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Song of the Day #5,626: ‘Alive and Kicking’ – Simple Minds

Scottish rock band Simple Minds released their seventh studio album, Once Upon a Time, on the heels of their breakout hit, ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me).’ That track was the band’s first to chart in the U.S. and it made it all the way to #1, an ironic achievement given that they had little interest in recording the song in the first place.

The band chose to leave the hit song (which was released on the soundtrack of The Breakfast Club) off of their next album, but the anthemic pop sound of the tune was present throughout this great collection.

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Song of the Day #5,625: ‘This Time’ – INXS

In 1985, Australian rock band INXS released their fifth studio album, Listen Like Thieves, and earned an international following that resulted in three straight multi-platinum albums in the U.S.

This album saw the band shifting from their New Wave/pop beginnings to a harder rock sound. As a casual fan, this is the version of INXS I know best (particularly from follow-up album Kick) so I’m curious to hear those first four albums. I’m always intrigued by bands that go through stylistic phases.

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Song of the Day #5,624: ‘Never’ – Heart

My next 1985 album is the self-titled release by hard rock band Heart, their eighth studio album and first to fully embrace a glam metal makeover well-suited to the MTV era.

The transition worked, giving the band their only #1 album and the best-selling record of their career. Four singles reached the top ten, including ‘These Dreams,’ the band’s first #1 hit. The album also earned the band their first Grammy nomination, for Best Rock Performance.

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Song of the Day #5,623: ‘Centerfield’ – John Fogerty

I’ve spent the last couple of weeks counting down my favorite albums of 1985 as part of my Decades series. Over the next two weeks I’ll feature ten albums from that year with which I was previously unfamiliar.

First up is John Fogerty’s Centerfield, the singer-songwriter’s third solo album and first in a decade. Following the breakup of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fogerty released two albums on his own before taking a break from the music business. Comeback record Centerfield became a double platinum hit, giving him his only #1 solo album and his only top ten solo single.

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Song of the Day #5,622: ‘Again’ – Janet Jackson

The week of November 20, 1993, saw Meat Loaf hanging on to the top spot of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).’ It would have been more appropriate for turkey to top the chart that Thanksgiving week, but I guess Meat Loaf will do.

At #2 was Janet Jackson with ‘Again,’ the third single from her hit album Janet and the second to hit #1 (it reached the top spot for two weeks in December).

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