Move Baby Move - Johnny O'Keefe

ALL TIME GREATEST SINGLES - #991

MOVE BABY MOVE

Johnny O'Keefe

(M. Maurer, W. Farrell) Leedon LK 378

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Chart Entry: 8th June, 1963

Highest Position: #1

Points: 102,644

From the album

"The Best Of Johnny O'Keefe".

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As far as chart statistics were concerned, there was nothing wrong with Johnny O'Keefe's career in 1963. With seven top ten singles to his name, three of those #1 hits, Johnny earned his place as Australia's pioneer rock and roller, but behind the scenes there was a career barely holding on.

Johnny O'Keefe juggled his successful career with mounting personal problems while at his peak. A car accident in 1960 left him with post-traumatic stress disorder, spending some time in hospital after a nervous collapse. There was no better example of the high and lows of the music industry when just a few months later "Come On And Take My Hand" hit the top of the Australian charts, Johnny's second #1. A year later "I'm Counting On You" took that tally to three, bookended by two top ten hits, "Ready For You" (#10) and "Sing!" (#6). Johnny O'Keefe definitely had a loyal fan base to support him throughout all the hardships.

To add to his workload, Johnny joined ATN-7, later known as Channel Seven to compere The Johnny O'Keefe Show. The dangerous moved was confirmed with multiple public breakdowns, including some months in a psychiatric ward. It caused the producers of the show to rename it Sing Sing Sing, fearing that Johnny's run as compere would soon be over. But he overcame that prediction and continued with the show until it was cancelled in October 1965.

A couple of minor hits at the end of 1962 saw Johnny O'Keefe stumble for the first time during his two year high. Eight straight Top 20 hits were followed by "Yes, Indeed I Do" (#38) and "I Thank You" (#24) confirming his backers greatest fears. But there was still one more hit in the wings, and soon Johnny was back on top, his fourth and final #1, "Move Baby Move" gracing the top of the Australian charts. Originally recorded by Gil Hamilton, who was also the original artist for "Tell Him" by The Exciters, "Move Baby Move" found its biggest audience in Australia with Johnny at the helm.

There was no saving Johnny O'Keefe's impending decline. He became more and more controversial, resistant to change in the music industry, and seemingly mocking his trips to the psychiatric ward, a place he called "holiday camp". But he kept a full card of engagements despite the cancellation of his TV show, and took time out to entertain the troops in the Vietnam war. There was even time for a 70's comeback where another two top ten hits were added to Johnny's impressive discography to ensure that one of Australia's greatest musical pioneers would go out with a bang instead of a whimper.

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Chart Run: 17.9.4.4.3.2.1.1.4.4.6.9.11.14.20 (21 weeks in Top 100)

(Kent Top 20)

Angel Of The Morning - Merrilee Rush

ALL TIME GREATEST SINGLES - #992

ANGEL OF THE MORNING

Merrilee Rush

(C. Taylor) Stateside OSS 8389

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Chart Entry: 26th June, 1968

Highest Position: #1

Points: 102,616

From the album "Angel Of The Morning".

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It was "divine intervention" when a struggling Chip Taylor finally came up with "Angel Of The Morning" following a two hour writing slump. After trying to string two chords together, without any luck, he composed the song in 20 minutes, stating in a later interview that he dreamed the song into existence rather than consciously wrote it. He uttered the line "There'll be no strings to bind your hands, not if my love can't bind your heart", and coupled with a slower version of "Wild Thing" which he had written a couple of years earlier, he soon had a hit song on his hands.

"Angel Of The Morning" was given to emerging teenage singer, Evie Sands, with promising signs of success until her record company went bankrupt two weeks after its release. Enter Merrilee Rush and her band, The Turnabouts, who were opening a series of concerts for Paul Revere & the Raiders. Paul and his band recorded an album along the way which set up a meeting between Merrilee and producer Tommy Cogbill. Tommy had been searching for the right voice to front "Angel Of The Morning", keeping a rough demo of the song in his back pocket for months. Soon, Merrilee had "Angel Of The Morning", and eleven other tracks for a complete album in the can.

It seems like a title of innocence, but "Angel Of The Morning" is actually about pre-marital sex, still a taboo subject at the time despite it being the late 60's, a time of free love. It was for this reason that Connie Francis, first offered the song, turned it down. Many artists have since recorded the song without change in subject matter, including Chrissie Hynde, Nina Simone and Juice Newton, who recorded the most successful version in the US in 1981. However, there was a change in meaning when Shaggy reworked the song as "Angel" in 2001, turning it into a homage to his girlfriend.

