4 Minor 1985 Hits That Have Held Up Very Well Through the Years

You can generally find some outstanding songs in the outer reaches of any given Top 40 chart. These songs might not advance much further up the ladder. But they often possess the charms that keep them relevant long after they were first released.

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We’re focusing today on 1985, which was a very competitive year on pop radio. These four songs didn’t exactly light up the charts. But they sure sound fantastic today.

“Wake Up (Next To You)” by Graham Parker And The Shot

Would you believe that this song, which made it to just No. 39 on the pop charts, represents the biggest hit ever in the career of the great Graham Parker? Parker’s bitingly literate songwriting style didn’t quite make for easy listening on pop radio. But it stands the test of time better than a lot of the Top 40 stuff anyway. “Wake Up (Next To You)” was credited to Graham Parker And The Shot, which was basically a backing band he had used on a few studio records. Parker later bemoaned that he didn’t get more involved in the production of the album. Still, with this track, he carries as much weight with the power of his vocals as he does with the easy eloquence of his lyrics.

“Not Enough Love In The World” by Don Henley

In many instances, a particular song is hampered in its climb up the charts by the success of songs preceding it. Although the 80s did have their share of records that contained a ton of hits, for the most part, momentum started waning past the first two single releases of a given LP. That fate befell Don Henley’s 1984 album Building The Perfect Beast. The first two singles, “The Boys Of Summer” and “All She Wants To Do Is Dance”, sort of grabbed you by the lapel and demanded attention. “Not Enough Love In The World” gets the job done in subtler ways. Written by Henley, his frequent collaborator Danny Kortchmar, and Benmont Tench of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, the song offers Don a chance to uncork some of his most emotive vocals.

“Why Can’t I Have You” by The Cars

We know that when Mutt Lange produced The Cars’ Heartbeat City, he attempted to play up the hooks in the music. That strategy rewarded the band with their highest level of commercial success. Huge hits like “You Might Think”, “Magic”, and “Drive” were the result. As those songs attest, Ric Ocasek also left behind some of the more cryptic tendencies of his lyrics. By the time the band got around to their fifth single from the record, they were still offering a lot of goodness. “Why Can’t I Have You” relies on a relatively straightforward message of lost love. The chorus also delivers a lot of catchiness. In the margins of the song, you can find a little of the band’s trademark idiosyncrasy.

“This Is Not America” by David Bowie and The Pat Metheny Group

David Bowie struggled a bit with his full-length albums during the mid- to late 80s. He generally triumphed with his soundtrack work during this period, however. There was the achingly romantic title track to the film Absolute Beginners. The engagingly ebullient “Underground” came from Labyrinth, a film in which he also starred. In addition, he delivered “This Is Not America” for the 1985 spy movie The Falcon And The Snowman. Bowie collaborated with the Pat Metheny Group on the song. Metheny generally played jazz fusion in his day job. But on this track, he and his cohorts mostly provide some moody atmosphere underneath a powerful set of lyrics from Bowie.

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