Nerd Pride Radio

Going to try to get this moving, gauging interest. If no one cares, that's fine.

What's your favorite song that came out in 1985?

Here's a good primer of the big hits:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list ... 9LKqDfm6jk

Here's a good list of the consensus best albums:
https://www.besteveralbums.com/yearstats.php?y=1985

Nominate a song below or here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIp ... sp=sf_link

Here are songs automatically on the nomination list:

We Are the World - Grammy Best Record winner, sold over 15M copies, on RIAA Songs of the Century list,
Born in the U.S.A. - Grammy Best Record nominee, on Rolling Stone Best Songs of All Time list (#275), RIAA Songs of the Centry
Money for Nothing - Grammy BR nominee
The Power of Love - Grammy BR nominee
The Boys of Summer - Grammy BR nominee, RS List
Careless Whisper - Billboard top pop song
Lost in the Fifties Tonight - Billboard top country song
Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake) - Billboard top R&B song
Sun City - Winner of the Pazz & Jop poll

In 1985 my favorite song would have been Like a Virgin (Madonna) or You're the Inspiration (Chicago). Now, my favorite song is probably One Night in Bangkok (Murray Head).

Oh wow, so many good ones to choose!

Favorites were probably Take on Me by Aha, Shout by Tears for Fears, Money for Nothing, Heaven by Bryan Adams, One More Night by Phil Collins, You're the Inspiration by Chicago, All I Need by Jack Wagner, One Night in Bangkok, Voices Carry by Til Tuesday, The Search is Over by Survivor, Never Surrender by Corey Hart, Summer of '69, I Can't Hold Back, Born in the USA, I'm on Fire, Glory Days, Every Time You Go Away, We Are the World. That's a lot. The first two are probably in order, the rest are probably a mishmash. Not sure I could really rank them.

Feels lame picking this since it's the top result on the consensus best albums list, but hard for me to think of a better song from 1985 than Hounds of Love.

Born in the USA would be up there too.

OK, how does this work? Two of my favorites that were "chart hits" in 85 actually came out in 84 - should we loosely go with either the year they were released or the year they became hits, or do you plan to do multiple years so we should differentiate?

Now I have to go put my 80's playlist in iTunes on shuffle...

This is much tougher than I thought it would be. Freshman year to early Sophomore year of college... the time when I met my wife, my best man... his wife... (who came close to being the girl who broke up both of our relationships... and later came out as polyamorous. She probably really had feelings for both me and my friend. We are still friends. They are still married.) And a time period when I went through some major personal issues and finally dealt with, to some extent, a major problem in my life... (Possibly at the expense of a full grade point drop in one or two classes... I guess I'll never know if I could have done better without the drama.)

But, THE MUSIC! It was also the time period when I actually co-wrote the only song I ever wrote... I wish I had the music to it instead of just having it in my memory. (I'm not sure who has it or if it's still written down.)

As to favorites...

From the "Hits" and ones on the "Lists":
Money for Nothing - this has to top my list. Brothers in Arms was in my 5-disc changer along with 3 other Dire Straits albums and Steely Dan's greatest hits for most of Grad School. I'd get home from school, poor a scotch, turn out the lights, and put that set of depressing shit on shuffle. Yeah... there's probably a reason I didn't finish grad school, eh?
Take On Me - I just love this song!
One Night In Bangkok - I am a fan of the Musical Chess, though I like a strange combination of the songs from the original and the US bastardization.
Raspberry Beret - just a great song

Songs that are less known:
Why Worry - Dire Straits from Brothers in Arms - This song has always been my favorite song on the album. It is just achingly beautiful and it would have to be my absolute favorite song from 1985. And Mark Knopfler actually almost SINGS on it!

Nice Stuff!

Money for Nothing's so good and yet that one word I have a hard time with, even though I know he's playing a bigot. Gotta remember it's not any different than what Ice Cube and Johnny Cash and Eastwood and Tarantino does with violence. It's storytelling.

But "Why Worry" is solid!

Surprised by three mentions so far of "One Night in Bangkok"! Love for "Take On Me" less surprising, probably a shoo-in to the next phase of this (whatever that may be).

Been trying to figure my picks. I really may make a full-throated endorsement of "Walking on Sunshine," one of those songs that feels like it's always existed.

I'm also trying to figure out how to narrow this down. My thought is to pick about 20, and then have a guest and me narrow those songs down to 5 new nominees, and then pick our favorite, but post a poll of those 5 afterwards to see what the public thinks.

Spotify has a Billboard Top 100 of 1985 playlist, and it turns out I really like 1985.

And She Was
One Night in Bangkok
Voices Carry
Money for Nothing
Don't You (Forget About Me)
Take On Me
Shout
Careless Whispers
Raspberry Beret
Don't Come Around Here No More

My Top 10 from Billboard charts... roughly in order.

There are others that never charted, but they will take more thinking.

Edited... replaced Material Girl with Don't Come Around Here No More.

And because I'm obsessive, here's . 406 songs in all.

There is universal love for One Night in Bangkok, no reason to fight it! My husband's favorite song of this year is Walking on Sunshine.

Oh shit, I forgot about Don't Come Around Here No More! Great one! And Night Ranger (Goodbye, Sentimental Street)! Simple Minds, Alive and Kicking! Damn, that was a really great year!

Crazy for You is about one of the only Madonna songs I really liked for some reason. Some of the rest were okay, but just.