Hey everyone, and welcome back to another music article! This week, it’s time for another 80s Countdown. I considered revisiting 1984, and since the lineup of songs is entirely different from last time, I thought—why not? 1984 was the year I turned 14, and it remains one of my favorite years in music, right up there with 1983.
Michael Jackson’s Thriller was the biggest album of 1984. The top 3 movies that weekend were: Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Gremlins.
As Casey Kasem used to say, “Now on with the countdown”.
#5 The writers’ real-life sister
THE SONG AND ARTIST: “Sister Christian” by Night Ranger
The writer of this power ballad song was Kelly Keagy and wrote the song inspired by his sister, Christy. He was astonished and how fast she was growing up. The song peaked at #5 where it currently sits and ended the year at #40! This song, however, is not my favorite from them. That belongs to “Goodbye” or “4 In the Morning.” I shared the video for “Goodbye” below for your enjoyment.
Fun fact: Jack Blades, the leader singer says to Kelly, “what exactly are you saying?” Blades thought the words were Sister Christian instead of Sister Christy, so it just stuck.
#4 Another inspiration for a girl.
THE SONG AND ARTIST: “Oh Sherrie” by Steve Perry
What a fantastic and HUGE debut single for former lead singer Steve Perry! This song is about his then girlfriend named, you guessed it, Sherrie.
He also has a co-writing credit on the song. This song peaked at #3 and end the year at #31. I have never mentioned it before; Journey is one of my favorite bands. I have seen them 3 times in concert.
Fun Fact: This song is considered or regarded as an “Honorary” Journey song being credited to the band on several hit compilation albums.
#3 Let’s hear it for Kevin Bacon
THE SONG AND ARTIST: “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” by Deniece Williams
This song fits perfectly for the movie Footloose. You can dance to it! The song did reach #1 on the Billboard Top 40.
I always thought Williams was a one-hit wonder, but she had a top 40 hit earlier in her career and a duet with Johnny Mathis in the 70’s. The song, “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late,” topped the charts in 1978.
#2 The what, is a song?
THE SONG AND ARTIST: “The Reflex” by Duran Duran
From the album, I love this title, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, the song The Reflex was a huge hit for Duran Duran. “When Doves Cry” by Prince blocked Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen from hitting #1, as did, the song here at #2. This song ended the year in 1984 at 16.
What is this song about you ask? Using Methophors like ‘The Reflex’ to symbolize intuition or instinct. The lyrics talk about facing challenges, making decisions and the uncertainty of the outcomes.
Fun Fact: The video was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at Maple Leafs Garden.
Time for #1
If you follow along with Dan’s weekly 80s Countdown tweets on Twitter/X, you’ll know that he never reveals the top song. He gives away all the other 39 songs on the countdown. He doesn’t want to spoil the entire listening experience. So, without further ado it’s time to keep with that tradition…
… and the number one song this week in 1984.
THE CLUES: The song that tops the chart this week is this artist’s first #1 song. The artist, a woman, used to be in a band called Blue Angel. In 1985, she got the gig to record a very popular movie song. The last clue is she sang this at the Grammys in 1984.
THE SONG AND ARTIST #1 Did you guess “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper? Yay! Cyndi is a true performer, and I adore so much! She was terrific back in December when I saw her in concert. “If you’re lost. you can look, and you will find me”. Time after Time.
Thanks for learning and reading about 1984! I will be back next week to chat about DUETS!
In the meantime, let me know what you think of this and ideas for a topic! And if you are on Twitter/X, be sure to join our live tweets every Friday night at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific using the hashtag #80sCountdown to be part of the fun!
Nick
I love that you brought up ‘Sister Christian’—such a defining track of the era. It’s wild how many iconic songs came from personal, real-life stories like that. Also, it’s crazy to think ‘Thriller,’ ‘Ghostbusters,’ and ‘Temple of Doom’ were all dominating at the same time—what a summer!
Thank you for commenting. It is amazing how many songs tie into real life stories. What also misses me as the title changes of songs like Sister Christy to sister Christian it sounds much better, doesn’t it?
I love how you tied in the fun fact about the misheard lyrics in *Sister Christian*! It’s amazing how little moments like that end up becoming part of a song’s legacy. 1984 really was a golden year for both music and movies.