Merrilee Rush's version of "Angel Of The Morning" also found its way onto the big screen, featuring in the 1978 Harvey Keitel film, Fingers, and 1996's Jerry Maguire where Tom Cruise makes a failed attempt to sing the song. It was also featured in the soundtrack to 1999's Girl, Interrupted featuring Angelina Jolie's Oscar winning performance as Lisa Rowe. Angelina Jolie just happens to be the niece of Chip Taylor!

There also an amusing commercial featuring "Angel Of The Morning" promoting the 2011 Toyota Highlander. It highlights just the sort of hell parents can inflict when overcome with the urge to sing the song...

There was little support for "Angel Of The Morning" in the UK charts, making it to #55 before dropping out of existence, but later that year, P.P Arnold did manage to hit the Top 30, her version peaking at #29. Juice Newton had similar trouble when "Angel" hit #43 but Shaggy had no problem with his re-imagined version topping the UK charts. The shame!

Merrilee needn't worry too much, though, soon finding herself with a US Billboard top ten hit when "Angel Of The Morning" hit #7 in June of 1968. It also graced the Dutch Top 5 but it was in Australia, New Zealand and Canada that she would top the singles chart. There was also some Grammys interest with a nomination for Best Female Contemporary-Pop Vocal Performance, losing the award to Dionne Warwick for "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?".

Merrilee Rush appeared in countless TV variety shows during the 60's and 70's, without any luck to follow up her #1 success. Only a couple of minor hits accompany her Australian success, "That Kind Of Woman" (1968, #59) and "Reach Out" (1969, #67). These days Merrilee is content with the quiet life in the countryside near Seattle, still performing the odd nostalgia show here and there.

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Chart Run: 19.16.8.3.3.3.1.1.2.4.13.7.10.15.19.39.--.38 (23 weeks in Top 100)

(Go-Set Charts)

Have I The Right - The Honeycombs

ALL TIME GREATEST SINGLES - #993

HAVE I THE RIGHT

The Honeycombs

(K. Howard, A. Blaikley) Astor AP 1069

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Chart Entry: 12th September, 1964

Highest Position: #1

Points: 102,573

From the album "The Honeycombs".

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The Beatles may have had Ringo, but The Honeycombs had Honey Lantree, a female drummer who also worked as a hairdresser, hence the name. In fact, her boss, Martin Murray founded the group, adding in Honey's brother and two friends to become The Sheratons before the name change.

The group came across songwriting duo Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley at one of their early shows. Impressed by the vocal talents of Dennis D'Ell, and their unique drummer, "Have I The Right" was offered as material needed to audition for Joe Meek, a pioneering record producer who came to prominence in 1962 with The Tornados "Telstar". The audition turned into a recording session with "Have I The Right" recorded then and there in his apartment - the same one he recorded "Telstar".

The Honeycombs didn't need any more attention given to their percussion section with Honey in the hot seat, but "Have I The Right" was one of the first hit singles to feature hand clapping and foot stomping in its recording. Joe's apartment stairwell officially became an instrument, The Honeycombs stomping recorded into microphones fixed to the stair rail. Further enhancement came from a tambourine hit directly onto the microphone. Unfortunately for Dennis, the final mix was sped up slightly, making it impossible for him to reproduce the sound live.

"Have I The Right" achieved #1 success in the UK, Australia and Sweden, while transatlantic success saw the single hit the US Top 5 and top the Canadian charts, the single selling over two million copies within a year of its release. Given that success, "Have I The Right" was initially a hard sell, Joe Meek peddling the song from record company to record company, eventually finding a backer in Louis Benjamin, the future chairman of Pye records. It was Louis who rechristened the group The Honeycombs.

Those pesky Beatles gobbled up most of the chart success during 1964, featuring no less than eight singles in the end of year top ten. Without The Beatles, The Honeycombs would have held the second biggest single of the year, however, their long term success could not match Beatlemania, the group finding it hard to follow up their success, despite further singles written by Howard and Blaikley, now the groups' managers. "Is It Because" (1964, #67) and "I Can't Stop" (1965, #43) was all that remained for The Honeycombs' Australian chart action before they disbanded in 1967.

