1983 Singles Poll

Musically, 1983 was something of a changing landscape. The definition of indie was rewritten when we were introduced to The Smiths. Synth pop seemed to dominate with bands such as Eurythmics, Heaven 17, Tears for Fears and Yazoo. The 12 inch single was king, no more so than New Order's Blue Monday. Goth found its way into the mainstream. The punk scene was still simmering. The UK top 40 was a mish-mash of everything. Pop, post-punk, heavy rock and reggae through to some of those dreadful "novelty" records. The Indie Charts told a different story.

1983 was also the year I started writing my fanzine.

As you may have already gathered, I am in the process of writing a book telling the story of my fanzine and beyond. It will include stories about and snippets from the original four publications, plus the 40th anniversary edition, selected clips from this blog and a ton of rare information related to the bands I featured. Nirvana, Peter Hook, Geno Washington, Orange Juice and The Only Ones are a smattering of the linked bands/artists. More info will follow in due course.

When I first asked my X followers for suggestions for the poll I was amazed at how many songs I either didn't know or had completely forgotten about. A mix of genres was represented. There's a full rundown chart-style of all 252 songs at the foot of the page. And once we got going, all the wonderful memories and photos started pouring in. I've tried to include as many of them as I can here on my blog but some of the more unique stories have been reserved for the final chapter of my book.

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed. I couldn't put these posts together without you. Special thanks once again to Aiden Tibbs for sharing so many photos of his incredible discs. I've included a smattering of them throughout.

Are you ready to jump on the nostalgia train once again? Here we go...

The Alarm - Sixty Eight Guns

Steve Oxlee is a gifted poet and a music lover, who has contributed greatly to all my polls as well as my blogs, 40th anniversary fanzine and forthcoming book. I already knew of his love of The Jam and all things Paul Weller, but through the poll I discovered he is also a big fan of The Alarm. He told me how "splendiferous" it was to see so much love for them, then went on to say, "The majority of the music press used to delight in being unnecessarily critical of the band, which only made us fans more determined to support them, creating an almost cult following. Mike Peters was always generous with his time with 'The Alarm Army' and genuinely appreciated the fans commitment."

Graham W was also a fan. He remembers jumping on stage at the Marquee with a group of others to sing 'Sixty Eight Guns' with The Alarm.

I am once again delighted to be able to share some of the amazing photos taken by @

7Bigmouth7 

throughout this post. The images of Mike Peters below were taken the last time The Alarm played in Glasgow, only months before Mike passed away.

And another from @revolmediaz taken a couple of years ago when The Alarm supported The Cult.

Bauhaus - She's in Parties

@harryhpalmer has such a broad musical knowledge. I always find it fascinating to read the snippets he contributes as we're working our way through the polls. Of this song he told me, "She's in Parties was taken from the album Burning from the Inside, with the band breaking up before the album's release. After reforming in 2008 and releasing Go Away White, the band promptly split up again, this time on the release of the album! 

During the recording of Burning From the Inside, Peter Murphy was hospitalised with pneumonia, and the band wrote most of the album without him. This played a part in the split. The title inspired the name of the four piece UK indie band, 'She's in Parties'. The song has also been parodied by Half Man Half Biscuit ('She's in Broadstairs')."

The Beat - Can't Get Used to Losing You

Suze told me how much she loves this song. She said, "It reminds me of my Dad. He loved the Andy Williams version. When I bought the album by The Beat and played this song I think it was the only time he didn't say "What bloomin' rubbish is this?" when I played my music."

Interestingly, it was Dave Wakeling's dad who first suggested The Beat covered the track and put the idea in Dave's head. He had a listen and thought it sounded like it had a reggae bass line. The Beat went on to record it. They weren't the only ones who'd had the idea of covering the song however, although there is a question mark over who got there first.

In their pre-Wham! days, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were in a ska group called The Executive. They recorded a demo and one of the tracks on it was a cover of 'Can't Get Used to Losing You'. Their manager at the time took the demo to all the record companies. They got very close to Arista with Go Feet, but not quite close enough.

In a 1983 NME interview George Michael told Paolo Hewitt: "After the deal had fallen through I saw in a magazine, months afterwards, that it was coming out on the new Beat album. I thought, f***ing hell I can’t believe it! I was really pissed off. But to be totally honest there are two things that made me think it was pure coincidence. One is, we did it really badly. We did it really fast; and the other thing is that when Dave Wakeling sings it, he sings it so much like Andy Williams you get the impression that he was an actual Andy Williams fan."

It would be interesting to hear how it sounded with George Michael at the helm, but The Beat certainly made it their own.

Big Country - In a Big Country

There was such an outpouring of love for Big Country throughout the whole of the poll. Three of their singles featured, with 'In a Big Country' finishing in third place.

@wantthe80s summed up perfectly what a lot of people were feeling. "One of the best bands I've ever seen live, passionate, intense and uplifting. Not many others come anywhere near. It was about more than just the music. It was about hope and togetherness, and Stuart meant every word he ever sang."

@AffrenchFfrench remembered how he picked up his O Level results in the summer of '83, walked into Hereford and bought 'In A Big Country' to celebrate.

