# Best #1 single of the year retrospective: 1986 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 20, 2014, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928 "2014-10-20T16:30:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/61 "2014-10-21T15:31:25Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Well, why not? “Egyptian” is a lively, fun pop song. There was nothing manic about “Monday”; it was 3 minutes of whining about trivialities that remind me, even still, of Goddam in _Bored of the Rings_. And “If She Knew” was just another unremarkable pop song - more tolerable than “Manic Monday” but that’s about it. > > “Egyptian” is pretty much the only reason anyone remembers the Bangles. I object. The Bangles were/are a solid power pop band. But I agree that “Egyptian” is a lively, fun pop song, and that it’s the best of the three singles you mention (all of which were, somewhat uncharacteristically, not written by the Bangles). ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/62 "2014-10-21T17:26:01Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > To me, 1986 means _Graceland_. These are the days of lasers in the jungles… A fine example of dad rock. If you’re into that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/63 "2014-10-21T17:33:57Z")
The best Bangles song of all - and it came nowhere near the the number one spot here in America or in the U.K.? “Hero Takes a Fall”. It (along with “Manic Monday” and “If She Knew What She Wants” … and “Going Down to Liverpool”) continues to be a stellar piece of pop craftsmanship to this day. Meanwhile, “Walk Like an Egyptian” continues to be purest pap that is adored, for some reason, by the masses. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/64 "2014-10-21T17:35:54Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > it was 3 minutes of whining about trivialities that remind me, even still, of Goddam in _Bored of the Rings_. I’ve no idea what this even means. But if you say so. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/65 "2014-10-21T17:38:52Z")
> [@Eddie\_F](#): > > A fine example of dad rock. If you’re into that sort of thing. I get the snark - but it really is good music. I can’t stand that one video with Chevy Chase, but enjoy the music. Really great bass work. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/66 "2014-10-21T17:49:47Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > I get the snark - but it really is good music. I can’t stand that one video with Chevy Chase, but enjoy the music. Really great bass work. Oh, I agree, **Graceland** is a fine album, particularly the title track and “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”. But it is also a prime example of what would come to be called, lo, these many years later, dad rock. And the snark comes primarily from growing weary of (in general) my fellow older, white males’ knee jerk rockism and disdain for anything either A) not being easily classified as anything approaching “rock and roll” (read: RAWK!), and B) not having strong, obvious (safe) ties to the music of the sixties and seventies (you know, when they still made _good music_). Said wearying phenomenon is not just (or even primarily) here on the SDMB, but is also prevalent in my Facebook and Twitter feeds. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/67 "2014-10-21T17:52:34Z")
> [@Eddie\_F](#): > > The best Bangles song of all - and it came nowhere near the the number one spot here in America or in the U.K.? “Hero Takes a Fall”. It (along with “Manic Monday” and “If She Knew What She Wants” … and “Going Down to Liverpool”) continues to be a stellar piece of pop craftsmanship to this day. Meanwhile, “Walk Like an Egyptian” continues to be purest pap that is adored, for some reason, by the masses. The Bangles’ cover of Katrina & the Waves’ [“Going Down to Liverpool”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj7OJeyhq2Q) (warning: it’s a Vevo video so you’ll probably have to endure an obnoxious commercial, but the video has Leonard Nimoy at the wheel so its all good) is one of the more beautiful songs of the '80s. I love girl groups, especially ones in which everyone plays an instrument. The Bangles were/are a great band, regardless of gender. They’ve got another #1 coming up in a couple of years, but neither of their #1s, in my opinion, were indicative of their overall musicianship. (And props to the other person who voted for “Amanda.”) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/68 "2014-10-21T18:24:59Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I object. The Bangles were/are a solid power pop band. They may well have been. I’m not arguing that “Egyptian” was the sum total of their talent, just that it’s what has kept them from being forgotten by the vast majority of us who never bought a Bangles album or saw them perform live. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/69 "2014-10-21T18:27:50Z")
> [@Eddie\_F](#): > > A fine example of dad rock. If you’re into that sort of thing. I’m into rock. Doesn’t matter if we’re talking about the 1964 Beatles or the 2014 Decemberists. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/70 "2014-10-21T18:35:44Z")
> [@Gordon\_Urquhart](#): > > (And props to the other person who voted for “Amanda.”) I dunno. I was primed to like this song, because it’s the name of someone who was near and dear to me, but couldn’t quite get into it despite that. It reminded me of when the Moody Blues got back together after their hiatus: they could re-create that distinctive _sound_, but ISTM that something was lacking. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/71 "2014-10-21T18:47:55Z")