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Chart Run: 20.9.6.3.2.1.1.2.3.4.7.13.14.16 (24 weeks in Top 100)

(Kent Top 20)

Fergalicious - Fergie

ALL TIME GREATEST SINGLES - #994

FERGALICIOUS

Fergie

(W. Adams, D.M. Birks, J.M. Burns, S. Ferguson, J. Lee, K. Nazel, D. Rahming, F. Shaheed,

K. Bantos, R. Huetter, F. Schneider-Esleben) A&M 1717620

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Chart Entry: 4th December, 2006

Highest Position: #4

Accreditation: Gold

Points: 102,489

From the album "The Dutchess".

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The "inspired" combination of Fergie and delicious brought a new word into the urban dictionary - "Fergalicious", describing something that makes the boys go crazy. And if you thought that was an English lesson in itself, then Fergie and will.i.am made sure almost every lyric in the song was spelled out for you.

There were concerns that Fergie's solo release was a signal of her leaving The Black Eyed Peas, but The Dutchess was really just an extension of their body of work, highlighting the member most sought after by the music buying public. Fergie made it clear that she was not leaving the Peas, a good move given the astronomical success they achieved towards the end of the decade.

"Fergalicious" was more nonsensical gibberish along the lines of "My Humps", the lyrical content best deciphered as sex, sex, and more sex. But it was all about Fergie, too, and what better way to "steal" that household name away from another "Ferguson".

This single is jam-packed with samples, so with all those many fingers in the pie, there was bound to be some legal wrangling over royalties. American female rap trio, J.J. Fad enjoyed re-newed exposure when their 1987 release, "Supersonic" was heavily sampled and incorporated almost note for note into "Fergalicious", but former N.W.A. member, the Arabian Prince, was none too happy with the absence of royalties paid as the original producer, and subsequently sued Fergie's record label.

Further samples from "Give It All You Got" by Afro-Rican and elements of James Brown's "Night Train" and Kraftwerk's "It's More Fun To Compute" made it quite a busy little song, and there was further "borrowing" from Dominic Frontiere's theme music to 60's TV show, The Rat Patrol, and will.i.am's use of the opening line of 2 Live Crew's "Throw The D", which he modified for his own opening line in "Fergalicious". Seriously, was there anything original in this. But if you think that's controversy enough, tensions between Fergie and fellow Interscope-Geffen-A&M stablemate, Nelly Furtado exploded.

It seems Fergie's use of the word "promiscuous" in "Fergalicious" hit a little too close to home with Nelly, taking it as a jab at her own hit single. Nelly rebutted during her collaboration with Timbaland, "Give It To Me", confirming a verse was aimed directly at Fergie, but which one I can't tell as the whole song could almost be interpreted that way. Not to be outdone, Fergie sent her reply via a video remix for Daddy Yankee's "Impacto", stating "you got a problem, come say it to my face". Bitchy indeed!

Given all the bad press and unoriginality, "Fergalicious" was a hit, her second of five straight top ten hits in Australia. It stalled at #2 on the US Billboard charts interrupting a possible run of four straight #1 hits but strangely was never properly released in the UK. Only an eventual coupling of the track with "Clumsy" became the albums' fourth release there, but could only muster a #62 peak. Given that The Dutchess had a dismal chart in the UK (a #18 peak), maybe the Brits weren't to happy for a new "Fergie" to take place of the old one.

The Dutchess hit #1 on the Australian albums chart, the only major market it did so on, eventually selling 8 million copies worldwide. We were bombarded with hit after hit from the solo Fergie, made she made good with the promise that she wouldn't be leaving The Black Eyed Peas. They returned in 2009 with what can only be described as a chart domination, leaving The Dutchess five years without a solo companion piece - but The Black Eyed Peas are on hiatus at the moment, and you know what happened last time they did that.

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Chart Run: 11.10.9.9.11.6.4.6.8.8.9.11.12.11.12.14.21.26.25.31.34.39.38.42.45.44.

48.51.57.57.55.55.60.56.66.71.71.77.74.82.79.90.95.90.97 (45 weeks)

Re-entry: (31st December, 2007) 100 (1 week)

(ARIA Top 100)

Disturbia - Rihanna

ALL TIME GREATEST SINGLES - #995

DISTURBIA

Rihanna

(R. Allen, A. Merritt, C. Brown, B. Kennedy) Def Jam 06025 1787139

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Chart Entry: 7th July, 2008

Highest Position: #6

Accreditation: Platinum

Points: 102,435

From the album "Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded".