No poll blog post of mine would be complete without input from Kevin Webster. He's also contributed the most amazing story for the final chapter of my book. If you're a fan of Slade you will not want to miss it!

Kevin is a fan of Big Country and had this to say about their live shows. "I've been to some brilliant Big Country concerts and shouted myself hoarse singing "I thought that pain & truth were things that really mattered, but you can't stay here with every single hope you had shattered" What memories! Magic!"

Bruce Foxton - Freak

I know my friend @Carolyn_on_X is a huge fan of The Jam. It was a big moment for her when she went along to an event at the 100 Club in London in July 2026, where Bruce Foxton was a guest. Carolyn commented "It was good to see him so well - admittedly a little frail on his feet and his hearing is not great (which I suppose comes with all those years playing in a band) but he was in good humour and sharp as a tack. I get the impression from his answers to the audience that he doesn't suffer fools gladly, but he is nice with it. Anyway, I was thrilled to look him in the eyes, shake his hand and thank him for everything."

I dearly wish I could have been there too, but Carolyn's wonderful photos go a long way towards making up for it. The panel was chaired by Pat Gilbert. Other members (left to right) were Mark Brzezicki, Steve 'Tufty' Carver and Barry Cain.

Russell Cox dug deep in his box of memorabilia once again and added, "This a flier for Bruce's first solo tour. I met him after the Folkestone gig and he signed this. A genuinely nice bloke."

The Cure - The Love Cats

Not only did we have the pleasure of reading Kevin Webster's comical comments throughout the poll but this time his mum got involved too!

Kevin remembered "We're watching Top of The Pops and 'The Love Cats' comes on. Mom says "who on earth is this?" "The Cure Mom" without missing a beat she's back with "well I'd hate to see what the disease is!" She's still going strong at 91 too!"

Robert Smith might not have disagreed with her. In an interview with Rock and Folk magazine, he said: "'The Love Cats' is far from being my favourite song. Composed drunk, video filmed drunk, promotion made drunk. It was a joke."

Culture Club - Church of the Poison Mind

'Karma Chameleon' was ousted at the very start of the contest but 'Church of the Poison Mind' went much further. Many people expressed how it was their favourite Culture Club single, elevated by the powerful vocals of Helen Terry.

Stacey bought a tee shirt designed by Sue Clowes as part of her Roses collection. She purchased it from The Foundry in London and just happened to be served by a certain Mr O'Dowd, who was working in there as a window dresser at the time. Sue Clowes' striking designs helped to shape Boy George's identity at an early stage in his career, but I think Stacey looks much cooler.

Culture Club - Karma Chameleon

Something I decided against mentioning in my book is a review I included in issue four of 'Karma Chameleon'. It seems like here is a more fitting place to share it. To give you a little background, McCain (who back then sold frozen pizzas in the UK) ran a promotional campaign where they gave away transparent 5.5 inch single sided flexi-discs. One of these was an uncredited studio version of 'Karma Chameleon'.

You perhaps won't be surprised to know that even though the disc is listed on Discogs it has never once been sold on the platform!

Andy Roberts hails from Hull also and has memories of a completely different kind whenever he hears the song. "'Karma Chameleon' is forever associated with Hull City losing at Rotherham in the FA Cup! Karma, Karma, Karma, Karma, Karma, come on Hull, come on you Hull!

David Bowie - China Girl

It was great to hear from someone who was in the audience when David Bowie played at the Milton Keynes Bowl on his Serious Moonlight tour.

@PaulPhillips44 shared a few memories of the gig.

"Getting sunburnt waiting in the Bowl - then Bowie coming on round about the golden hour, I think, with that peroxide hair. And how I was surprised by how he’d rearranged so much of his old material to sound more upbeat in keeping with the new stuff."

Richard Livingstone taught me something I didn't previously know about the song. It was first recorded and co-written by Iggy Pop. He said he prefers Iggy's version.

@harryhpalmer was disappointed when 'China Girl' was voted out. He said, "According to setlist, it is sixth in his most played songs live - 461 times. 'Modern Love' is 22nd - played 277 times. Bowie covered it, apparently, to help Iggy out financially."

Having done a little more digging I found out the song was first released by Iggy on The Idiot in 1977. The lyrics are a story of unrequited love and were inspired by an affair he had with a Vietnamese woman. When it was released as a single in 1977 it failed to chart.

Here's a link to Iggy's version. I really like the oriental feel of it. What do you think?

Image courtesy of Aiden Tibbs

Russell Gray intrigued me when he said he bought China Girl/Modern Love on VHS video single. He said "It was a new fangled idea at the time. I bought it in WH Smith of all places. They had great music video section, better than HMV! A VCR was the first thing bought when I got married (on HP) even before a washing machine! Video EPs were a way of labels promoting artists, but the trouble was the cost compared to vinyl so it did not take off. My other half loved Bowie so I swallowed the extra expenditure."

Depeche Mode - Everything Counts

Steve shared the above photo and commented that 'Everything Counts' was the first Depeche Mode track mixed at Hansa in Berlin - a creative hub also famously used by Iggy Pop, U2 and David Bowie - who wrote 'Heroes' whilst working there.

