Tuesday, January 9, 2018

My Two Cents: Number One Exactly 30 Years Ago: "Got My Mind Set On You" by George Harrison (1988)


Hello, one and all and welcome to a new and improved Top Five - 1980s edition!

The late, great ex-Beatle George Harrison had a comeback of sorts with his 1987 smash hit: "Got My Mind Set On You". It was produced by Jeff Lynne, one of the founding members of the 1970's UK band Electric Light Orchestra or ELO for short. The star would enjoy a sweet one week stay at number one and would be the "spiritual" Beatle, known to many as "The Quiet Beatle",'s third solo number one overall. "My Sweet Lord" in 1970 and "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)" in 1973. His biggest hit prior to this one was in 1981 when he went to number two with "All Those Years Ago". He would have a top 20 hit: "When We Was Fab" which was a wink-and-nod tribute to his days with the Fab Four. He passed on in 2001 after years of smoking contributed to his throat cancer. He had a son, Dhani Harrison who himself is a musician.

Got My Mind Set On You George Harrison Video


Rounding Out The Top Five, January 16, 1988


New Jersey pop/soul icon Whitney Houston slipped back to number two with her dance-y pop/R&B jam "So Emotional". It was her sixth number one in a streak that in life, netted her a total of eleven number ones in her 20+ year career. The daughter of renowned gospel singer Cissy Houston and the cousin of Dionne Warwick, despite her many accomplishments, would battle drug and alcohol demons until her untimely death in 2012 of drug-induced drowning.



The King of Pop would enjoy a comeback of elevated proportions with his 1987 comeback album, "Bad" which netted him his third consecutive future number one with "The Way You Make Me Feel". His last official collaboration with super-music producer Quincy Jones and would have a massively popular MTV video that gave notice to a dancer/model named Tatiana Thumbtzen of which Jackson and his dancers tried to woo. Jackson had passed away in 2009, believed to be induced by a propofal overdose by his then doctor, Conrad Murray. His demons and quirks were indeed stuff of legend; but, so is his list of accomplishments and accolades in a career that began in 1969 as the lead singer of his family group, "The Jackson 5".




The Australian band INXS, with smoldering lead singer Michael Hutchence, were poised to score their first US number one, the rock/funk jam: "Need You Tonight". A song that seems to owe a massive debt to the late rock/funk/soul pioneer, Prince, due to its use of staccato funk drum percussion and use of rhythm guitar and provocative lyrics. Hutchence died in 1997, believed to have been an accidental suicide via asphyxiation.




Teen pop-mall queen Tiffany would eventually score her second consecutive number one with the Lois Blaisch composition: "Could've Been". Her mall appearances and girl-next-door allure would cement her briefly as an 80's pop teen icon as the late-80's would usher in a crop of teen pop music acts such as New Kids on the Block, The Boys, and Debbie Gibson. It would be her last number one and her career faded even before the decade ended. Her last hit? The top-10 1989 hit: "All This Time."


Until next time...





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