# ID this obscure mid-1980s song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423 "2012-08-14T00:55:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/1 "2012-08-14T00:55:07Z")
There was a song that got considerable airplay on pop stations, I believe in the fall of 1986. It must have had no staying power whatsoever, because I’ve never heard it since then, even though I listen to 80s music stations sometimes. In the chorus, there’s a line that sounds something like “make it sweet more.” (That is NOT the actual line, but that’s what it sounded like to my 10-year-old ears.) The line may have been repeated. The four notes in “make it sweet more” follow the musical scale like this: (1st note) up up down, or maybe it was (1st note) down up down. I know this is very minimal information, but I’ve seen other threads like this where somebody actually does identify the song. Any guesses? ---
**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:** [August 14, 2012, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/2 "2012-08-14T01:10:52Z")
Maybe you can find it here? > **[Top 100 Hits of 1986/Top 100 Songs of 1986 | Music Outfitters](https://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1986.htm)** > > Top 100 Songs for the year 1986 from the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 charts. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/3 "2012-08-14T01:13:43Z")
I was going to say [Sweet Disorder](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJhh3ptLzrg) by Strawpeople, but the timing is way off and it probably wasn’t released internationally. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/4 "2012-08-14T01:32:11Z")
[Opportunities](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di60NYGu03Y), Pet Shop Boys. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/5 "2012-08-14T01:39:53Z")
Update: it was actually fall of 1985, not 1986. I went to the 1985 page of **terentii’s** link, but no luck. It’s not “Sweet Disorder” or “Opportunities” either. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/6 "2012-08-14T01:46:56Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > There was a song that got considerable airplay on pop stations, I believe in the fall of 1986. It must have had no staying power whatsoever, because I’ve never heard it since then, even though I listen to 80s music stations sometimes. In the chorus, there’s a line that sounds something like “make it sweet more.” (That is NOT the actual line, but that’s what it sounded like to my 10-year-old ears.) The line may have been repeated. The four notes in “make it sweet more” follow the musical scale like this: (1st note) up up down, or maybe it was (1st note) down up down. > > I know this is very minimal information, but I’ve seen other threads like this where somebody actually does identify the song. Any guesses? Was it in a minor key? ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/7 "2012-08-14T01:48:24Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Was it in a minor key? I think so. I believe it was a pretty slow song, maybe a love ballad. ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/8 "2012-08-14T01:53:54Z")
“Things will only get better” by Howard Jones. (skip to the chorus) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/9 "2012-08-14T02:05:20Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > “Things will only get better” by Howard Jones. (skip to the chorus) This was the first song I thought of; I’d be surprised if it wasn’t correct. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-OO9LloDSJo/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AG-AoAC8AGKAgwIABABGH8gPCgsMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCfxPDU_7ymCbkjFMHQnRwafTrSlQ "Howard Jones - Things Can Only Get Better") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OO9LloDSJo) ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/10 "2012-08-14T02:25:41Z")
It’s not “Things Can Only Get Better” either. I guess there’s a tiny chance that it’s a song I know well but am not making the connection with my memory of hearing it when i was 9. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/11 "2012-08-14T02:38:14Z")
Was it a ballad, a slow song, an upbeat number, '80s power pop, any ideas? I have some, but we need to narrow it down a bit. I’ll bet it was something slow. EDIT: never mind, you answered that and I just missed it. Since the lyrics were indecipherable to your ears, it was slow, and had a minor key feel, how about _Life In A Northern Town_ by The Dream Academy? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/12 "2012-08-14T02:51:17Z")
I always want to answer “Reap the Wild Wind” to questions like this. Too lazy to link from my iPad. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/13 "2012-08-14T03:39:32Z")
Male voice or female voice? Synth pop or top 40 rock? What makes you sure you heard it in fall of 1985? Did the singer have an accent of any kind that you remember? ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/14 "2012-08-14T03:53:56Z")
I posted a thread asking for some song ID help and the answer was “Reap the Wild Wind.” ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/15 "2012-08-14T04:06:22Z")
It doesn’t fit the description exactly, and it’s from 1983, but the first thing that came to mind was Paul Young’s [“Come Back and Stay.”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEn6amCRQfI) ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/16 "2012-08-14T09:41:34Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > I posted a thread asking for some song ID help and the answer was “Reap the Wild Wind.” Yeah, that was me. I’m just getting lazy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/17 "2012-08-14T10:37:43Z")
Is it Obsession by Animotion? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/hIs5StN8J-0/maxresdefault.jpg "Animotion - Obsession") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIs5StN8J-0) ---
**Author:** ![breezman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@breezman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breezman)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/18 "2012-08-14T11:35:56Z")
Possibly [The Promise](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwGeMYBGffs) by When In Rome? Oops. I meant to suggest [Electric Blue](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUFOVu1CurM). It’s chorus has the line “I just freeze when…” that sort of matches with the description in Ponch8’s original post. For some reason I always confused those two songs. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/19 "2012-08-14T12:15:15Z")
Have you considered “Reap The Wild Wind”? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2012, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423/20 "2012-08-14T12:33:16Z")
Is it “Rio” by Duran Duran? It had to be done. Random Actual Stab in the Dark: is it “Yah Mo B There” by Michael McDonald and James Ingram? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-obscure-mid-1980s-song/631423.md?page=2)