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"Disturbia" set out to be added to Chris Brown's ever-growing list of hits, written by his team, the Graffiti Artistz, but another track written at the same time called "Forever" took preference when promoting his re-packaged Exclusive album. Chris wasn't too keen on releasing the song himself, anyway, feeling the song was better suited to a female singer, and so the song was given to his girlfriend, Rihanna, for her own re-packaged Good Girl Gone Bad album.

On the outside, "Disturbia" held themes of confusion, anguish and anxiety, but underneath Rihanna was sometimes interpreted as a frightened pop star, a victim of her own fame. Given the very public fallout of her relationship with Chris Brown just around the corner, there seemed to be some eventual truth to this, however, Rihanna later stated that the song wasn't about any specific experience, but could be adapted to any number of personal disruptions.

Rihanna's star was burning bright all throughout 2007 and 2008 with the Good Girl Gone Bad album, "Disturbia" the seventh hit from an album that had already boasted two #1 singles, "Umbrella" and "Don't Stop The Music". The single became Rihanna's ninth top ten from eleven chart entries, and if that wasn't enough Rihanna for you, her duet with Maroon 5 peaked at #11 and a featured vocal on T.I.'s "Live Your Life" saw her once again hit the Top 3. That was enough Rihanna for one year, thank you.

Rihanna was often viewed as a pop puppet in the music industry, rarely contributing any songwriting to her albums (Good Girl Gone Bad featured zero songwriting credits from her), but "Disturbia" was still the sound of Rihanna taking firm control over her own career, demanding the release of a single for the first time. Her short but lucrative career quickly developed her the knack to recognise a hit, and "Disturbia" certainly was one of her most appealing and enduring tracks, only strengthened since by a string of textbook pop songs that have followed from another three albums, but unfortunately all bigger hits anyway.

That real life "Disturbia" took over Rihanna's life when she cancelled her performance at the 2009 Grammy Awards. It was later found that after an altercation, Chris Brown was charged with assault and criminal threats to his girlfriend. Disturbing photos of a visibly beaten Rihanna emerged to the media prompting "Rihanna's Law", a move to "deter employees of law enforcement agencies from releasing photos or information that exploits crime victims". Rihanna and Chris Brown's collaboration began and ended with "Disturbia", the singer ordered to stay away from Rihanna at a distance of fifty yards unless at public events where the distance was reduced to ten. So, a live duet is still not out of the question, with a wide enough stage, of course.

Good Girl Gone Bad gave Rihanna her first Grammy Award in 2008 when "Umbrella" took out Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and "Disturbia" continued her Grammy's glow in 2009, nominated for Best Dance Recording, but losing to Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". However, "Disturbia" made it on to many high profile "best of" lists for the year, including a #2 placing on Time's "10 Best Songs of Summer", and named the #11 best single of 2008 by Rolling Stone magazine.

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Chart Run: 69.81.78.35.22.17.11.9.8.7.6.6.8.8.9.11.13.15.16.18.23.27.35.34.35.35.

38.39.48.50.60.65.52.65.63.66.69.77.78.83.92 (41 weeks)

Jody Den Broader - Radio Edit: (9th February, 2009) 67 (1 week)

(ARIA Top 100)

He's Gonna Step On You Again - The Party Boys

ALL TIME GREATEST SINGLES - #996

HE'S GONNA STEP ON YOU AGAIN

The Party Boys

(J. Kongos, C. Demetriou) CBS 650906 7

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Chart Entry: 8th June, 1987

Highest Position: #1

Points: 102,385

From the album "The Party Boys".

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John Kongos' 1971 top ten hit, "He's Gonna Step On You Again", was always going to take the charts by storm in 1987, somehow. The song was slated to be John Paul Young's comeback hit, but a recording never took place. Instead, three Australian bands delivered their interpretations, Exploding White White as the b-side to their "Blaze Of Glory" single, soapie collective the Chantoozies, who made it to #36 with their version, and The Party Boys, hitting #1 in July of that year, and holding for two weeks.