The studio opened in 1973 at a time when Berlin was a divided city.  It was  referred to as “Big Hall by the Wall” due to its close proximity to The Berlin Wall.

Echo and the Bunnymen - The Cutter

Tipped by many to take the crown, and in my opinion one of E&TB's finest singles, this track finished at number five. I love the story Debs associates with it, which is in some ways quite apt.

"I did hairdressing when I left school and I’m not kidding I was dreadful! My friends used to sing this song to me I was so bad! To make matters worse my mother was a really good hairdresser and even taught at the local college. She was so embarrassed as I had the worst reputation! Every time I hear this song it reminds me!"

Elvis Costello - Everyday I Write the Book

Yet more amazing photos courtesy of @7Bigmouth7. They were taken when Elvis Costello played in Glasgow earlier this year.

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams

@crumlinLeeds recalled how "1983 was the year I went to a gig at Phoenix Park in Dublin. The line up was U2, Big Country, Eurythmics, Simple Minds and Steel Pulse. It was a great day out. For some strange reason some punks in attendance gave Annie Lennox hell as she performed."

I came across a review written in real time on hotpress.com. The reviewer spoke about how "Annie Lennox seemed to throw a real temperamental wobbler - one plastic bottle and she angrily launched into a peace and love sermon. But when they settled down, thankfully the Eurythmics weren't one of those drab disappointments, bands who can't emulate their records on stage."

Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax

Although most people associate this song with 1984 it was in fact released in 1983, hence the reason for it being included in the poll. I did not realise how many versions there were until Aiden Tibbs started sharing some of his fine collection. 

I found it particularly fascinating when he told me "There was a cassingle version of Relax that ran for 24 minutes. This was never released on vinyl until a recent Record Store Day. Never get rid of your cassette player, you never know when you might need it."

A couple of UK promo discs

INXS - Black and White

INXS were one of the few Australian bands nominated in the poll. Vamprey SongADay made an interesting comment. "Gotta say that there are a lot of songs  that I don't recognize being popular down here in Australia. And there are a lot of Australian artists that I haven't seen that were everywhere."

I asked him to enlighten us on which songs were popular "down under" back in 1983, which he kindly did. He said, "Australian music was compiled by David Kent as the Kent Music Report between May 1974 - January 1999. Re-branded as the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 1987 and then as the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Charts from June 1988. Here is a list of every song to chart in Australia in 1983. Aussie artists are highlighted as purple in the list. (Much easier than me listing them all.)"

JoBoxers - Boxerbeat

Alun Bishop provided some background information. "First band I saw live, only they were Vic Goddard & the Subway Sect then, supporting Altered Images. Vic left and they went on to become JoBoxers."

Bassist Chris Bostock played on The Style Council's Cafe Bleu and Spear of Destiny's The Price You Pay. He has remained involved in the world of music since. In 2025 he was executive producer for the JoBoxers box set Just Got Lucky - The Complete Works 1983-1986, which featured a number of previously unreleased tracks.

Kajagoogoo - Too Shy

I'll be perfectly honest and admit I did not recognise the guy with long blonde hair in the above photos. It is in fact Kajagoogoo bassist Nick Beggs. The photos were posted by @markpat89782968, who said "I see Nick play with his daughters in The Beggs Sisters a lot. He is just a super nice guy as are his family. See him with Steven Wilson as well. He also plays a lot with Howard Jones. He’s very sought after nowadays."

I did however instantly recognise Nick, Limahl and co in @kodaqueen's photo (below). She said, "Kajagoogoo were the first band I really loved. Back then, though, I was 3 so getting to see them live was out of the question. Thankfully, they briefly reformed in 2009 and I got to make my childhood dream of seeing them live come true."

King Kurt - Destination Zululand

I love it when quirky little facts like this one from @MarkWitty3 surface during the polls. "The 12 inch of 'Destination Zululand' plays from the inside out and I think it doesn't have a closed groove, so the stylus just drops off the edge when the track ends."

The Lotus Eaters - The First Picture of You

It was the soundtrack of summer 1983 for so many of us of a certain age. It was never off the radio and it is a beautiful song. Mike Pearson said "Whenever I think of an 80’s peak summer, beach parties, getting off with a girl you’ve had your eye on, swimming in sea and being brown as a berry, 'First Picture of You' comes into my head. It really was one of the great 80’s classics."

@HaloFred182 shared an interesting story relating to the accompanying video. "Great song and a great video filmed in Walberswick, Suffolk. Fun fact, I stayed in the house in the video several years after the video was recorded. A friend's dad  owned it and let my family use it for the weekend. I saw the video for the first time a few years back on YouTube and it was like going back in time."

And some people like @dbartley29 loved the summer vibe of the song so much they ended up having to buy it twice. "The first time I laid in the local park having just bought it. I fell asleep in the sunshine then woke up to find the record had warped in the heat so had to buy another copy."

