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Weird American hits/number 1s

Started by pigamus, October 11, 2021, 02:32:53 PM

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pigamus

Who Can It Be Now by Men at Work got to number 1 in the US. How? Why? I mean... it's just kind of nothingy, isn't it? Over here it got to number 45, which seems about right.

https://youtu.be/SECVGN4Bsgg

According to Matthew Rudd on Forgotten 80s there were 29 - count them, 29 - US number ones in the 80s that didn't even make the British chart. What's the best, worst, weirdest, most interesting American hit (from any era) that did fuck all in Britain?


DrGreggles

I'm Too Sexy being a US #1 is pretty weird.

kngen

Quote from: pigamus on October 11, 2021, 02:32:53 PM
Who Can It Be Now by Men at Work got to number 1 in the US. How? Why? I mean... it's just kind of nothingy, isn't it? Over here it got to number 45, which seems about right.

https://youtu.be/SECVGN4Bsgg

According to Matthew Rudd on Forgotten 80s there were 29 - count them, 29 - US number ones in the 80s that didn't even make the British chart. What's the best, worst, weirdest, most interesting American hit (from any era) that did fuck all in Britain?

Thought it was a great bit of new wavey/power pop at the time. Far preferred it to Down Under. Number 1 in the US does seem a bit excessive though.

amateur

Bent by Matchbox 20 got to number one in the US in 2000 but didn't chart here at all.

A band that completely passed this country by, and with good cause if you ask me.

pigamus

Here's another one - Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Lost in Emotion. I think I actually exclaimed "What?" when I heard it had been number one in the States.

https://youtu.be/tjLS2KVXohc

phantom_power

Quote from: kngen on October 11, 2021, 04:29:23 PM
Thought it was a great bit of new wavey/power pop at the time. Far preferred it to Down Under. Number 1 in the US does seem a bit excessive though.

America loved that stuff at the time though, what with The Cars and such and whatnot

Gregory Torso

Quote from: amateur on October 11, 2021, 04:42:55 PM
Bent by Matchbox 20 got to number one in the US in 2000 but didn't chart here at all.

A band that completely passed this country by, and with good cause if you ask me.

Yeah, that's what I thought of too - all those "alternative" bands that seemed to be massive in the states in the late 90s/early 00s, like Better Than Ezra, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Live and Third Eye Blind that no one in this country ever gave a crumb of shit about.

Although we couldn't escape Crash Test Dummies, Sixpence None The Richer, Blind Melon and Bran Van 3000.

What a load of shit, shit names.

Quote from: pigamus on October 11, 2021, 04:51:26 PM
Here's another one - Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, Lost in Emotion. I think I actually exclaimed "What?" when I heard it had been number one in the States.

https://youtu.be/tjLS2KVXohc

That was their 3rd big hit 86/87 preceeded by All Cried Out (#8) and Head To Toe (#1).

Never heard any of them.

Gregory Torso

The Distance by Cake is a fukin banger though

Famous Mortimer

"One Tin Soldier", most famously by Coven, which was a hit repeatedly for 5 years, by different artists, but wasn't anywhere else in the world.

BJBMK2

Batdance by Prince, or whatever he was calling himself that week.

I understand why it got to no 1, coming off of one of the biggest box office smashes at that time. But it's such a bonkers song. None the worse for it, but it's barely a song, more like 5 or 6 demos haphazardly strung together. Samples banging around and crashing into each other. It's like his take on Happiness Is A Warm Gun. But with Jack Nicholson noises.

Glebe

Quote from: pigamus on October 11, 2021, 02:32:53 PMWho Can It Be Now by Men at Work got to number 1 in the US. How? Why? I mean... it's just kind of nothingy, isn't it? Over here it got to number 45, which seems about right.

https://youtu.be/SECVGN4Bsgg

According to Matthew Rudd on Forgotten 80s there were 29 - count them, 29 - US number ones in the 80s that didn't even make the British chart. What's the best, worst, weirdest, most interesting American hit (from any era) that did fuck all in Britain?

Isn't 'Land Down Under' used in Footloose?

