9. Billy Ocean - Love Really Hurts Without You
Sometimes I think my computer is a bit of a muso snob. It's almost as though it deletes songs on purpose, if it doesn't feel they're worthy enough.
The inclusion of Billy Ocean's Red Light Spells Danger was the highlight of the second (and final?) series of Peter Kaye's Car Share for me. It was a beautiful moment which captured the euphoria of both great pop music and the first flush of romance. And it immediately sent me off to my record collection to listen to a bit more Billy, confident in the knowledge that I must have at least a greatest hits in there somewhere.
Turns out I owned just five Billy Ocean songs, all taken from a variety of pop and soul compilations I've accrued over the years... but hardly any of the big hits.
I didn't even own When The Going Gets Tough!
Which, frankly, astounded me, because I've bought enough 80s comps over the years, I was convinced it must have been on one of them.
At least I did own Red Light Spells Danger!
Of course, I had to put this right. I went straight online to buy myself a best of, settling in the end for the most recent which also features a disc of present-day Billy (above) covering a bunch of pop and soul standards. He's still got the voice too.
Billy Ocean was (according to iffypedia), "the most popular British R&B singer-songwriter of the early to mid-1980s", a claim which is almost strangled by its own specificity. Never mind. Listening to Love Really Hurts Without You (his composition), you can really hear the Motown influence. This could be a Four Tops song, and it'd probably get a little bit more respect if it was. At least from my muso-snob computer. This won't be getting deleted again...
Have quite enjoyed Car Share. This this might be the final series... but it is teed up nicely for a Christmas special, I reckon.
ReplyDeleteI can see his reasoning for not doing a Christmas special. Arguably, the Christmas special of The Office spoilt what had been a much better conclusion to season 2. Just because it's a comedy, doesn't mean it has to have a happy ending. Real life rarely does!
DeleteI couldn't agree more. But I think the temptation will be too great for all concerned.
DeleteIndeed a very fine pop song, as is RLSD (that's Red Light Spells Danger)
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten how good it sounded.
DeleteDidn't know "Red Light Spells Danger" and enjoyed. I have a playlist of 300+ songs from the year 1980 and this is going on that. His hair looks a bit dodgy though! Should check out Car Share
ReplyDeleteAdd it to you ever-growing list, Chris.
DeleteI can't hear LRHWY now without thinking of a scene also from Peter Kay in Phoenix Nights (series 2) where Brian Potter visits Jim Bowen character's club in Blackpool, Le Ponderosa, and there's a typical club singer belting it out on stage.... not a great version!
ReplyDeleteRLSD is a fine song though and my overriding memory of it is from dancing to it at the cricket club disco when it was in the charts, but it was early in 1977 and my heart was being led elsewhere, musically speaking.... the times they were a-changing. It sounds much better to my ears now than at the time.
For Martin - I read only yesterday that Peter Kay said he's stopping while the going's good so not doing another series or a Christmas special :-(
Punk really was a phenomenon, wasn't it? To steer people away from music they previously loved and turn them against it in such a way. I'm not sure any other genre / sub-culture had that power (I suppose indie did to a degree, but not half as strong). I'm kinda glad I came late to the punk party. I fear I would have been one of the uncool kids... as always!
DeleteThen no happy ending...but ultimately, perhaps, a more realistic ending. Fair play.
DeleteI had no idea he wrote that. I just assumed it was one of the great Motown classics he'd covered. I actually like it a little less for knowing this now. Isn't that dreadful. I find when the going gets tough amazingly irritating and it rubs off on anything to do with him for me. I'm so shallow. Sorry. I did however play the song twice through following r4ading your post, so I'm also that two faced! I'll get m' coat.
ReplyDeleteI understand shallow.
ReplyDeleteHow shallow is the Ocean?
DeleteDamn. I should have spotted that one. Well done, John.
DeleteBusy week for me so my Car Share post is still waiting in the wings - Like you thought I should wait until it had all aired on real-time telly. You'll probably not be surprised to learn that I had watched that final episode 5 times on iPlayer before it ever popped up on this week's schedules and the Red Light Spells Danger scene is probably the most pivotal one of the whole series - As he said, life just couldn't get any better than it was at that particular moment in time and most of it was down to his really clever song choices (from Forever FM of course). There really can't be any more episodes now but at least we are left to decide what happens and, ever the romantic, I'm going for the happy-ending - No-one puts Kayleigh in the corner!
ReplyDelete"Punk really was a phenomenon, wasn't it? To steer people away from music they previously loved and turn them against it in such a way."
ReplyDeleteNot sure that it really did that Rol. I liked my disco alongside my punk/new wave and just a few years later, bands began incorporating disco beats/sounds into their own music with Orange Juice being such an example.
RLSD gets folk up on the floor whenever it gets a spin at the indie club night I go along to every six months. The other half of the bloke who runs it is a huge fan of Billy Ocean and Madonna and without fail one or more of their songs are aired. But never 'The Going Gets Tough' which is just awful MOR.