@wantthe80s recalled seeing Peter Coyle supporting China Crisis at The Cluny in Byker. "He sang 'The First Picture Of You' acapella, and you could have heard a pin drop. Beautiful. It's an achingly beautiful song with an achingly beautiful vocal. Meeting him after his set, he was the nicest, most humble man you could hope to meet."

When I was putting together issue one of my fanzine, background music fluctuated between playing a favourite album and tuning into  Radio One. The Lotus Eaters track is one I recall hearing again and again throughout the hours spent typing, cutting and pasting.

Malcolm MacLaren - Double Dutch

Ebon - Ebon - Ebonettes!

@PaisleyPowered had this to say. "Malcolm McLaren was visionary. 'Double Dutch' seamlessly merged traditional African rhythms with American hip-hop elements, including rapping and early sampling/scratching techniques provided by New York DJs, The World's Famous Supreme Team”.

I doubt African Mbaqanga group Boyoyo Boys were so complimentary about it though. They sued MacLaren for music plagiarism over the similarity of "Double Dutch" to their own 1975 hit 'Puleng'. The matter was eventually settled out of court, with payment made to the South African copyright holders.

Mary Jane Girls - All Night Long

MrKintheUK travelled back in time to the Balearic Islands when this song featured in the poll. He said, "Mary Jane Girls ALWAYS remind me of Mallorca ‘83, aged 14. 10pm, not ejected when junior disco switched to proper club. First all nighter. First holiday romance. First hangover. First holiday mate (RIP Rowly) Back to hotel room for breakie. Mum none the wiser. 'All Night Long' #MostPlayedVinyl"

Mary Jane Girls were formed by singer songwriter Rick James. He created specific, manufactured personas for each member. Jo Jo the street-wise girl, Candi the supermodel, Cheri the valley girl and Maxi the dominatrix. They sounded rather more raunchy than Scarey, Posh, Sporty, Baby and Ginger, but I wonder if that's where the idea came from.

Mike Oldfield - Moonlight Shadow

I can always rely on @carolynonX to come up with interesting little facts and she didn't let me down when she shared the following.

"I’m rooting for one of my nominations: Moonlight Shadow. There’s an extremely popular Greek version of this song, with different lyrics, by Stelios Rokkos, which means that the original has a bit of a cult following in Greece too."

Have a listen and see what you think.

Nena - 99 Luftballons

Mama J spoke about how the song reminded her of a close friend she had during that time period - Gina. She said, "A tough Italian chick from near my hometown, we met at work and were inseparable. Armed with fake ids we’d be at the local dance club at least two times a week and man, would we dance! We got up to a lot of shenanigans! I miss her."

New Order - Blue Monday

The worthy winner of the poll sparked a whole host of memories.

Brian F recalls hearing the sound check prior to a gig at the Ayr Pavilion in April 1983. Various sections of 'Blue Monday' could be heard from outside. Supporting New Order that night was influential Scottish group The Wake. Founding member Gerard "Caesar" McInulty was originally in Altered Images.

Someone who voted for 'Blue Monday' in the final was George. He gave the reason for giving it his vote as being "...for the effect it used to have at Youth Club Discos. Pool cues were put down and snogging stopped when this came on."

And talking of discos, Andy Herbert shared some fond memories of his days as a deejay. "Blue Monday 12 inch version was a dream for me DJing, time to go to the loo buy a drink and chat a girl up and still get back in time to cue the next record."

For Ska'd 4 Life memories returned of his old washing machine would you believe! He said, "When I put it on fast spin it sounded note for note like the intro of Blue Monday!"

When I read the comment it instantly reminded me of one memorable trip home on the late night bus. Two lads who were sat at the front started tapping out the recognisable drum intro sounds of 'Blue Monday'. This in turn led to the two lads sat next to them making all sorts of peculiar noises that vaguely resembled the opening synth sounds. Some people behind chimed in with "How does it feel to treat me like you do?" In seconds the whole of the top deck of the bus (me included) was singing 'Blue Monday'... to a fashion!

Paul Young - Wherever I Lay My Hat

@Paulh7874 has fond memories of Paul Young from when he was working at Harrods. "I met him once at the very height of his fame. I was working at Harrods and was stuck at the bottom of a staircase with a big delivery. He saw me on my own, grabbed the other end of the massive box and said "let's go". Lovely humble bloke."

Red Guitars (Undead Guitars) - Good Technology

It would be remiss of me not to give a mention to a band that was the talk of the town in Hull when I was writing my fanzine. Red Guitars were something special. Their live shows were a joy to witness. I was lucky enough to interview them just in time for issue two.

The lyrics to 'Good Technology' were written by a friend of the band - Stuart Ross - who used to play bass with Wreckless Eric in the days when Eric was at art college in Hull. Reading back over them now I wonder if he had a crystal ball in front of him as he penned them! Lines like “We’ve got policemen who can tell us who we are” and “We’ve got computers that can find us friends” are surely more relevant in 2026 than they were in 1983.

It won't surprise you to know there is much more information about Red Guitars included in the pages of my book.

Rod Stewart - Baby Jane

Mama J has a heartwarming story linked to this tune. "Baby Jane was a song I taped from the radio onto a compilation tape I made for my friend who was away at school in ‘83. For some reason it always stuck with me. I made one side Dreamy Songs and the other Rockin’ Songs. She still has it!"