Tokyo van Ramming

Quote from: pigamus on October 11, 2021, 02:32:53 PM
Who Can It Be Now by Men at Work got to number 1 in the US. How? Why? I mean... it's just kind of nothingy, isn't it? Over here it got to number 45, which seems about right.

https://youtu.be/SECVGN4Bsgg

I find the sax line very infectious, and the rest of it just sounds like The Police so no wonder it did well. I love the vid too.

The summer of 1988 should be known as the Second Battle of Britain for how the UK valiantly stopped "Kokomo" by "the" "Beach" "Boys" from getting any higher than #25 on the charts. It was of course a platinum mega-heat in the US.

The Culture Bunker

Quote from: Gregory Torso on October 11, 2021, 05:28:12 PM
Yeah, that's what I thought of too - all those "alternative" bands that seemed to be massive in the states in the late 90s/early 00s, like Better Than Ezra, Toad The Wet Sprocket, Live and Third Eye Blind that no one in this country ever gave a crumb of shit about.
I quite like Toad the Wet Sprocket, but I've no idea how I ever came to hear them - presumably during a trip to the States.

Men at Work snagged a high-profile support slot on a Fleetwood Mac US tour, which I think helped give them a big push in terms of their profile there, plus the videos in an era where just having one would get you plenty of airtime on MTV. But still kind of strange how over here we only really took to an even briefer spell than the Americans - at least over there they still got a couple of big hits from the follow-up album before being binned off.

amateur

Quote from: convulsivespace on October 11, 2021, 06:33:51 PM
The summer of 1988 should be known as the Second Battle of Britain for how the UK valiantly stopped "Kokomo" by "the" "Beach" "Boys" from getting any higher than #25 on the charts. It was of course a platinum mega-heat in the US.

Huge, huge contender for the worst song ever made. Never been more proud to be British.

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

It's shite, yes, but this Mike Love-helmed Beach Boys track from just a few years later is even worse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBFsJk6PWu0

Some of you will definitely know what that is without having to click on the link.

BJBMK2

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on October 11, 2021, 08:24:44 PM
It's shite, yes, but this Mike Love-helmed Beach Boys track from just a few years later is even worse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBFsJk6PWu0

Some of you will definitely know what that is without having to click on the link.

*Sideshow Bob shudder noise*

Probably already well known, but that track was originally written as a contender for a follow up to Do The Bartman.

Which begs the question, who would you rather hear creepily oogle Baywatch babes? A ten year old cartoon boy? Or a 55 year old right wing bloke in a life preserver?

This blogger is (rather long-windedly) reviewing every US number one in chronological order.

https://www.stereogum.com/2104704/the-number-ones-so-far/lists/

The last couple of entries (from 1990) are 'Close to You' by Maxi Priest (which reached number 7 in the UK) and something called '(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection' by Nelson, a couple of guitar-strumming Aryan male twins with long blond hair that I'd have to file under 'so wholesome and clean-cut that they're mildly sinister'. I'd literally never heard of this, but from listening to a few seconds on YouTube, it's some kind of American teen movie-style schlock that makes 'More Than Words' by Extreme sound like Napalm Death by comparison.

https://youtu.be/x1W6-ErrHls

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

Quote from: BJBMK2 on October 11, 2021, 09:06:12 PM
*Sideshow Bob shudder noise*

Probably already well known, but that track was originally written as a contender for a follow up to Do The Bartman.

Which begs the question, who would you rather hear creepily oogle Baywatch babes? A ten year old cartoon boy? Or a 55 year old right wing bloke in a life preserver?

Perhaps if we'd had both, it would've cancelled out the wrongness? Alas we'll never know.