> [@Eddie\_F](#): > > Oh, I agree, **Graceland** is a fine album, particularly the title track and “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”. But it is also a prime example of what would come to be called, lo, these many years later, dad rock. > > And the snark comes primarily from growing weary of (in general) my fellow older, white males’ knee jerk rockism and disdain for anything either A) not being easily classified as anything approaching “rock and roll” (read: RAWK!), and B) not having strong, obvious (safe) ties to the music of the sixties and seventies (you know, when they still made _good music_). Said wearying phenomenon is not just (or even primarily) here on the SDMB, but is also prevalent in my Facebook and Twitter feeds. OK, this I understand. Most of my friends that I grew up with ceased listening to new music sometime around 1980, give or take a few years. _Graceland_ as ‘dad rock’? It was like pulling teeth to get them to listen to _Graceland_ back in 1986. So I hear where you’re coming from. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/72 "2014-10-21T18:57:04Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I dunno. I was primed to like this song, because it’s the name of someone who was near and dear to me, but couldn’t quite get into it despite that. It reminded me of when the Moody Blues got back together after their hiatus: they could re-create that distinctive _sound_, but ISTM that something was lacking. I appreciated the album “Third Stage” and its first single “Amanda” a lot, in no small part due to the fact that there were no synthesizers on the album. In the mid-80s, when even a band like Van Halen was resorting to synths, that’s something. “Third Stage” is a ton of fun – I listen to my vinyl copy quite often. I agree that there is a little something missing compared to Boston’s earlier albums (including some of the band’s original personnel), but Brad Delp’s vocals still shake me. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/73 "2014-10-21T19:06:47Z")
> [@Eddie\_F](#): > > The best Bangles song of all - and it came nowhere near the the number one spot here in America or in the U.K.? “Hero Takes a Fall”. The best Bangles song of all wasn’t even on any of their albums: the stunningly neo-psychedelic “The Real World” from their pre-first album EP. Brilliant song. It’s a travesty that Columbia couldn’t at least have licensed it for the \*Greatest Hits \*album. ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/74 "2014-10-21T19:06:48Z")
I’m late to the party, so a lot of what I’ll say has been said by others. I adore The Bangles, but more than anything for their first EP and first, pre-success album (_All Over the Place_). Hooray for the posters who singled out “Hero Takes a Fall” and “Going Down to Liverpool,” absolutely fantastic songs. I shake my head, but am not surprised, by the correct observation that the masses go for “Walk Like an Egyptian,” which is not terrible but rather inconsequential. If I had got here earlier, I would have written the first of the “I’m not at all a Madonna fan, but ‘Live to Tell’ is a great song” posts. Her finest work by far. I have a soft spot for “These Dreams,” both because it’s a fine song and because Nancy Wilson is a talented (and fine-looking!) musician who lived somewhat in her sister’s shadow. I like “True Colors,” but voted for Cyndi last year, so… The winner is “The Way It Is.” A song that is both musically and lyrically great, and says something important without beating you over the head with it. Imagine a song with these qualities ascending to mass popularity today! ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/75 "2014-10-21T19:08:09Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > The best Bangles song of all wasn’t even on any of their albums: the stunningly neo-psychedelic “The Real World” from their pre-first album EP. Brilliant song. It’s a travesty that Columbia couldn’t at least have licensed it for the \*Greatest Hits \*album. Agreed completely. This was the first Bangles song I ever heard, and still in my top three along with the others just mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/76 "2014-10-21T22:45:32Z")
Lets see where I stand on this issue. I voted for Human League’s “Human” a change of direction from their usual stuff like “Don’t You Want Me Baby” and “Fascination”. I think however I should have voted for “Sara” by Starship. “Say You Say Me”: I like the middle when the arrangement changes and picks up out of nowhere. Sounds like it is booming from outer space and hitting planet Earth. “That’s What Friends Are For”: not bad, better than 1985’s “We are the World”. Whitney: Okay, but I would not vote for it, “Saving All My Love For You” is better, and it seems no one gives her love. “Kyrie”- Love it as I do “Broken Wings”, the atmospheric background and intro. Mr. Mister gets thumbs up! “Sara”: I don’t understand how this got no love but “We Built This City” did, it is much better song and the male singer Mickey something sings it not Grace Slick. Fine voice, but sad song. “These Dreams”: I’m younger so I discovered Heart through this song, and later found their 70’s rock songs. This is their best, sad song and the background music is just so sad. Love the lyrics. “Rock Me Amadeus”: Love it, can’t believe it was a number 1 single. RIP Johann Holzell (Falco). “Kiss”: okay song, have no feelings for it. Prince has much better, though not bad overall. “Addicted to Love”: Good, I like some Palmer’s other songs. RIP “West End Girls”: I like the intro a lot, the song I no longer care for. Okay. “Greatest Love of All”: Okay Whitney song, kind of sad. “Live to Tell”: I like lots of Madonna song, and this is very good. the background, plus Madonna. Even those who don’t like Madge like this song often. “On My Own”: Okay, my mom loves it. I do not recall the Billy Ocean song, I’ve heard a few from him. Can’t tell, but I like the title and it seems sad. Simply Red’s song is good, Mick Hucknall has a fine voice, unique. Genesis’ single is good, like the album too. Peter Gabriel is good and iconic video, he is good. I like both Peter Cetera songs on this poll, no matter what anyone says. As for the rest I like all these songs, Bangles, Human League, Madonna, Bruce Hornsby, Janet Jackson, Steve Winwood etc. However I do not recall the Boston song, so can’t comment. ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/77 "2014-10-21T22:48:27Z")
1986 seems to have more sad songs per capita than any other year. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/78 "2014-10-21T22:58:54Z")
Hahaha, check out the couple of folk in this thread opining that liking “Walk like an Egyptian” is a thing that the plebeian masses do. Oh deary, deary me, way to misunderstand popular music/life 😃 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/79 "2014-10-21T23:08:33Z")
Berlin and Starship. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928/80 "2014-10-21T23:13:47Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Hahaha, check out the couple of folk in this thread opining that liking “Walk like an Egyptian” is a thing that the plebeian masses do. > > Oh deary, deary me, way to misunderstand popular music/life 😃 I once saw my father-in-law dance to this. Now there’s a memory!" [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-single-of-the-year-retrospective-1986/701928.md?page=5)