Boardsies greatest song of the 80s - Live Thread

Zaph

Match 2 - Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart. Last of my nominations still in the game, and an absolute classic regardless of when it was released.

AndrewJRenko

Match 1 - Bruce Springsteen - Dancing In The Dark. Streets ahead of PSB for character.

Declan A Walsh

Pretzill wrote: »

My first vote is to save (i hope) Sweet Dreams which is a cracking 80's tune unlike the more unmemorable Joy Division Eurythmics created some great stuff then.

Off the 80s subject a bit, but....They had some cracking songs, although I would accept that they had very few hit singles. You should check out a performance in 1979 on a program called Something Else, where they performed Transmission and Out of Control. You will find it on YouTube.

AndrewJRenko

SF/Match 2

Tough choice, like choosing your favourite child, but I'll got with

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams

as being a classic 80s track, what most people will think the 80s as being all about.

Mam of 4

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams .

One of my nominations and Annie Lennox is one cool , classy lady with powerful voice .

angel eyes 2012

My vote is for Sweet Dreams.

I was just reading up on the Eurythmics.
Apparently Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart broke up as a couple immediately before writing the song, but they remained on together as a band. They were
carting their gear around in a second-hand horsebox and were playing to four people at gigs. Desperate, they made an appointment to see a bank manager for better equipment and he amazingly lent them £5,000. They couldn’t get any of the new equipment to work properly and out of desperation and Annie’s now depressed state they managed to come up with the beginnings of “Sweet Dreams”….

Oh and it's a good song.

Kolido

Triceratops Ballet wrote: »

Actually for simillar reasons (We're being audited this morning so I have to go and do my part for that at 11) my vote in the next round is Sweet Dreams, because it's a banger! I think I've voted for it in every match up it's been in so my reasons are well documented, but as a recap, it's a classic 80's sound, great into, great vocals, great lyrics excellent track overall!!

Will register TBs vote for Eurythmics

Declan A Walsh

angel eyes 2012 wrote: »

My vote is for Sweet Dreams.

I was just reading up on the Eurythmics.
Apparently Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart broke up as a couple immediately before writing the song, but they remained on together as a band. They were
carting their gear around in a second-hand horsebox and were playing to four people at gigs. Desperate, they made an appointment to see a bank manager for better equipment and he amazingly lent them £5,000. They couldn’t get any of the new equipment to work properly and out of desperation and Annie’s now depressed state they managed to come up with the beginnings of “Sweet Dreams”….

Oh and it's a good song.

Both of them had previously been in a more guitar-driven pop/rock band called The Tourists, who had a couple of hits. The Eurythmics released a few singles that did not chart well, before they hit the big time with Sweet Dreams. One of their early singles was Never Gonna Cry Again, which they performed on The Old Grey Whistle Test, the album-oriented music show on BBC2. The performance, particularly from Annie, is worth checking out.

Kolido

Eurthymics - Sweet Dreams 9 9 Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

Ficheall

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

Both of them had previously been in a more guitar-driven pop/rock band called The Tourists, who had a couple of hits. The Eurythmics released a few singles that did not chart well, before they hit the big time with Sweet Dreams. One of their early singles was Never Gonna Cry Again, which they performed on The Old Grey Whistle Test, the album-oriented music show on BBC2. The performance, particularly from Annie, is worth checking out.

Never knew she played the flute!

Kolido

Kolido wrote: »

Eurthymics - Sweet Dreams 9 9 Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

30 mins extra time.

Eurythmics have conceded 15 votes, Joy Division 17 votes, Eurythmics advance if they are still tied.

the heathen

SF/Match 2
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

Because it's one of the greatest songs ever written.

Declan A Walsh

the heathen wrote: »

SF/Match 2
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

You need a reason and your vote is critical at this juncture.

the heathen

SF/Match 1
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls

Because it isn't as twee as Dancing In The Dark.

(I realise I may be too late with this!)

the heathen

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

You need a reason and your vote is critical at this juncture.

Because it's one of the greatest songs ever written.

Kolido

the heathen wrote: »

SF/Match 2
Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

Please add a reason

Ficheall

Declan A Walsh wrote: »

You need a reason and your vote is critical at this juncture.

I think that requirement may have been dispensed with.

the heathen

Kolido wrote: »

Please add a reason

Done. Above.

Declan A Walsh

Ficheall wrote: »

I think that requirement may have been dispensed with.

Just as well that they did not listen to you!

Ficheall

I'm out, wouldn't go down to listen to either of the finalists if they were playing in my kitchen. Cheers for running, Kolido.

Kolido

Eurthymics - Sweet Dreams 9 10 Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

Kolido

Final

Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls

1984 / US #1 UK #1 Ire #2

SF 7 - 6 Bruce Springsteen - Dancing In The Dark
QF 10 - 7 Belinda Carisle - Heaven is a Place on Earth
R4 9 - 5 Blondie - Atomic
R3 7 - 4 Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
R2 6 -3 T’pau - China in Your Hands
R1 6 - 0 Human League - Love Action

vs

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

1980 / UK #13 Ire #19

SF 10 - 9 Eurthymics - Sweet Dreams
QF 10 - 5 Bonnie Tyler - Total Eclipse of The Heart
R4 7 - 5 Ultravox - Vienna
R3 7 - 2 U2 - Sunday, Bloody Sunday
R2 6 - 4 The Jam - Going underground
R1 6 - 3 Van Halen - Jump

Mam of 4

Sob sob

Kolido

Will call this at 2

khalessi

Vote joy division as they are a great band and this is a classic song that still sounds great today

Big Vern

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart

A tough choice, but JD's is an absolute classic of a song.

Declan A Walsh

My vote goes to Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart. It is an iconic, even ironic, haunting post-punk love song. The lyrics are heartfelt without melodrama and the music is great: Ian Curtis on guitar (unusually), Bernard Sumner with that wonderful recurring keyboard motif, Peter Hook with his matching recurring melodic bassline and Stephen Morris on drums. Also, Ian delivered a great baritone vocal, in his distinctive way.

West End Girls is an iconic 80s song with a lot of good features, but is no match for the other song.

salmocab

I’m torn here both cracking songs but neither would be in my top 40/50 songs. Think I’ll go for joy division

So here we are. I must say I had no idea West End Girls was so popular and to be fair it's probably a better song than I give it credit for, it's just not one that had ever inspired repeated listens for me. Whereas Love Will Tear Us Apart is a masterpiece of melancholy: that jangly intro, the distinctive riff of the chorus, Ian Curtis's baritone that almost sounds robotic yet still conveys a hell of a lot of emotion. It's probably not my greatest song of the 80's (not that I could ever choose just one song anyway!) but it's a hell of a song regardless. No one song is going to have everyone in agreement, but this is at least one that's worthy of respect.

Vote: Love Will Tear Us Apart

Massive thanks to Kolido for organising such a mammoth undertaking, and thanks to everyone who took part (even if ye made some horrible decisions! )

sKeith

Both are great, but when that are pitted against each other, aghhhhh

okay,

PSBs and West end girls.

Joy division is great and a timeless song, but west end girls is great and a very 80s song, and as this competition is greatest 80s song , and not greatest song ever, i will have to go with the one the feels more 80s to me.