#90. "To Live and Die in L.A." - Wang Chung (1985)

The only band I'm aware of that has a verb named to honour it, you wouldn't expect a synth-pop outfit like Wang Chung to produce the title track to the gritty crime film "To Live and Die in L.A.". 

Turns out to be a perfect fit: Wang Chung perfectly captures the icy cool atmosphere with an under the radar tune to go with an equally underrated movie. 

Fave lyric: "I wonder why we waste our lives here. When we could run away to paradise".

Bonus video #1:

Everybody Have Fun Tonight" is a light-hearted slice of sprinkles and rainbows and a must play at 80s retro parties. Be careful not too stare too long at the seizure-inducing video or your night may become curtailed. 

Fun flashback: "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" was playing on the video screen when I sneaked underage into Bogart's on Argyle St. and ordered my first rum and coke. It's also when I learned about the concept of tipping: after having pocketed the four quarters I got back as change. What a noob!

Bonus video #2:

Wang Chung's first single and new wave classic "Dance Hall Days" from 1983 almost made my top 100. I only later discovered years later after a Google search that I'd been singing the lyric "We were cool and crazed" incorrectly. In actuality it is the even more ridiculous: "We were cool and cries"... and probably why the tune was scuttled off the list altogether...

#91. "Hold Me Now" - Thompson Twins (1984)

The first single from the 1983 Into the Gap album,"Hold Me Now" has an incredible melody. 

The track features a unique array of instruments: a piano, a xylophone and a plethora of cool percussion (check out the setup of noise-makers behind Alanah Currie: cymbals, bells, rattles and tomtookas!). 

The final chorus drives it home with some really nice vocal harmonies. 

"Hold Me Now" is also the first of six from the epic The Wedding Singer soundtrack to appear on this chart.

The Thompson Twins were no stranger to movie soundtracks. Soon after "Hold Me Now" hit the charts in North America, the ballad "If You Were Here" from Sixteen Candles solidified their standing as household names in the mid-80s.

#92. "Things I Do For Money" - The Northern Pikes (1987)

The second single "Things I Do For Money" by Canadian rockers The Northern Pikes is a far cry from the more radio-friendly and upbeat vibe of "Teenland" and most of their singles in the 90s.

The song shows off the band's depth: I'm a fan of the sparse instrumentation and the moody yet melodic arrangement. The mysterious intro makes it hard to figure out where the tune is heading. In fact, the song starts with minimalist verses that build slowly, before it simmers, dazzles then crashes into a terrific crescendo before the fade to end.

The lyrics are powerful, even chilling, and a perfect match to the dark music.

Fave lyrics: "I used to be quite practical but now I find I'm tactical". 

For comparison, check out their debut single; the more peppy and poppy "Teenland".

#93. "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" - The Proclaimers (1988)

Irresistible. Contagious. Ridiculous. And a bloody good time. 

Who hasn't belted out these lyrics after a couple in public at least once? 

Not only a popular pub number, this catchy little singsong has a petition out there lobbying to make "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" by The Proclaimers the national anthem of Scotland.

And educational. 

It's a bonus that we get to learn a new word in another language. 

As in:

“And if I haver, yeah I know I’m gonna be, I’m gonna be the man who’s havering to you.”

Haver: To talk nonsense, gibberish; to speak rubbish. For the nerds, read more here. 

#94. "The Promise" - When in Rome (1988)

If the one-hit wonder "The Promise" by When In Rome doesn't make you think about tetherball, then you missed out on one of the best movies of the 00s. 

Like The Wedding Singer years before, the classic indie film Napoleon Dynamite dipped into the 80s for its soundtrack. 

"The Promise" has an undeniably wondrous chorus. It exudes an appropriate level of sappiness without overdoing it compared to many of the ballads that topped the charts in the 80s ("Sara", "The Power Of Love" and anything by Air Supply and Whitney Houston come to mind).

An important new wave factoid: released in 1988, "The Promise" was one of the last gasps from the golden age of synth before the domination of rap, R & B and eventually the grunge. Incidently, the glam metal "hair" bands of the 80s followed a similar rise and fall during the decade. Guess it was time for a change.

There was another decent track in the 80s called "The Promise".

In 1985 following their ascent to global domination of the singles charts, Duran Duran took a break and split in half to pursue side projects. Bassist John Taylor and guitarist Andy Taylor went off with Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson to form the rock/funk supergroup The Powerstation (more on them later), while vocalist Simon LeBon, drummer Roger Taylor and keyboard wizard Nick 'The Controller' Rhodes created the synth-driven art rock  outfit called Arcadia. 

Arcadia's So Red The Rose album produced four singles including the #1 hit "Election Day", but for me it's the haunting "The Promise" that stands up the best. Featuring some sweet guitar work of David Gilmour (yep, Pink Floyd), and backing vocals from some Sting fellow Simon ran into during Band-Aid, "The Promise" is a slick piece of production reminiscent of vintage Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry that shows off LeBon's underrated vocal range.