Here we go again….hope you all enjoy!!!
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Money For Nothing – Dire Straits
“Money for Nothing” is a song recorded by British group Dire Straits, which first appeared on their 1985 album Brothers in Arms and subsequently became an international hit when released as a single. It peaked at number one for three weeks in the United States, becoming their most successful single, and also peaked at number one for three weeks on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart. In the band’s native UK, the song peaked at number 4. The recording was notable for its controversial lyrics, groundbreaking music video and a cameo appearance by Sting singing the song’s falsetto introduction and backing chorus, “I want my MTV”. The video was also the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network started on August 1, 1987.
“Money for Nothing” won the Grammy for the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with a Vocal in 1985 at the 28th annual Grammy Awards.
99 Luftballons – Nena
“99 Luftballons” is a Cold War-era protest song by the German singer Nena. Originally sung in German, it was later re-recorded in English as “99 Red Balloons”.
“99 Luftballons” reached #1 in West Germany in 1983. In 1984, the original German version also peaked at #2 on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart and the English-language version topped the UK Singles Chart. The German version topped the Australian charts for five weeks and the New Zealand charts for one week.
When it made the charts in the United States, most US radio DJs incorrectly assumed that “99 Luftballons” translated to English as “99 Red Balloons” and spoke the number 99 in English, saying “Ninety-nine Luftballoons.” The original name of “99 Luftballons” is “Neunundneunzig Luftballons.”
The translation of the title is sometimes given as “Ninety-Nine Air Balloons”, however “Ninety-Nine Balloons” is also correct. A Luftballon is a colourful toy balloon, rather than a balloon for transport or research. The name is derived from Luft, German for air, but the meaning of Luft does not qualify the type of balloon. The title “99 Red Balloons” almost scans correctly with the syllables falling in the right places within the rhythm of the first lines of lyrics, with “red” replacing “Luft”. The only difference is the missing counterpart to the German syllable “-zig” in “Neunundneunzig”.
The Safety Dance – Men Without Hats
“The Safety Dance” was the best-selling single by the 1980s synth pop group Men Without Hats, written by frontman Ivan Doroschuk. Released in the United States on March 16,1982 and in the United Kingdom in September 1983, the song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Cash Box, as well as number one on the Billboard Dance Chart. In the United Kingdom the song also proved successful, reaching number six. It was actually released three times before sparking an interest on radio play. The song is the only major international hit for the group. Their follow-up album, Folk of the 80’s (Part III), reached no higher than #127 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart.
The music video for the song is notable for its medieval imagery. It was filmed in the village of West Kington, near Bath, in south-west England. Ivan Doroschuk is the only member of the band to actually perform in the video; the other band members can be seen standing in the entry to one of the buildings in the town square. The dwarf in the video has been identified as actor Mike Edmonds. The identity of blonde girl in the video remains a mystery. The Morris Dance side performing in the video was Chippenham Town Morris from Wiltshire.
Dance Hall Days – Wang Chung
“Dance Hall Days” is one of Wang Chung’s most popular and best known hit singles. It was released in 1984 on the album Points on the Curve. Despite their being from the United Kingdom, this was their only song to make the Top 75 charts in the UK, narrowly missing the Top 20. In the U.S. it peaked at #16 on the Hot 100, reached #8 on the Mainstream Rock radio chart, and went all the way to #1 on the Dance/Disco chart, their highest showing on the latter two charts.
Two versions of a music video were made. The first version of the video, directed by Derek Jarman, is a collection of home movies with the majority of the archive footage consisting of a stage show with swimmers and fountains, and other World War II-era material. Apparently, the footage is courtesy of the director’s father, who was one of the very first people ever to use a color home movie camera. The toddler in the home movie footage is the director himself as a child. The home movies are interspersed amid footage of Jack, Nick, and Darren, lip-synching and playing the violin. The band is also dressed up as characters from The Wizard of Oz at the end of the video, with Jack Hues as the Tin Man, Nick Feldman as the Scarecrow, and Darren Costin as the Lion. The second version of the video is the most well-known, and received heavy rotation airplay at MTV. It is a magical fantasy concept video set in the 1940s, the heyday of dance halls. The video begins in black and white with Jack Hues picking up and reading a flyer outside the dance hall. The next scene, which is filmed in color, features the band performing at the dance hall as couples dance. Later in the video, there are scenes of a disco ball lowering on the dance floor and the emergence of a disco-ball creature sprouting from its egg. The video ends in black and white with Jack Hues leaving the dance hall onto the street, and a suitcase with legs following him. This version was nominated for Best New Artist at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, losing to “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics.
