad dental work.

I’d sock-skate around the kitchen singing “have mercy”. Billy made that expression way cooler than John Stamos in Full House ever did. Although, they both had hot mullets, in my 11-year-old opinion.

“True Blue” by Madonna

[embed]Madonna — “True Blue”

In 1986, “True Blue” was my favourite song from my favourite album by my favourite singer. I even wrote a letter to Madonna, care of Sire Records, crying over how much I admired her. She didn’t reply.

Every night, I’d practise singing “True Blue”. Sometimes, my family would stand outside my room and giggle. I didn’t sing it to Sean Penn, though. Instead, I’d think about one of the many blonde-haired boys with neon tee-shirts and mullets who ignored me. Nevertheless, I put as much emotion as was humanly possibly into my squeaky 11-year-old voice.

“True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper

[embed]Cyndi Lauper — “True Colors”

After Madonna, Cyndi Lauper was my second-favourite singer in 1986. I preferred “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” but that wasn’t a 1986 song.

At the time, I preferred “True Blue” but I also loved “True Colours” and in hindsight, it’s the better song. I also loved the music video, which now reminds me of a Dali painting, but I didn’t know who Salvador Dali was in 1986.

“Two of Hearts” by Stacey Q

[embed]Stacey Q — “Two of Hearts”

In 1986, electronic music was just entering my awareness. So songs like “Two of Hearts” were awesome. I preferred, and prefer, my electro with vocals.

That hook of “I need you” was the first sample of sampling I heard, and I liked it.

“Venus” by Bananarama

[embed]Bananarama — “Venus”

The Shocking Blue version is better, but I didn’t know that in 1986.

I remember dancing to this one with my two cousins in my back yard. Total Bananarama. Or as my dad said, total bananas.

“Walk Like an Egyptian” by the Bangles

[embed]Bangles — “Walk Like an Egyptian”

As a kid, I’d often confuse the Bangles and Bananarama. But I now think “Walk Like an Egyptian” was the better song and Bangles the better group. Susanna Hoffs is hard to beat.

And yes, I did try to walk like an Egyptian. I also bandaged up my Barbie to make her into a mummy.

“You’re the Voice” by John Farnham

[embed]John Farnham — “You’re the Voice”

John Farnham’s “You’re the Voice” is one of the legendariest Aussie songs ever. If you don’t play this song at least once during milestone events like your graduation, wedding, 40th, 50th, and funeral, then you’re unAustralian.

The song was written as an anti-nuclear protest. At 11, I was just starting to become politically aware. The Cold War, the hole in the Ozone Layer, AIDS, and apartheid all concerned me. But never fear, I could become the Voice.

The teenage Johnny Farnham was known for his novelty 60s hit, “Sadie the Cleaning Lady”, but by the mid-80s, his career was in the basement and he was broke, living in a friend’s basement.

“You’re the Voice” changed all that. Farnham went from Johnny to John to Whispering Jack. The song was number one for seven weeks toward the end of 1986, but it felt like it was number one all year. It feels like it’s still number one.

Farnsey would also sport one of the most magnificent mullets that was only surpassed by Michael Bolton’s.

And, for the first time since AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ’N’ Roll)”, “You’re the Voice” made bagpipes an essential element of any classic Aussie rock song.