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The first of two UK chart-toppers for Dexy's Midnight Runners was at #1 24
years ago this week. Geno, a tribute to musician Geno Washington, began its run
in subdued fashion for a future #1; entering at #40 and slowly advancing to
#37 and then #29 before racing up the chart, it reached the top on its 6th week.
The single at #2 was in rather more of a hurry. Paul McCartney's Coming Up
had actually debuted outside the Top 40 at #62 when released, but subsequently
made a staggering (and then all-time record) 55-place leap to #7 and now stood
between Dexy's and the outgoing #1, Call Me by Blondie. Coming Up's status as
the highest-ever climber in UK chart history lasted for just over 6 years,
until Nick Berry's Every Loser Wins advanced 62 places to #4 in October 1986.
The Very Best of David Essex
Swapping places inside the Top 10 were David Essex, enjoying one of his last
major hits with Silver Dream Machine (up from #6), and new British reggae
outfit UB40, whose debut AA-sided single Food For Thought/King now dropped from
its #4 peak. They would go on to score a UK #1 in 1985 with Chrissie Hynde, the
lead singer of The Pretenders who were at #9 with Talk Of The Town. The
follow-up to Brass In Pocket, the first #1 of the 80s, Talk Of The Town had risen as
high as #8 before going into decline.
More future collaborations were in store for Feargal Sharkey, lead vocalist
of The Undertones (up 10 to #11 with My Perfect Cousin) and Madness (down 4 to
#14 with the Work Rest And Play EP). The Nutty Boys would make Sharkey their
first signing to the Zarjazz label they set up in 1984, but a #17 hit in the
shape of Listen To Your Father would be the sole result.
Whitesnake: The Early Years
May 3rd 1980 was a Groovy kind of chart, quite literally. Two singles with
Groove in the title were charging up the Top 40. Rodney Franklin's The Groove
(on the CBS imprint) was up 14 to #13, while Bobby Thurston's Check Out The
Groove (issued through CBS affiliate label Epic) climbed from #26 to #10.
Home based Heavy Metal was enjoying a successful era, with Saxon up 8 to #20
with Wheels Of Steel and Motorhead the highest new entry at #23 with the
Golden Years EP. Whitesnake, led by former Deep Purple singer David Coverdale, were
making their inaugural UK Top 40 appearance at #30 with Fool For Your Loving
while Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott's solo effort Dear Miss Lonely Hearts
was down 5 from its peak of #32.
The Best of Johnny Logan
May, of course, is the month of Eurovision and in 1980 the contest was won by
crooner Johnny Logan for his adopted country Ireland. What's Another Year,
the winning song, went straight in at #15 - the highest of 11 new entries - and
topped the UK chart a fortnight later.
The Top 40 of May 3rd also marked The Cure's chart breakthrough with the
classic A Forest arriving at #35. Other newcomers included No Doubt About It at
#31, the latest hit for chart regulars Hot Chocolate which would eventually
reach #2, and Breathing by Kate Bush at #29. The first of her three hits during
1980, Breathing was taken from that September's Never For Ever set which became
the first #1 album by a British female artist.
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Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
