Welcome, everyone, to another installment of Bottom Feeders, your weekly look at the Billboard Hot 100 chart from #41 down during the 1980s. This week we tackle the first half of the letter I, and you should really pay attention this go-round since this might be the first time in all these 42 weeks that I can’t say even one song is bad. We’ve had many weeks stand out as really good, but I’d venture to say this is the top week overall. I guess I’ll find out in the comments if you agree.
Janis Ian
“Under the Covers” — 1981, #71 (download)
Though Janis Ian (“At Seventeen”) had been releasing albums and singles since 1966, “Under the Covers” was only her third song to hit the Hot 100. It was also her last. Ian is an outspoken critic of the RIAA and believes that downloading and enjoying a track for free will actually help album sales in the long run. Rock on, Janis.
Icehouse
“We Can Get Together” — 1981, #62 (download)
“No Promises” — 1986, #79 (download)
“My Obsession” — 1988, #88 (download)
“Touch the Fire” — 1989, #84 (download)
Show of hands — how many of you knew Icehouse had hits other than 1988’s “Electric Blue”? Okay, now keep your hand up if you knew they had a Hot 100 hit way back in 1981. Not too many, huh? Those of you who followed the Australian charts in the ‘80s probably knew, since Icehouse were one of the biggest Aussie acts of the decade. But in the U.S., after “We Can Get Together,” “No Promises” was their next charting single a mere five years later. It’s a shame — Icehouse are a severely underappreciated band here in the States. Their early sound is much more new wave than the slicked-up pop of the later years, but both periods yielded many quality tunes. “My Obsession” should’ve been huge: it was the follow-up to “Electric Blue,” which was cowritten by John Oates and reached #7, yet even with an almost perfect sing-along chorus, it couldn’t muster enough strength to make it into the Top 40.
