Oh, come on! “Say Say Say” is right there at the top. The only good thing to be said about that is that it isn’t “Ebony and Ivory”. (McCartney is a musical genius, but when he stinks, he stinks!)
Neither can lack of money, and that sort of money can buy a pretty good simulacrum, and even make the real thing a good deal easier to find. And, again, ease the pain.
Nor can it get his hearing back in one ear or fix his neurological problems that prevent him from drumming.
So, he’s lost half his hearing, been divorced three times, can’t do what he loves the most and is a musical punching bag. Pretty much an undeserving one at that. What band/artist HASN’T fallen into pop hell at one point?
[QUOTE=JohnT]
Serious question: Is there another musical artist, post-1955, whose reputation has suffered as much as Phil Collins precisely because they were so successful?
[/QUOTE]
Sting - well, he would be the first to tell it was him. After all, he is the King of Pain.
As for Phil Collins - I feel bad for his physical issues - not being able to play is the worst. But he has a TON of respect as a drummer, part of Genesis, Brand X, etc. - the choices he made with regards to his pop music were his alone. His reputation may have suffered in pop-music circles, but the folks who liked him before he broke out still seem to respect him as a musician…
I’ll nominate Pat Boone and Rick Astley. Also Debbie (now Deborah) Gibson.
I agree that this was a good year. It was right in the heart of when I was paying the most attention to current pop music/the radio/MTV. Pop music felt fun and vital, and I was the right age for it.
The following year, pop music climaxed in Live Aid, and it was all downhill from there. 
Eh. Not to hijack this thread too much, but the idea that people who have it “good” somehow ought not deserve sympathy when they are depressed, or can’t possibly feel as bad as those with less wealth is not based in fact, or any real world anecdote.
But, I was mainly happy for the chance to use a music-based quote as a response to you, and am not that interested in a debate about depression and happiness in a CS thread. 
Our two sets of ears must not be listening to the same song. To detest “Say Say Say” is to detest ebullience. Next thing you know, you’ll declare that you watch the entirety of A Christmas Story with a perma-scowl on your face and both middle fingers raised toward the TV screen.
Those are the 3 (well, technically, 5) albums I most associate with that year. I was 14 and had just recently gotten into “underground” rock. It still stands out as one of the best years for music to me, up there with '65/'66 and '78.
I, of course, went with “When Doves Cry”. “Time After Time” was also pretty great. I was never a fan of Van Halen’s aircraft hangar sound or general douchey vibe, and “Jump” was particularly fluff.
Too many good options. …
I also went with Prince but picked “Let’s Go Crazy” simply because I like the song better than “When Doves Cry” with “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” being the only other song I seriously considered voting for. I’m mostly indifferent about the others with the notable exception of “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” which causes an automatic flight reaction in me whenever I hear it’s “Jitterbug!” opening.
I’d say the artists whose reputations suffered the most strictly due to their success would be Fleetwood Mac in the wake of their eponymous album and Rumors.
Even though I won’t listen to them anymore because the sound simply got worn out through overplaying before 1978 was out, I can’t argue that they’re bad albums; they’re not. But they got overplayed like crazy precisely because they were popular.
Phil Collins as solo artist (and before that, as lead singer for Genesis) didn’t have his reputation suffer just due to his success; his reputation suffered because his songs were about one centimeter deep.
1984 was only ten years ago or so, wasn’t it?
I’m going to go with Cyndi Lauper on this one – Time after Time has staying power. Runner up awards to “Jump”, “Ghostbusters”, and “Like a Virgin” for being classic 80’s music.
All these songs are good, seems the Prince hit will win but I prefer his other songs than that one, and I like “Lets Go Crazy” more. It was very hard to vote, more so than any year. Not a single bad song on this list.
But I punched in my vote for “Wake Me UP Before You GO GO” by Wham, even though I planned to vote for Wham next year.
Oh well.
Thirty years ago for your sarcasm.
Yeah I was like Shitz Got Real! 
Though Say Say Say is quite awful, don’t get it confused with The Girl Is Mine which is one of the worst songs ever made.
I notice that Billy Ocean has no votes, so let me just single him out as one of the best pop artists of the mid-80s. His songs were just so catchy and likeable.
Really :eek:
:dubious::smack:
I’ve been in a Prince mood since last night. Otherwise it might be “Owner” real loud with headphones or “Time” in Spanish by a strolling guitarist. Good year, but not as good as '83.