8 of the 80s: 10/11/12...

Hey gang, it's time for another trip to the 80s with eight more nuggets from 1981, the year John Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan to get the attention of one miss Jodi Foster, making him as clueless as he is criminal.

A Taste Of Honey - "Sukiyaki"
from the album Twice As Sweet (1980)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #3

Former disco queens come back with a translated Japanese hit from 1963 hit by Kyu Sakamoto, who died on the Japan Airlines 123 crash in 1985.

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Manhattan Transfer - "Boy From New York City"
from the album Mecca For Moderns (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7

Another remake from the early 60's, this time the 1964 Ad Libs hit redone by the vocal group supreme.


Franke & The Knockouts - "Sweetheart"
from the album Franke and The Knockouts (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #10

Jersey Boys get a top-10 hit with a single with a video that basically was a living pun of their name.


Bruce Springsteen - "Fade Away"
from the album The River (1980)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #20

The Springsteen hit no one remembers.Believe it or not, this song peaked three notches higher than "Born To Run".


Carl Carlton - "She's A Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)"
from the album Carl Carlton (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #22

Carl matured in reverse, going from "Everlasting Love" to this in 8 years.


Billy Squier - "In The Dark"
from the album Don't Say No (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35

Billy's debut album is the best solo male hard rock album of the early 80s.


Rick James - "Give It To Me Baby"
from the album Street Songs (1981)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #40

My all-time favorite Rick James song, 10x more awesome than "Super Freak". And that's saying a lot.


Queen - "Flash's Theme aka Flash"
from the album Flash Gordon (Soundtrack) (1980)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #42

Before there was The Avengers, before there was The Fantastic Four, there was Flash. And yes, I have the vinyl album of this.

That does it for tonight. Thanks for stopping by, and come back tomorrow for another Song of the Day, Candletime, and my top-100 tunes for the week. Cheers!