1982 - "Rio" - Duran Duran

Those of us in junior high will remember the playful decadence on display in this cutting edge video. What sometimes gets lost in the shuffle is that the fab five played the instruments and wrote the songs. "Rio" sports one of the catchiest bass lines of all time.

"Rio" hooks us in with the grandiose intro before giving way to a bouncy, maniacal John Taylor bass line and Andy Taylor's timely guitar riffs, setting up the iconic singalong chorus about the mystical Rio dancing on the sand. The song changes gears a few times, including an amazing sax climb before the last chorus.

Back to Rio: does she really exist? 

Well, yes...as a metaphor. 

According to SongFacts, Duran Duran explained on the VH1 show True Spin that Rio is a metaphor for America, and the song expressed their desire to succeed there, which they of course did.

I'd always thought LeBon said "...evidently run you down... in the lyrics during the bridge : "Hey now (wow) look at that did he nearly run you down. Before Google we experienced dozens of similar examples. 

"Rio" is still a favourite at Duran concerts, and often during an extended version when Simon LeBon introduces band members to the audience. I was fortunate to have seen it played in the encore of their 2011 gig at Montreal's Bell Centre.

Other favourites from 1982: 

"Pale Shelter" - Tears For Fears

"Gypsy" – Fleetwood Mac

"Africa" – Toto

1981 - "Urgent" - Foreigner

We were on the cusp of the video revolution in 1981. Although classic rock still dominated the radio, new wave tunes were edging up the charts. "Urgent" is a sort of hybrid: a rock tune embracing the synths. The track oozes confidence: the guitars, the sax solo, the keyboard riff, the vocal delivery. 

Maybe it was puberty knocking on the door, but I loved the bloated machismo. The pulsating intro. The irresistible beat. Lou Gramm's vocals about an impending hookup. The unrelenting sax solo. 

It still holds up after all these years; the track is still a solid addition to any road trip playlist.

I believe I was introduced to "Urgent" on the K-Tel album compilation Hit Express which also featured Loverboy, Journey and the like. I didn't realize until much later that it was a young Thomas Dolby playing the keyboards (recall "She Blinded Me With Science"?).

Other favourites from 1981: 

"I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)" - Hall & Oates

"The Sound of the Crowd" – The Human League

"Under Pressure" – Queen & David Bowie

1980 - "A Forest" - The Cure

The kids in our neighbourhood used to build forts in the woods behind the trailer park. We also played Big Foot along a partially cut path that we coined the Bogeyman Trail. This song captures that feeling of being chased into the trees. The bass dangles and the guitar jangles, creating over-the-shoulder glancing and a feeling of unease.

After having bought the "Standing On A Beach" singles collection in the mid-80s, "A Forest" was the song that hooked me on The Cure, making me double-down to explore the rest of their deep catalogue. 

A former all-time favourite, I no longer binge listen to it. Brooding guitar, ominous bass and haunting keys all build a relentless atmospheric tension. Years later, it would have fit right on the soundtrack for The Blair Witch Project. 

This is a song best enjoyed in solitude, cranked up high on headphones or on a stereo with a good set of speakers.

By the time the second verse is over I'm totally gripped, lost inside a dream inside my head. The throbbing bass, the pounding drums and the synths are all working overtime. 

Fave lyrics: "The girl was never there, it's always the same, I'm running towards nothing again and again and again..."

Below is a video of an almost 14 minute long live version from The Cure's Wish tour in 1992. It's far and away my all-time favourite live version of any song. I love how it builds then quiets down only to build back up again (and again and again....). Robert Smith even gives us a bonus, an extra verse as a sort of second bridge before the tune explodes for the grand finale. 

I can listen to it again and again and again...

Other favourites from 1980: 

"Echo Beach" – Martha & the Muffins 

"Don’t Stand So Close To Me" – The Police 

"Sailing" – Christopher Cross 

1979 - "Take the Long Way Home" - Supertramp

Goosebumps. I get them every time the keyboards give way to the harmonica in the iconic intro of "Take the Long Way Home" by Supertramp. 

The harmonica continues to weave in and out as the pondering lyrics causes your mind to wander. As the melody meanders, it sweeps you along for a unplanned ride through your own life. The sax and harmonica solos in the middle are a highlight. 

I was at Bruce Jordan's 10th birthday party when I first remember hearing the Breakfast in America album. Still love all of the singles and the "Goodbye Toby" parody on The Office was cute. 

"Take the Long Way Home" will forever be one of my favourite driving songs, best experienced when you have a little extra time to take the scenic route.

Other favourites from 1979: 

"Message in a Bottle" – The Police

"Walking on the Moon" – The Police

"What a Fool Believes" – Doobie Brothers

"Transmission" – Joy Division

1978 - "Rock Lobster" - The B-52s

For many of us, this song was a kooky introduction to the fascinating world of marine biology and cowbell percussion. For some of us, this early new wave anthem was also an initiation to a social activity called slam dancing that used to fill the floor with tomfoolery at the Banook Canoe Club in Dartmouth. 

From the opening guitar and synth riffs, "Rock Lobster" by The B-52s is both catchy and menacing. 

The lyrics are silly and fun, sometimes hysterical, always ridiculous: "There they saw a rock. It wasn't a rock. It was a Rock Lobster." 

While the frenetic guitar riff is a throwback to surfer rock, the track turns on its head halfway in to pure chaos, becoming almost punk.

The interplay that follows between Fred Schneider's lead vocals and Kate Pierson's sound effects are mind blowing.

When the dust settles, "Rock Lobster" may have been that magic point in time where the rawness of punk collided with the innovation of new wave. Regardless, this is a polarizing track, one you either adore or despise.

Other favourites from 1978: 

"Baker Street" – Gerry Rafferty

"September" – Earth, Wind and Fire

"Sultans of Swing" – Dire Straits