The Party Boys started with ex-Mondo Rock bass player, Paul Christie who set up the "supergroup" as a means of employment during downtime of their usual ventures. Some of the biggest names of the Australian music scene spent time in the group, lead by James Reyne (1982-82), Richard Clapton (1983), Shirley Strachan (1983-84), Marc Hunter (1984-85), Angry Anderson (1986) and John "Swanee" Swan in 1987. The invitation also extended beyond our shores with international artists Joe Walsh, Alan Lancaster, Eric Burdon and Graham Bonnett (the latter two taking over vocal duties from John Swan after he retired from the group).

The Party Boys had a strict policy to perform cover songs only, releasing four live albums worth of material along the way with moderate success. They hit the top ten early in their career with the album Live At Several 21st's (1983, #9), and continued throughout the 80's with Greatest Hits (Of Other People) (1983, #25), No Song Too Sacred (1984, #61) and You Need Professional Help (1985, #96). With John Swan at the helm, it was time to take The Party Boys into the studio to cut an album featuring covers previously recorded by the likes of AC/DC, Argent, Them and The Angels. They also broke their "covers" rule by contributing four originals to the set. The self-titled album put The Party Boys back inside the Top 20 on the albums chart, peaking at #24 and spending almost half a year in the Top 100.

The Party Boys' singles account couldn't have been any worse than it was. 1983's "Bitch" was their only chart entry, and it only made it to #100 for just one week. That's better than nothing, I guess. The six members of the 1987 incarnation, John Swan, Paul Christie, Kevin Borich (La De Das), Richard Harvey (Divinyls), John Brewster (The Angels) and Alan Lancaster (Status Quo) had all tasted top ten success on the Australian charts with their previous bands, but "He's Gonna Step On You Again" gave six careers a new highlight when it hit #1, the complete opposite to The Party Boys' previous singles chart entry.

The Party Boys went back to relative obscurity after their amazing year, the international talents of Eric Burdon and Graham Bonnett giving the band a couple of minor hits before the whole project folded in 1992. But just as this whole thing started as a bit of fun for the cream of the Australian music scene, it could never really die as long as Australian music existed. Paul Christie revived The Party Boys in 1999 for a series of live concerts, and Kevin Borich's Party Boyz Tour featuring John Swan and Angry Anderson, performed a New Year's gig to see in 2011, continuing a string of shows through January at various RSL clubs.

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Chart Run: 98.66.28.10.6.3.2.1.1.2.2.4.5.12.18.18.24.24.34.46.44.55.61.70.79.83

(26 weeks) (Australian Music Report)

Almost Here - Brian McFadden & Delta Goodrem

ALL TIME GREATEST SINGLES - #997

ALMOST HERE

Brian McFadden & Delta Goodrem

(B. McFadden, P. Barry, M. Taylor) Sony 675 735 2

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Chart Entry: 14th March, 2005

Highest Position: #1

Accreditation: Platinum

Points: 102,306

From the albums "Irish Son"

and "Mistaken Identity".

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The fairytale romance between Brian McFadden and Delta Goodrem ignited when the former Westlife member invited Australia's new princess of pop to record a duet for his debut solo album, Irish Son. As far as chart success was concerned, Brian couldn't have picked a better partner to record with, given that Delta had already racked up six Australian #1 singles in just two short years. But what he got was a high profile romance, including engagement, lasting six years.

"Almost Here" was written about Brian's ex-wife, Atomic Kitten singer, Kerry Katona, and their 2004 break-up. Brian was still married at the time of recording, divorced in September of that year, while Delta had just recovered from cancer, herself recently separated from tennis star, Mark Philippoussis. The timing of the duet was perfect, if not a little dangerous. The two quickly became an item with Brian moving to Australia to be closer to his soon-to-be fianceé.

"Almost Here" continued Delta's winning success, her seventh #1 single picking up the slack of her previous release, "Mistaken Identity", which stalled at #7. It was also the first real chart success in Australia for Brian without Westlife, the group surprisingly achieving only moderate success here despite the "Beatlesque" accolades they were receiving in the UK. Unfortunately for Brian, it was Delta that we really wanted, and Irish Son made no mark on the Australian Top 100 albums.

The film clip for "Almost Here" had two endings, a "happy" and a "sad" one (no guesses which of Brian's relationships belonged to which clip). Brian and Delta wander aimlessly around an airport, just missing each other at every turn until Brian, clutching Delta's handbag, catches up with her (or doesn't) in a cab. If you think that sounds like another soapie couples' film clip, then you'd be right. Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan suffered the same hardship to meet during the "Especially For You" clip. Looking forward, it would be the "happy" ending for Brian and Delta that most would be familiar with, but the alternative "sad" ending can still be found on Brian's DVD, The Life Of Brian: Six Months In The Life Of.

