On July 7, 1984, two of Britain’s biggest new wave bands occupied the first and second spots in the Top 40.

Number one is Duran Duran with The Reflex. The Birmingham group rose to fame in 1981 with the controversial video clip Girls On Film. That may be one reason why they didn’t reach the Top 40. Duran Duran’s Top 40 debut came in 1983 with Is There Something I Should Know?, which was their first No. 1 hit in the UK. Duran Duran’s first Top 10 hit was The Reflex, which also managed to stay at number one for six weeks. The Wild Boys’ follow-up was also a big hit, but had to settle for second place.

Furthermore, Ultravox managed to escape their one-hit wonder status. After Vienna’s number 1 hit, we had to wait three years for a second hit, but Dancing With Tears In My Eyes also reached the top 10. Vienna’s success was not to be matched, however, as Dancing With Tears In My Eyes did not go any further than number 6. Wham! made the top 10 with Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. The George Michael-Andrew Ridgeley duo scored their first number 1 hit on the charts. But there was more movement in the top 10 on July 7, 1984.

1 (1) REFLEX – Duran Duran

Duran Duran are at the top for a fifth week with The Reflex and the counter will stop in its sixth week. Six weeks at No. 1 is a feat that is more the rule than the exception these days, but it was much rarer in the 1980s. Only fourteen hits from 1980 to 1989 managed to stay at the top that long, an average of 1.4 per year. The Reflex is the only hit to spend at least six weeks in the Top 40 in 1984 and yet still not reach No. 1 on the annual list. The British band had to cede that honor to Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called To Say I Love You , which spent three weeks at No. 1 in 1984. It was Duran Duran’s first and last No. 1 hit.

2 (4) ONLY WHEN YOU LEAVE – Spandau Ballet

It must have been a huge pain for Spandau Ballet to be prevented from getting a number 1 hit from their rivals. In 1983 the new wave band had their big break with the top 5 hits True and Gold, from the album True. You have to strike while the iron is hot so the follow-up album Parade was released in 1984. The first single Only When You Leave was a good follow-up to the success of True and Gold, reaching their second highest number one. Spandau Ballet had two number 2 hits (Gold and Only When You Leave), but unfortunately the number 1 proved to be a bridge too far. Spandau Ballet would only have one more major hit; Through The Barricades reached number 3 in 1986.

4 (6) LISTEN TO THE BOYS – Deniece Williams

Footloose by Kenny Loggins was a classic among musical theme songs, but it never reached the Tip Parade or the Top 40. The only hit from the Footloose soundtrack was Let’s Hear It For The Boy by Deniece Williams. The American singer is best known for Too Much, Too Little, Too Late. This duet with Johnny Mathis reached number three in the Top 40 in 1978. Williams only managed to match that number in 1984, when Let’s Hear It For The Boy remained at number four. In the United States, Let’s Hear It For The Boy hit number one, as did Footloose by Kenny Loggins. After Let’s Hear It For The Boy we never saw Deniece Williams in the Top 40 again.

7 (9) SELF-CONTROL – Laura Branigan

Italian singer Raf released the single Self Control in 1984, with which he scored a number 1 hit in his home country. Self Control became known in most other countries because American singer Laura Branigan covered it. With the exception of Italy (where Branigan did not reach number 29), Branigan’s version was more successful in all countries than Raf’s original. The most remarkable situation occurred in Switzerland; Branigan rose to number one there on June 24, 1984, only to be beaten by Raf a week later. A week later, Branigan returned to number 1 and began a seven-week hegemony. In the Netherlands, number seven was the highest ranking. It was the only hit for Laura Branigan, who died in 2004 at the age of 52.

10 (11) THE CORAL IS COMING – Mink Deville

There would be few artists in Top 40 history with two Top 10 hits that were so different from each other. In 1977, American band Mink Deville reached number three with Spanish Stroll, a catchy blues rock record. Their second and most recent Top 10 hit would not come until 1984 with Demasiado Corazón. As the title suggests, this was a salsa song that saw lead singer Willy Deville return to his Basque roots. For Demasiado Corazón, a No. 10 would be the highest. Mink Deville split in 1986. In 1992 Willy Deville scored another big hit, Hey Joe. He died in 2009 at the age of 58 from pancreatic cancer.

(04-07-2020)