Forgotten Classic Video(s) of the Week

Since I plum forgot to post a video last week, I'm making today a two-fer Tuesday.

Featured today are bands who are considered one-hit wonders, but these songs/videos were also chart hits for them, making them at least two-hit wonders.

I'm sending this first one out to my sister, to whom I tried to sing/describe this song and received only mild recognition. This is Dead or Alive's "Brand New Lover," from their 1986 album, Mad, Bad & Dangerous To Know. This single hit #15 on the Billboard charts and, considering that the song they're remembered for, "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" only peaked 4 places higher at #11, it's a mystery why so many people forget this song.



Next up is A Flock of Seagulls with "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)," from their 1983 album, Listen. Not too many people did listen, but this single still managed to hit #26. Not quite the smash that their #9 hit and '80s staple, "I Ran (So Far Away)" was, but hey, it's still Top 40!

Boy, those guys loved parenthetical phrases, eh? Almost as much as they loved hair gel.

Comments

Cormac Brown said…
Ha, when "Wishing" came on the car radio, I explained to The Kid that this sound was, "the most advanced for its time."

He said, "you're kidding."
Unknown said…
I remember (and loved) "Brand New Lover" but I don't think I ever heard "Wishing" before now. And that's not a bad thing.
Anonymous said…
I wonder if the duet between Michael Johns and Carly Smithson will one day make the forgotten classic video of the week blog or will it make the top 40....I expect a full blown report on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning missy!
Tootsie said…
Funny, when you sang it, it just didn't sound quite the same or as in the words of my buddy Simon Cowell “If your lifeguard duties were as good as your singing, a lot of people would be drowning.”
Cora said…
Oh yeah, I remember those! Oh God, now I'm feeling old. Thanks. (wink)
Anonymous said…
I loved "Brand New Lover".

Knot
dmarks said…
That guy looks like a mean Boy George.
rachaelgking said…
Oh, thank you for these. They really took me back!
Malcolm said…
I remember that me and my girlfriend at the time suspected that there was some camera trickery for the "Brand New Lover" video in order to make Pete Burns look even more thin. I wonder if Paula Abdul had this in mind for her "Promise of a New Day" video.
Gifted Typist said…
Ah, AFOS, some things go away and then they come back again, and again, and again.
WendyB said…
Oh, I loved Dead or Alive so much. Sophisticated Boom Boom, baby!
Dave said…
I lurve "Brand New Lover".

It's on my 80s Play list on my iPod that I hate to admit is there.
Anonymous said…
Dude, have you seen Pete Burns lately? Scariest shit you will ever see. You'll never sleep with the light out again.
Moxie said…
Somewhere in my collection of 80s mix tapes I have the 12" single version of "Brand New Lover." Always a favorite of mine. I don't remember "Wishing" either. Hmm.

Now for some fun trivia: The title of Dead or Alive's album Mad Bad and Dangerous to Know is actually a reference to a famous English poet. Who can name the poet without googling it first?

(Ooh, cool word verification: drockedo)