Okay…I admit to being a UK popophile (Hey now!). What can I say? The ’80s was the decade of my youth, so naturally I’m going have a special place in my musical heart for songs that come from that era. Nothing wrong with that really, but I try not to get stuck in a particular time frame — even though it seems to be happening more and more.
Since I’ve been listening to a lot of ’80s UK pop, I might as well get some mileage out of this and drag you along. Some of these songs you’ll probably know. Others? Maybe not so much. But one thing’s for sure: they are all in the key of “pop,” so get ready for hooks o’ plenty.
“View From a Bridge,” Kim Wilde (download)
I had such a mad crush on Kim Wilde in high school. It was 1982, and my parents took me on a trip to jolly old England to visit with family and to vacation in both the UK and France. Well, we were watching “Top of the Pops,” and there was Kim singing this song, and I was smitten. It didn’t help matters much that the BBC was playing the crap out of this song and I heard it on the radio almost every day I was there. I bought the LP before leaving England and then proceeded to buy everything else she released until Another Step. Sure, she’s known for “Kids in America, ” and the cover of “You Keep Me Hanging On,” but this song just brings back certain memories for me — like driving up to Scotland with my folks in 1982 in a crappy rental car, blasting this song and really annoying my aunt in the back seat. (more…)
