I Can't Stand This Indecision

By Wm. on October 28, 2025

In addition to the three guys I noted in the last post who have three songs on this list, there are fifteen acts with a pair of tunes. Ten have already appeared at least once; the other five debut in this piece.

30. Lone Justice, "Ways to Be Wicked" (#71, June)
29. The Kinks, "Do It Again" (#41, February)
28. Heart, "Never" (#4, December)
27. Bruce Springsteen, "I'm Goin' Down" (#9, October)
26. Starship, "We Built This City" (#1, November)

I knew in the moment that Lone Justice opened some shows on the U.S. leg of U2's The Unforgettable Fire tour, so I had to have heard "Ways to Be Wicked" sometime in '85. It would be a year or two into grad school before I sank my teeth into their first album, though--what a great record. I've raised my heat shields to counter any and all criticism/eyerolling I get for admitting that one of the most loathed #1 hits of the 80s is held in such relative high esteem by yours truly (I also think that "Sara" is pretty good--so there).

One couldn't help but notice that directors for Heart videos went to greater and greater extremes to disguise Ann Wilson's increased weight as the 80s proceeded, but I was really surprised watching "Never" just a few years ago how obvious their efforts were early on in their comeback. Nancy is repeatedly shown kicking and gyrating, contrasted with closeup after closeup of Ann. Really sad stuff--you were perfectly fine, Ann!

25. Katrina and the Waves, "Walking on Sunshine" (#9, June)
24. Simple Minds, "Alive and Kicking" (#3, December)
23. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, "So In Love" (#26, November)
22. Eurythmics, "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (#22, September)
21. Eurythmics, "Would I Lie to You?" (#5, July)

Lots of Brits and Scots in this set, with one lone American vocalist. Bought the Katrina 45 and scored both Once Upon a Time and Be Yourself Tonight on cassette. Was late to the OMD party; my recollection is that James's then-girlfriend Stacey had been a fan for a while by the time "So In Love" was a hit.

So yes, we get back-to-back Annie & Dave action. These two, along with "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain," well, that's the way you open an album.

20. Huey Lewis and the News, "The Power of Love" (#1, August)
19. Rick Springfield, "Celebrate Youth" (#26, May)
18. Limahl, "Never Ending Story" (#17, June)
17. Bryan Adams, "Summer of '69" (#5, August)
16. Cheap Trick, "Tonight It's You" (#44, October)

I did see Back to the Future that summer--I've always been a sucker for time travel flicks. It wasn't until well after I became a father that I took in The NeverEnding Story. I might be as surprised as you to see "Celebrate Youth" this high up. Reckless was another cassette purchase, I think from Columbia House; I'm about 50-50 on liking its singles (is that a clue about the next post?).

Like "And She Was," "Tonight's It's You" hung around for a good while on the Hot 100 (17 weeks) without ever gaining quite enough traction. It's not quite as good as "Dream Police" in my book but it's not as far behind it as you might think.

15. Tears for Fears, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (#1, June)
14. Alison Moyet, "Invisible" (#31, June)
13. Sade, "Smooth Operator" (#5, May)
12. Wham!, "Freedom" (#3, September)
11. Scritti Politti, "Perfect Way" (#11, September)

We've reached the point where every song is an absolute banger for me. "Invisible" is yet another of the relatively few singles I bought during the year. I love the Sade tune dearly but that hasn't stopped me from occasionally swapping in perfect-fit phrases such as"brick separator" for the title when I sing along (Lego sets were a huge thing in our house a decade ago). I think my appreciation for "Freedom" stems in part from a case of unrequited like that happened roughly around the time it was popular. I really, really tried to fit "Perfect Way" in my top 10.

Songs from the Big Chair is the other LP that really takes me back to the fall of '85, particularly the album cuts: "The Working Hour," "I Believe," "Listen." As for the hits, "Shout" has receded in favor over the years, while the lead U.S. single still amazes. (And what of the third hit? Hmmm....)

I'll be back with the top 10 on Halloween. Five songs that made the Billboard Top 10, three that didn't crack the Top 40, with of course two somewhere in between. Last year, nine of my ten most-favored were by acts with only one appearance in the entire list of 100; this year there are four. With all the clues provided, I'm sure you can hardly wait.