Brian McFadden made himself a household name locally, moving to Australia to be closer to Delta, becoming a regular on Australian TV, presenting FOX8's Football Superstar, appearing as guest judge on Australian Idol, and permanently filling the judges seat on Australia's Got Talent. So with that exposure, he was able to make his own mark on the charts hitting the top spot again in 2010 without the help of Delta. That single, "Just Say So", earned Brian nominations as Most Popular Australian Artist and Most Popular Australian Single. Brian McFadden had certainly become Australia's favourite son-in-law.

Delta's own success continued into a third album, and an eighth #1 single, but there was a need to spread her wings if her career was to go beyond those three successful albums. Ironically, it was Brian who was stuck alone in Australia while Delta based herself in L.A. to record her fourth album, the strain on their relationship too much to cope with. After "a lot of soul searching from both parties", Brian and Delta announced their mutual and amicable break-up in April 2011.

It seems that "sad" ending of "Almost Here" is inevitable for Brian, but they'll always have that moment on video when they reigned supreme together on the Australian charts.

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Chart Run: 1.2.2.2.3.5.7.10.10.14.17.21.31.38.47.56.56.66.75.81.92.96

(ARIA Top 100)

Hot Stuff - Donna Summer

ALL TIME GREATEST SINGLES - #998

HOT STUFF

Donna Summer

(P. Bellotte, H. Faltermeyer, K. Forsey) Casablanca NB978

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Chart Entry: 21st May, 1979

Highest Position: #1

Points: 102,269

From the album "Bad Girls".

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With three top ten hits to her name, including the #1 smash, "I Feel Love", Donna Summer was able to steal the spotlight away from Abba just enough to be crowned Queen of the Disco era. It was a genre that Rod Stewart and The Rolling Stones had successfully experimented with, so Donna decided to repay the compliment by reversing the roles on herself. There was room for another crown as "Hot Stuff" topped the charts and briefly made Donna the Queen of Rock!

Debuting in 1980, the Grammy Awards first Best Female Rock Vocal Performance drew usual suspects Rickie Lee Jones, Bonnie Raitt and Carly Simon as nominees, but it was Donna Summers' "Hot Stuff" that won the vote. Interestingly, 1980 also saw the short-lived Best Disco Recording award, won by Gloria Gaynor for "I Will Survive". It lasted just one year, so Donna never had a chance to become an official Disco victor, remaining a premiere rock performer in the eyes of the Grammys (Donna was nominated in the Rock category once again in 1982 for "Cold Love").

Grammys aside, "Hot Stuff" has slowly claimed its Disco status over time, introduced as "another Disco classic from the 70's" in the 1997 film The Full Monty. The famous scene involving members of the "dance troupe" in the unemployment line, commanded by Donna to practice their moves while queuing was almost cut from the film for being too unrealistic. It wasn't so "unrealistic" when Prince Charles helped re-create the scene at a press conference on his 50th birthday.

In Australia, "Hot Stuff" was used as the new slogan for the famous Four'N Twenty Meat Pie, Donna Summer's track used in the commercial filmed in 1981.

Donna Summer's fame came at a price, dealing with anxiety attacks and suffering an eventual nervous breakdown during the recording of the Bad Girls album. It was during this time that Donna became a born again Christian, however, it didn't stop the assertive content of Bad Girls, an album following the theme of a "working girl", most evident in the title track which segues from "Hot Stuff" on the 12" version. The album hit #1 on the US Billboard charts with sales topping three million copies, and became Donna's third and final top ten album in Australia (peaking at #6). But there was conflict in the Donna Summer camp that severely impacted her long term career.

Casablanca Records had taken care of Donna through four albums including Bad Girls, and one more greatest hits package released late in 1979. The label refused to co-operate with Donna on new material incorporating Religious themes and the further experimentation with the rock and New Wave genres. The union was dissolved under the agreement that one more album would be recorded, delivered in 1983 in the form of She Works Hard For The Money.

Controlled as she was, "Hot Stuff" would prove to be the peak of Donna Summer's career, her final #1 in Australia and third of four chart toppers in the US (all four in the space of one year!!!). Three more top ten hits graced the Australian charts, but Donna's career was more stops and starts during that time than the non-stop barrage of hits she enjoyed in the 70's. Luckily, "Hot Stuff" has always been there through the years to remind us of the Disco Queen Donna Summer undoubtedly was.