Oh those mix tapes! I never mastered the art of cutting out the deejay's voice at the end of the track. And did we take any notice of warnings like the one below? How could we have managed without them?

Roman Holliday - Don't Try to Stop It

@Middlesaxon2 goes back a long way with piano player - Adrian York. They went to primary school together in Kew.

Although Roman Holliday's career was relatively short, Adrian went on to work with some names you might just have heard of. Jimmy Ruffin, Mari Wilson, Sandie Shaw, Seal, Lisa Stansfield and Shirley Bassey to name a few.

He has also created jingles for various advertising campaigns, most notably the run of Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Cornflakes ads with the slogan "The trouble is, they taste too good."

Simple Minds - Waterfront

When I was preparing issue three of my fanzine I called in at Hull's legendary record store - Sydney Scarborough - and chatted to Andy (guitarist with Hull band Quel Dommage and the brains behind Xcentric Noise) who worked there, about which singles he thought might be worth reviewing. He suggested 'Waterfront'. I took a listen but wasn't sufficiently impressed to put pen to paper unfortunately. I guess it didn't fit with the type of music I was into at that time. 

It's a shame I didn't ask @Fergwards to do the honours for me. It might have read something like this. "Waterfront is rolling thunder and sheets of rain. It flies and swoons and drives you forward. Likely in my top 10 or close to it."

Nick Young instantly remembered how Simple Minds opened with 'Waterfront' when he saw them play live in the 80s. Support was Irish rock band In Tua Nua. Nick said "It was around the time of Amnesty International. They had fliers and people made aeroplanes and threw them at them."

Kevin Webster recalled how "When Simple Minds toured the Sparkle in the Rain album they'd open with 'Waterfront' and it was that well received it became an opener for many concerts after. Hearing the intro just before they burst on stage was brilliant!

The Smiths - This Charming Man

Photo courtesy of Bazzy

If I'd been a betting woman my money would have been on 'This Charming Man' winning the contest. As it turned out, it was the runner up. 

Bringing things right up to date, these incredible photos of Morrissey and Johnny Marr were taken by @7Bigmouth7

There will be much more about The Smiths in my book.

Spandau Ballet - True

Another cracking little story courtesy of Kevin Webster involving his 91 year old mum. "My mom told us she liked the song "the sound of muscle" Well it got us kids stumped until it came on the radio. Spandau's song 'True'. Lyrics "the sound of my soul" Oh gord!"

An easy mistake to make... Perhaps she was getting it muddled with ‘Muscle Bound’.

Spear of Destiny - Flying Scotsman

Seeing this Spear of Destiny tune in the poll triggered some great memories for Steve Oxlee. He recalled how he first heard 'The Flying Scotsman' live at a gig in Aston Uni, May, 1986. He went on to say "Kirk Brandon's vocal was so distinct, sweepingly emotive and it really struck a cord (excuse the pun) with me. The song also mirrored the audience that night, who were unexpectedly tight-knit, yet welcoming. Decades later, and re-listening to 'The Flying Scotsman', i can close my eyes and feel the heavy basslines and driving drums that perfectly matched the locomotive imagery of the song that night."

When I read Mike Burton's comment saying he was a roadie for Spear of Destiny when they played Manchester University in Oct 1984, I was keen to know more. Mike told me, "I was more of a "humper" to be honest, moving the cases and equipment in and out of the students union. Did it for a few bands that year, including Sisters of Mercy. Think we got paid £10 for the afternoon and evening, a couple of places on the guest list and a very late night curry/beers."

The Style Council - Money Go Round

For me 1983 was the year I spent mourning the loss of The Jam. I've grown to appreciate The Style Council's music as the years have passed but it took a long time. Friends would record their albums and force them on me in an attempt to prove there was life after The Jam - to no avail. However, I did buy just one of their singles in real time and that was 'Money Go Round'. 

I was really pleased when Russell Cox shared those razor sharp cutting lyrics.

The Style Council - The Paris Match

Whenever I think of this song I think of the review my late dad wrote for issue four of Kindred Spirit of Everything But the Girl's 'Eden'. Although it's not the single version of 'Paris Match', I thought Tracey Thorne's vocals elevated the song to a different level. There is much more about my dad's review and interesting background info included in my book. 

Who remembers seeing this front cover of Melody Maker? Thanks again to Russell Cox for sharing.

Bringing things right up to date, Sue Broome caught Paul Weller at Exhibition Park, Newcastle and took these fantastic photos.

The Subhumans - Evolution

I found an interesting article, originally posted in October 1995 in American magazine Satya. As with many of the anarcho-punk bands and fanzines of the early 80s, it focussed on vegetarianism, animal rights, and social justice. 

In the article there is a little history about how it was European anarchist punk bands who introduced lyrics revolving around vegetarianism and animal rights into their music. The author went on to cite The Subhumans’ ‘Evolution’ as an example by quoting some of the lyrics. “Out in the garden there is a little white cat/And you're catching cancer as you smoke that fag/"When will they find the cure?" you choke/When enough cats have died of smoke?/And they say that animals go for the throat."

