Here is the fourth and final part of my list of influential singles from a 2023 Facebook challenge. The idea of the challenge was to post each day for 20 days a single that had been influential in my life. I expanded this to include singles which, when I listen to them, vividly conjure up a particular time in my life. In addition, I wanted to concentrate on singles that were either one-hit wonders or outliers in some way.
No Memory – Scarlet Fantastic
Yet another one-hit wonder from University Radio York days, “No Memory” by Scarlet Fantastic reached number 24 in the UK charts in September 1987. Members Maggie De Monde and Rick P Jones had both previously been members of Swans Way, who had scored a hit with “Soul Train” in 1984.
“No Memory” proved to be another one-hit wonder for the duo, as their 1988 album “24 Hours” and its singles did not chart, but this song makes it into my list on account of it having such a strong chorus.
I recently came across a YouTube video of Maggie performing this song backed by none other than the current incarnation of Sigue Sigue Sputnik, proving that there’s still an audience hungry for 80s music in all its various forms, no matter how obscure the artist.
https://youtu.be/NA4Yd_JlukQ
From New York to LA – Patsy Gallant
In 1977, Canadian singer Patsy Gallant scored a number 6 hit in the UK with “From New York to LA”, which would be her only hit there. She did, however, have a successful singing and acting career in Canada both before and after this song, and released music in both English and French.
“From New York to LA” is a re-working of a 1964 song called “Mon Pays” (My Homeland) by Quebec singer-songwriter Gilles Vigneault. The original French lyrics extolled the beauty of the Quebec landscape, a contrast to the subject matter of the English version.
This song, for some reason, brings back a strong memory for me of walking from the old Hebburn swimming baths on Campbell Park Road back to St. James’ School. I think we used to go swimming every other week, and I remember sometimes walking in some fairly inclement weather if my memory serves me correctly!
Anyway, it’s another great 1970s disco number, and features that funkiest of keyboards, the Clavinet!
Dancing in the City – Marshall Hain
With three more entries to go in this list, I’m reflecting on how relatively easy it has been to compile. As I said earlier, I didn’t set out to limit the list to the 1970s and 80s, but those two decades seem chock-full of one-off songs that have significance for me one way or another.
Here’s another one – “Dancing in the City” by Marshall Hain was released in May 1978 and spent a total of fifteen weeks in the UK charts, peaking at number 3. It also reached the top 10 in several European countries, was a number 1 hit in South Africa and West Germany and almost got into the US Top 40. I think that makes it a hit by anyone’s standards, but their follow-up, “Coming Home”, didn’t make much of an impression, peaking at number 39.
Julian Marshall and Kit Hain went their separate ways in 1979. Marshall went on to join the Flying Lizards, one-hit wonder-workers themselves, and Hain eventually moved to Los Angeles, where she continues to work as a songwriter and novelist.
“Dancing in the City” is another one of those songs where just hearing the intro takes me right back…
Revolt Into Style – Bill Nelson’s Red Noise
My cousin Helen had a copy of today’s entry on blue vinyl, and from the first time I heard this song I loved it! “Revolt Into Style” by Bill Nelson’s Red Noise is a great example of late 1970s rock music; quirky, edgy and pushing the boundaries of what music can do with its early vocal manipulations and synthesizer effects.
Red Noise was Bill Nelson’s project after he disbanded glam/prog-rock band Be-Bop Deluxe in 1978. The band released one album, “Sound on Sound”, and two singles, neither of which were chart hits. For some reason, though, my cousin had a copy of “Revolt Into Style” and I liked it so much I bought my own copy and played it to death.
Back in 1979 there was no internet and no way to find out the lyrics of songs, but what I could understand of this one seemed so meaningful to me. Reading the lyrics now, many years later, I was right to admire them, as they do describe how things that start out as dangerous and edgy just become another fashion fad. I’m don’t know for sure if this song is named after jazzman George Melly’s 1970 book about 1960s pop culture, but it seems very likely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOcj4fhcZII
I am the Beat – The Look
Well, here we are again at the end – number 20 on my list of singles that were either one-hit or non-hit wonders. I have really enjoyed sharing these with you; I hope you’ve enjoyed listening to them and that I have either jogged some memories or introduced you to some songs that you missed first time around. In one way or another, all of these songs have been significant to me in my life.
When I did my list of significant albums a couple of years ago, after the last one I posted a short poem from the cover of that year’s Musicians’ Union diary about how music is always with us through all of our life’s events from the first shake of the rattle to our swan song. It is my belief that an appreciation of music in some form is one of the things that unites us as human beings, even though sometimes we may be barely aware of that music when it is playing.
I’m choosing “I Am the Beat” by The Look as my final selection because it expresses much the same sentiment as the poem from my last series of albums. This song reached number 6 in the UK charts in 1980 but their follow-up singles and album failed to reach the top 40 and The Look disbanded in 1983. They have had a couple of reunions since, but “I Am the Beat” remains the song for which they are remembered.
Trivia fans may like to note that the single version of this song was cut with an “endless groove” for its run-out, so the last line of the song repeated over and over until you lifted the stylus.
I hope you have enjoyed my trip down an obscure musical memory lane. Thanks for reading!
Andrew Gilhooley's Blog 
Leave a comment