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Chart Run: 83.40.25.11.8.4.1.2.2.3.4.4.8.11.13.18.24.27.36.46.65.92 (22 weeks)

(Australian Music Report)

Epic - Faith No More

ALL TIME GREATEST SINGLES - #999

EPIC

Faith No More

(M. Patton, B. Gould, J. Martin, R. Bottum, M. Bordin) Slash K 10139

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Chart Entry: 15th July, 1990

Highest Entry: #1

Accreditation: Platinum

Points: 102,238

From the album "The Real Thing".

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Even when the biggest hits of the 80's were at their rocking best, there was always a hint of pop embedded somewhere deep inside. The transformation of disco and punk into 80's pop saw the charts maintain that genre for ten years. A musical change was ready to explode and Faith No More were there with the ammunition.

Faith No More, like so many other bands who broke into the 90's charts, were active right throughout the 80's, forming as Faith No Man in 1981. An album eventuated in 1985, We Care A Lot, which brought them to the attention of Slash Records, a specialist in punk rock bands. 1987's Introduce Yourself showed a band with direction, the album featuring an improved sound and better sense of cohesion than the debut. But there was one thing missing. Mike Patton.

Mike moved across from the experimental Mr. Bungle to take on Faith No More's vocal duties after their former singer, Chuck Mosley, was fired for "creative differences". The Real Thing was the result of the union, the first of four successful albums, which made Faith No More one of the biggest bands of their genre. Not that that was a terribly hard feat. The band mixed everything from Heavy Metal and Progressive Rock to Funk, Jazz, Hip Hop and Soul. So when they hit the top of the Australian charts in August 1990 with "Epic", there was no better signal that the 90's was going to be a diverse decade indeed.

Exploding with Jim Martin's guitar, and finishing with a classically-inspired piano piece, "Epic" was almost a "Bohemian Rhapsody" for the 90's, genres at either end of the scale, but married to produce a #1 hit. Add to that, Mike Patton's hip hop vocals were unlike anything we had heard in a #1 single before, but Faith No More were pipped to lay claim as the first "rap" #1 as M.C. Hammer had just finished his run at the top of the Australian charts with the first ever #1 rap single, "U Can't Touch This".

The speculation over the meaning of "Epic" is greatly debated. The most common answer is that the song is about sex, or more precisely, oral sex, but suggestions of drugs, masturbation, and finding inner greatness have all been put forward (to totally debunk all the theories, it is well known that Mike Patton actually writes much of his lyric based on the sounds of the words rather than their meaning, so it really could just meaning nothing at all). The only thing that we are certain the song is about, is "it", but as Mike constantly reminds us, just "what is 'it'?".

The Salvador Dali-inspired video for "Epic" caused its own controversy with the depiction of a dying goldfish, supposedly given to the band from Icelandic singer, Björk. Whether the band was serious with their admission is also a mystery, but fits right alongside visions of the all seeing eye in the hand, exploding pianos, artificial rain and fake green blood gushing forth onto the band.

"Epic" spent three weeks at the top of the ARIA charts, coming in at #22 on the End Of Year list for 1990. The Real Thing was a surprise success itself, peaking at #2 with a #37 placement on the EOY chart. There was more Faith No More success to come, including a return to the top of the singles chart in 1993, and three more top ten albums. Mike Patton's experimental ways took hold of the band soon after his induction, refining their sound to the slickness of "Midlife Crisis" and "Evidence", but "Epic" was the culmination of ten "adolescent" years all in one song.

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Chart Run: 81.31.17.10.2.2.1.1.1.2.5.4.6.15.12.20.27.42.49.62.66.96.97 (23 weeks)

(ARIA Top 100)

The Last Farewell - Roger Whittaker

ALL TIME GREATEST SINGLES - #1000

THE LAST FAREWELL

Roger Whittaker

(R. Whittaker, R.A. Webster) Columbia DO 10785

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Chart Entry: 2nd June, 1975

Highest Position: #3

Points: 102,227

From the album "A Special Kind Of Man".

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Chart Run: 62.44.33.26.22.16.13.9.7.4.4.3.5.4.6.6.5.12.12.23.26.37.44.45.57.84 (26 weeks)

(Australian Music Report)