Back to the countdown

Also from the Toy Love file: a New Zealand singles chart from April 1980. The long reign of ‘Little Sister’ has been usurped by another that will match it in longevity: ‘Cruisin’ – a master’s last gasp, years before Botox. ‘I Got You’ has also been in the charts since the Summer, but ‘Little Sister’ has the Elvis factor that makes it perfect for New Zealand singles buyers. Prince is already showing form, four years before Purple Rain.

What strikes me is that every song in the Top 10 is still memorable, except one, even though I was never a dedicated listener of ZM or Hauraki, except in the car (that’s a testimony to the power of TV2’s Ready to Roll). 

How many of these songs, from the latest RIANZ singles chart, will be instantly recalled in 30 years? Maybe Cee Lo, which like Bruno has had 37,000,000 hits on YouTube. (The figures in brackets: last week; weeks in chart.)

1   ‘Grenade’ – Bruno Mars (1, 11)

2   ‘Yeah 3x’ – Chris Brown (2, 7)
3   ‘Firework’ – Katy Perry (5, 14)
4   ‘The Time (Dirty Bit)’ – Black Eyed Peas (3, 8)
5   ‘Higher’ – Taio Cruz feat. Kylie Minogue (-, 5)
6   ‘Raise Your Glass’ – Pink (8, 13)
7   ‘We R Who We R’ – Ke$ha (7, 10)
8   ‘Rocketeer’ – Far East Movement feat. Ryan Tedder (4, 2)
9   ‘Hold My Hand’ – Michael Jackson feat. Akon (6, 6)
10  ‘F**k You’ – Cee Lo Green (9, 18)

The song I can’t recall from April 1980? Teri de Sario’s duet of ‘Yes I’m Ready’ with KC. The 70s were over, and the 80s had just begun … here’s an excerpt, cruelly cut short:

Free and Lovely then a blow wave, since you ask.