It brought back memories of seeing the band's name and music covered in various different fanzines back in 1983.

@MarkWitty3 was a big fan of The Subhumans. He said, "Here's a pic from summer 1983, me onstage with Dick (Lucas) singing along with 'Animal'. Still got the cut off leather in the pic, I painted the first album cover on the back and Dick signed it."

This Mortal Coil - Song to the Siren

Here's an example of a song I'd forgotten about prior to the polls starting. It was one a friend recorded for me on one of the aforementioned mix tapes we all used to put together for each other. It is hauntingly beautiful. 

What I didn't realise is it was a cover version. Strawberry Switchblade Fan Site provided some interesting background information.

"Bizarrely, the first released version of 'Song To The Siren' was by Pat Boone, complete with pirate impressions and sea sound effects. This Mortal Coil was a kind of 4AD all-stars project of covers. The original was by Tim Buckley in 1970 but it's one of those songs like 'Wild Horses' and 'Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying' where a cover came out first so the writer's original version is technically a cover. Buckley did this beautiful solo version on the final episode of The Monkees TV show in March 1968, nearly 3 years before the studio version was released."

Tom Robinson - War Baby

I don't think I was alone in expecting this intriguing track to go much further than it did. Written by Tom Robinson when he was living in Hamburg at a low point in his career, the lyrics to 'War Baby' conjure up many images. 

Tom arrived back at the flat where he was staying one night. He wrote the words "only the very young and the very beautiful can be so aloof." on a sheet of paper. From that point the words started pouring out on to the page. He filled around ten sheets of paper. It took him a good few months to condense what he'd written into a four minute song, but to quote Tom "It came from a very, very deep place within me. I think it’s the most truthful song that I’ve written, because I didn’t think about it at all. The great artists are able to connect with a very deep part of themselves spontaneously, and I think that’s the closest I ever came to doing it.”

@harryhpalmer saw Tom on the tour promoting his Hope and Glory album. He provided more background information about 'War Baby'. "Tom had been made bankrupt so moved to Germany where he wrote the song - one he is most proud of writing. He then came back to the UK to record and release it on his own label as he couldn't get a record deal. That turned out to be a blessing, financially, when it was a big hit."

Babs recalled how she and her friends used to take it in turns to put 'War Baby' on the jukebox in their local pub. This immediately brought to mind a personal memory from my fanzine writing days.

In issue four we interviewed a young local band called Vudu Kikx. I described them as “a cross between Play Dead and Sex Gang Children” (despite them trying to convince me they were heavily influenced by Cyndi Lauper!) The interview took place in a pub in Hull's old town. When I later played back the recording, I realised somebody had put 'War Baby' on repeat on the pub jukebox. It was playing continuously throughout to the point where I struggled to focus on the content of the interview.

@EnglishProse has memories of a very different kind linked to the song. "A raw, powerful & beautiful song. It reminds me of when I was forced to attend a week-long army cadets training camp though my school. I remember being thrown out of bed at 5.30AM, sweltering in the uniform by day, & wading through rivers at night. War Baby captured my torment."

UB40 - Red Red Wine

I've always had a soft spot for UB40. I take on board the comments a lot of people made throughout the poll about them becoming a covers band but I don't entirely agree. Their early stuff was in another stratosphere! And interspersed between the Labour of Love albums, I thought they produced some pretty original stuff. 

I remember going to see UB40 in Leeds in 1984. Before they appeared on stage the audience watched a 30 minute promotional film for Labour of Love. Whenever I hear 'Red Red Wine' I always think about Ali Campbell playing the part of a depressed man drowning his sorrows in a pub over a girl. Ironically though, in the film he was drinking pints of beer not red red wine!

@harryhpalmer provided yet more interesting facts about the song. "Written and released by Neil Diamond in 1967 it didn't dent the US Charts (No.67). But UB40's number one version, was actually based on Tony Tribe's version, released in 1969, which reached just 46 in UK charts. UB40's version was not a big hit in the US in 1983. It went to number one there five years later."

Van Halen - Jump

Sal remembered getting through on a Radio One phone in competition with Janice Long. She told me, "Sadly I didn't get my question right, but I got to request a song and I asked for this! I still love it. Incidentally the question was, which pop star's mum used to clean for Paul McCartney? The answer was Adam Ant."

Kevin Webster has memories of a different kind altogether. "The only Van Halen I know is when Marty McFly used some of Eddie's guitar on his Walkman to convince his future Dad he was an alien from another planet in Back To The Future. It worked anyway."

Here's a rundown of all 252 songs. I hope you've enjoyed reading. For updates about my book, links to all Kindred Spirit's social media pages can be found at the foot of the page. 

