Like several other artists who weren’t organically New Wave but dabbled in it, Joan Armatrading was a very successful UK adult easy listening songstress with a long career that touched the worlds of pop, jazz, folk, blues and reggae. She had ten (!) albums under her belt by the time she dropped a heavily synthesized and edgy quasi-New Wave release called “The Key” in 1983. The best song on the album (and likely of her entire 45 year career) was featured on it - a real earworm of a love tune with a great hook and wildly weird lyrics that gave Joan’s superb voice a workout. “Drop The Pilot” isn't heard often these days but it’s a wonderful song from a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter lady who I wished spent more time doing New Wave! It’s our Awesome Song Of The Week, and the video is great too!
Wait a minute - we can't stop Ladies Night that quickly!
Ladies Night Bonus:
Although we all know the UK was New Wave Central for both genders, and Marc has shown us that Canada was very well-represented -- the US had it’s share of New Wave ladies too! Interestingly, one of the sub-genres of New Wave featured many ladies… that weird & wonderful world where punk, rockabilly and New Wave blended together with a 1950s twist!
Ground zero of the movement was at NYC club CBGB, which was well-known as one of the incubators of punk and new wave (even though the club’s name stood for “Country BlueGrass & Blues”). Blondie and Cyndi Lauper (and the Stray Cats & Robert Gordon amongst males) played - all had a definite 50s influence, whether through look, sound or attitude. In fact, Cyndi’s first album was with a band named “Blue Angel” which was definite 50’s material with a New Wave twist!
Out on the Left Coast, radio station KROQ, the LA club scene and the movie "Valley Girl” all contributed to the West Coast New Wave movement which had a weird distinctive flavor of it’s own, with many 50s music influences prevalent, like in the music of the Go-Gos and Toni Basil. And let’s not forget that New Wave movie classic “Valley Girl” featured the acting debut of 50s-style acting impresario (& Elvis impersonator) Nicholas Cage! Seeing a trend here ?
Our bonus artist Josie Cotton hailed from Texas but made her name in LA in that 80s California scene … she is sometimes viewed as a one-hit wonder because of her novelty tune “Johnny, Are You Queer?” but her talent was much greater than that. In my view her best song was “He Could Be The One”, an old-school 50s style rave up with great instrumentation, backing vocals and Josie’s inimitable baby-doll singing. Although she looks like a cast member of “Grease” and sings like a doo-wopper, her songs were featured on the “New Wave Hit of the 80s” CDs as well as on the “Valley Girl” soundtrack - so her New Wave pedigree is not in doubt. And Josie’s 1983 tune "He Could Be The One" is still a classic today!
And let’s finish with one more she-bopping classic …. a second Ladies Night Bonus:
Blue Angel, featuring Cyndi Lauper, doing “Maybe He’ll Know".
Enjoy!
-WAS
All three of these songs are great. "Drop The Pilot" I had heard before but I wouldn't have been able to tell you who sang it or even what time period it was from. "He Could Be The One" is great 50s-infused new wave, and "Maybe He'll Know" I've always liked. Cyndi Lauper is one of my favorite 80s-pop artists and at times she definitely has a new wave flavor to her material. I got to see her play live two years ago and she did an amazing job on both her back-catalogue stuff and her new Blues songs. I'd go see her again live in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteMD, glad you enjoyed our picks for Ladies Night!
ReplyDeleteAnd remember, Ladies drink free every Wednesday on Marc's Top 200, The Extended Edition !