Famous Mortimer

Quote from: Clatty McCutcheon on October 11, 2021, 09:07:00 PM
This blogger is (rather long-windedly) reviewing every US number one in chronological order.

https://www.stereogum.com/2104704/the-number-ones-so-far/lists/

The last couple of entries (from 1990) are 'Close to You' by Maxi Priest (which reached number 7 in the UK) and something called '(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection' by Nelson, a couple of guitar-strumming Aryan male twins with long blond hair that I'd have to file under 'so wholesome and clean-cut that they're mildly sinister'. I'd literally never heard of this, but from listening to a few seconds on YouTube, it's some kind of American teen movie-style schlock that makes 'More Than Words' by Extreme sound like Napalm Death by comparison.

https://youtu.be/x1W6-ErrHls

Nelson were the sons of actor / singer Ricky Nelson (and her who played Sister Steve in "Father Dowling Investigates" was their sister).

bgmnts

Quote from: Gregory Torso on October 11, 2021, 05:29:46 PM
The Distance by Cake is a fukin banger though

He's turning, and burning, and drivingn and driving, and driving, and eating, and driving. Fast as he can.

Choon.

Batdance is an odd number 1 but I likes it.

Lisa Jesusandmarychain

Quote from: Famous Mortimer on October 11, 2021, 10:08:33 PM
Nelson were the sons of actor / singer Ricky Nelson (and her who played Sister Steve in "Father Dowling Investigates" was their sister).
Hey, I remember her! Before that, she also played that vacuous Valley Girl on " Square Pegs". * and* she was on an episode of " Seinfeld"! Wonder what she's up to nowadays?

Quote from: bgmnts on October 11, 2021, 10:10:15 PM
He's turning, and burning, and drivingn and driving, and driving, and eating, and driving. Fast as he can.

Choon.

Yeah, that's great, I've got a soft spot for Bran Van 3000 - Drinking In LA too

1997, good times.

I've always found it strange that the German-language version of 99 Red Ballons was the big hit in America, while the version in English was a hit over here. Anyone know why/how that happened?

Johnny Foreigner

99 Luftballons was a massive European hit; I even remember frequently hearing it on the radio (in German) during my infancy (not in Germany). It seems that it did extremely well in both Europe and Japan, before being translated to English, rather to the dissatisfaction of the band themselves. I have no explanation as to why the English version became a UK hit, other than that you almost never hear any non-English pop music on British stations in any case (apart, of course, from Welsh and Gaelic for somewhat niche audiences). Nena wrote lots of other songs that are quite good, but, as is to be expected, those are all completely unknown in the UK.

If you want a laugh, there is a delightfully stupid 1982 cult film called Gib Gas - Ich will Spaß!, starring Nena and Markus, who was another famous German new wave artist from that era.

daf

Quote from: Johnny Foreigner on October 11, 2021, 11:26:03 PM
I have no explanation as to why the English version became a UK hit,

Hairy armpits = erotic bombshell.

pigamus

Quote from: The Culture Bunker on October 11, 2021, 07:54:47 PM
I quite like Toad the Wet Sprocket, but I've no idea how I ever came to hear them - presumably during a trip to the States.

Men at Work snagged a high-profile support slot on a Fleetwood Mac US tour, which I think helped give them a big push in terms of their profile there, plus the videos in an era where just having one would get you plenty of airtime on MTV. But still kind of strange how over here we only really took to an even briefer spell than the Americans - at least over there they still got a couple of big hits from the follow-up album before being binned off.

Overkill is lovely. Ghosts appear and fade away... If that had been number one I'd have understood. To my surprise I even heard it in Asda the other week!

DJ Bob Hoskins

Quote from: BJBMK2 on October 11, 2021, 05:51:25 PM
Batdance by Prince, or whatever he was calling himself that week.

I understand why it got to no 1, coming off of one of the biggest box office smashes at that time. But it's such a bonkers song. None the worse for it, but it's barely a song, more like 5 or 6 demos haphazardly strung together. Samples banging around and crashing into each other. It's like his take on Happiness Is A Warm Gun. But with Jack Nicholson noises.

Came here to post this. It's an absolutely crackers piece of music. Insanely good in the literal sense. The context of its release (what with the Batman movie hype and Prince's then-popularity) notwithstanding; it is definitely one of the strangest #1s of all time.

Johnny Foreigner

Two of Hearts by Stacey Q is pure quality. In fact, I think it should rank amongst her greatest hits.