1. New Order – Blue Monday
2. The Smiths – This Charming Man
3. Big Country – In a Big Country
4. Funboy Three – Our Lips Are Sealed
5. Echo & the Bunnymen – The Cutter
6. Frankie Goes to Hollywood – Relax
7. Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel
8. U2 – Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. David Bowie – Let’s Dance
10. The Style Council – Speak Like a Child
11. Orange Juice – Rip it Up
12. Big Country – Fields of Fire
13. Heaven 17 – Temptation
14. The Style Council – Long Hot Summer
15. Simple Minds – Waterfront
16. Talking Heads – Burning Down the House
17. The Alarm – Sixty Eight Guns
18. Siouxsie & the Banshees – Dear Prudence
19. David Bowie – Modern Love
20. Depeche Mode – Everything Counts
21. The Smiths – Hand in Glove
22. Wham! – Club Tropicana
23. The Cure – The Love Cats
24. Big Country – Chance
25. PIL – This is Not a Love Song
26. U2 – New Year’s Day
27. Tears for Fears – Pale Shelter
28. The Style Council – A Solid Bond in Your Heart
29. The Lotus Eaters – The First Picture of You
30. Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse of the Heart
31. Funboy Three – The Tunnel of Love
32. Elvis Costello – Everyday I Write the Book
33. Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue
34. Tears for Fears – Change
35. Thompson Twins – Hold Me Now
36. The The – This is the Day
37. Echo & the Bunnymen – Never Stop
38. The Beat – Can’t Get Used to Losing You
39. Nena – 99 Luftballons
40. Mike Oldfield – Moonlight Shadow
41. Madness – The Sun and the Rain
42. Heaven 17 – Crushed by the Wheels of Industry
43. The Style Council – Money Go Round
44. Human League – (Keep Feeling) Fascination
45. Aztec Camera – Oblivious
46. Altered Images – Don’t Talk to Me About Love
47. Malcolm McLaren – Double Dutch
48. David Bowie – China Girl
49. UB40 – Many Rivers to Cross
50. Spandau Ballet – True
51. Van Halen – Jump
52. The The – Perfect
53. The Sisters of Mercy – Temple of Love
54. Nick Heyward – Whistle Down the Wind
55. ABC - That Was Then but This is Now
56. The Kinks – Don’t Forget to Dance
57. Yazoo – Nobody’s Diary
58. Bananarama – Cruel Summer
59. Madness – Tomorrow’s Just Another Day
60. Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams
61. Slade – My Oh My
62. Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
63. Yes – Owner of a Lonely Heart
64. Lionel Richie - All Night Long (All Night)
65. Stiff Little Fingers – The Price of Admission
66. The Pretenders – 2000 Miles
67. China Crisis – Christian
68. Kajagoogoo – Too Shy
69. Elton John – I’m Still Standing
70. The Bluebells – Cath
71. Joan Armatrading – Drop the Pilot
72. Killing Joke - Let’s All Go (To the Fire Dances)
73. This Mortal Coil – Song to the Siren
74. Howard Jones – What is Love?
75. Wang Chung – Dance Hall Days
76. Paul Young – Love of the Common People
77. Iron Maiden – Trooper
78. Aztec Camera – Walk Out to Winter
79. The B52s - Songs for a Future Generation
80. Redskins – Lean on Me
81. The Assembly – Never Never
82. Bruce Foxton – Freak
83. The Cure – The Walk
84. Soft Cell – Soul Inside
85. Elton John – I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues
86. Pat Benatar – Love is a Battlefield
87. Howard Jones – New Song
88. Fiction Factory – Feels Like Heaven
89. Freeez – I.O.U.
90. Eurythmics – Who’s That Girl
91. Kraftwerk – Tour de France
92. Bob Marley & the Wailers – Buffalo Soldier
93. The Creatures – Miss the Girl
94. The Chameleons – Up the Down Escalator
95. The Fall – The Man Whose Head Expanded
96. OMD – Telegraph
97. Level 42 – The Sun Goes Down (Living it Up)
98. JoBoxers – Boxer Beat
99. Cyndi Lauper – Girls Just Want to Have Fun
100. Duran Duran – Is There Something I Should Know?
101. Heaven 17 – Come Live With Me
102. The Style Council – The Paris Match
103. Rufus/Chaka Khan – Ain’t Nobody
104. Rose of Victory – Suffragette City
105. Michael Jackson – Beat It
106. Men at Work – Overkill
107. Culture Club – Church of the Poison Mind
108. Quiet Riot – Cum on Feel the Noize
109. Matthew Wilder – Break My Stride
110. Cabaret Voltaire – Just Fascination
111. China Crisis - Wishful Thinking
112. Prince – Little Red Corvette
113. JoBoxers – Just Got Lucky
114. Ultravox – We Came to Dance
115. The Police – Wrapped Around Your Finger
116. Blancmange – Waves
117. Bauhaus - Lagartija Nick
118. Metallica – Whiplash
119. The Adicts – Bad Boy
120. Kissing the Pink – The Last Film
121. The Undertones – Got to Have You Back
122. Black Uhuru – What is Life?
123. Cocteau Twins – Sugar Hiccup
124. Spear of Destiny – The Wheel
125. UK Subs – Another Typical City
126. Bryan Adams – Cuts Like a Knife
127. Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)
128. Tom Robinson – War Baby
129. Paul Young – Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)
130. ZZ Top – Gimme All Your Lovin’
131. Duran Duran – Union of the Snake
132. The Flying Pickets – Only You
133. The Undertones – Chain of Love
134. The Replacements – Color Me Impressed
135. Madonna – Holiday
136. The Imposter (Elvis Costello) – Pills and Soap
137. The Monochrome Set – The Jet Set Junta
138. H20 – I Dream to Sleep
139. The Stranglers – European Female
140. Altered Images – Bring Me Closer
141. The Alarm – The Stand
142. Snowy White – Bird of Paradise
143. The Icicle Works - Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream)
144. Violent Femmes – Gone Daddy Gone
145. Spear of Destiny – Flying Scotsman
146. Billy Joel – Goodnight Saigon
147. Grace Jones – My Jamaican Guy
148. Crass - Sheep Farming in the Falklands
149. Def Leppard – Photograph
150. Carmel – Bad Day
151. King Kurt – Destination Zululand
152. Julian Cope – Sunshine Playroom
153. INXS – Black and White
154. OMD – Genetic Engineering
155. Dio – Holy Diver
156. X – The New World
157. The Beat – Ackee 1-2-3
158. GBH – Catch 23
159. Fleetwood Mac – Can’t Go Back
160. The Go-Betweens – Cattle and Cane
161. X Mal Deutschland – Qual
162. Anthrax – Capitalism is Cannibalism
163. Howard Devoto – Rainy Season
164. Cocteau Twins – From the Flagstones
165. Oingo Boingo – Nothing Bad Ever Happens
166. The Exploited – Rival Leaders
167. Taco – Putting on the Ritz
168. Janie Jones & the Lash - House of the Ju-Ju Queen
169. The Icicle Works – Love is a Wonderful Colour
170. The Fall – Kicker Conspiracy
171. Thompson Twins – Love on Your Side
172. The Police – Synchronicity II
173. Strawberry Switchblade – Trees and Flowers
174. The SOS Band – Just Be Good to Me
175. The Police – Every Breath You Take
176. Spandau Ballet – Gold
177. Nick Heyward – Take That Situation
178. Culture Club – Karma Chameleon
179. New Order – Confusion
180. Prince – Delirious
181. Tracey Ullman – They Don’t Know
182. The Creatures – Right Now
183. The Teardrop Explodes – You Disappear From View
184. Bauhaus – She’s in Parties
185. Madness – Wings of a Dove
186. Marillion – Garden Party
187. Bow Wow Wow – Do You Wanna Hold Me?
188. UB40 – Red Red Wine
189. Rod Stewart – Baby Jane
190. Thompson Twins – We Are Detective
191. Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon
192. Ultravox – Visions in Blue
193. The Angels – Eat City
194. ZZ Top – Sharp Dressed Man
195. Herbie Hancock – Rockit
196. Subhumans – Evolution
197. The Bananamen – The Crusher
198. Billy Joel – Uptown Girl
199. The Birthday Party – Mutiny!
200. Genesis – Mama
201. Red Guitars – Good Technology
202. Eurythmics – Right By Your Side
203. Freur – Doot Doot
204. Michael Jackson – Thriller
205. Michael Jackson – Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
206. Ryan Paris – Dolce Vita
207. Men at Work – It’s a Mistake
208. X Mal Deutschland – Incubus Succubus II
209. Roman Holliday – Don’t Try to Stop It
210. Robert Plant – Big Log
211. Cabaret Voltaire – Yashar
212. Matt Fretton – It’s So High
213. Mtume – Juice Fruits
214. The Glove – Punish Me With Kisses
215. U2 – Two Hearts Beat as One
216. Icon AD – Say No
217. The Chameleons – As High As You Can Go
218. Mötley Crüe – Shout at the Devil
219. Yello – I Love You
220. The Adicts – How Sad (Qué Triste)
221. Toy Dolls – Alfie From the Bronx
222. Vice Squad – Black Sheep
223. Play Dead – Shine
224. Chris & Cosey – October (Love Song)
225. Dennis Waterman/George Cole – What Are We
226. The Glove – Like an Animal
227. The Fixx – One Thing Leads to Another
228. Sex Gang Children – Sebastiane
229. Iron Maiden – Flight of Icarus
230. Peter & the Test Tube Babies – Zombie Creeping Flesh
231. Mary Jane Girls – All Night Long
232. Nick Heyward – On a Sunday
233. Dolly Mixture – Remember This
234. The Blood – Megalomania
235. The Romantics – Rock it Up
236. The Chameleons – A Person Isn’t Safe Anywhere These Days
237. Sex Gang Children – Mauritia Mayer
238. Ministry – Revenge (You Did it Again)
239. Marine Girls – Don’t Come Back
240. The Romantics – Talking in Your Sleep
241. Violent Femmes – Ugly
242. The Isley Brothers – Between the Sheets
243. Yello – Lost Again
244. Blitz – Telecommunication
245. Redgum – I Was Only 19
246. Alien Sex Fiend – Ignore the Machine
247. Mari Wilson – Wonderful
248. Journey – Faithfully
249. New Edition – Candy Girl
250. Section 25 – Back to Wonder
251. Rick James – Cold Blooded
252. Alain Souchon – On Avance

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