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1 – Madonna had Three Number One Singles

Wayne had the pleasure of chatting to Steve Williams of Wa Wa Nee all about their success in the 80's and the legendary Paul Gray.  Take a listen below!

Over the years, Australia has produced some of the best artists in the world, singers and bands who ruled the charts here and overseas. Time to celebrate 8 ladies who made amazing music in the 80s and we love playing their tunes on My88.

It was great to hear from Brian Canham of Pseudo Echo, check out the extended interview below including the story of where the band got their name from! 

As the tracks start flowing on My88, how many of our most beloved 80s tunes were written and released well before the decade began? Here’s a list of 8 songs that made it big in the 80s, that you may not have known are actually covers.

We loved having Swanee phone in for a chat with Wayne all about his life in the 80's, how he got signed and what he's doing now. Hear the full interview with Swanee below, including all about how he taught brother Jimmy Barnes to sing!

Listen to the full interview with Grace Knight below including the story of when she heard someone singing along to a Eurogliders song in Coles, and what she did next... 

Penrith Monopoly: What's on the board, and where you can get your hands on one!

I have always loved music; I think it is in my DNA. Some of my earliest memories revolve around music. When I was young, I would rattle off my favourites as Laura Branigan, Lionel Ritchie and The Pointer Sisters. Then I heard Whitney Houston and the game changed. She became my favourite. As the years went on, Madonna took over, but I will always have a special place in my heart for Whitney, you may say, I will always love her. Promise, that will be only pun! One of the best presents I ever received was a Whitney poster and it hung proudly above my bed. The Madonna posters started taking over, but I kept Whitney up. Finally, I had too many Madonna posters and decided the only place for the Whitney poster was on my roof. That didn’t go so well, one night it fell on my face, shaking me awake and scaring me half to death. I guess Whitney didn’t like being replaced. Whitney had a tragic life. Abused by a family member as a child, she turned to drugs early. She was also dealing with a lot of racism. As a child, I knew none of this. I just knew that she made the best songs. While not her first single, most people’s introduction to Whitney came via, “Saving All My Love for You”, mine included. Even today, the song sounds fresh. It was actually a cover, originally a minor hit for Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr in 1978. The song sounds so smooth and Whitney’s vocals sound like silk. Then in true Whitney form, the notes get longer, and Whitney begins to belt, leaving no-one to doubt her vocal chops. It won the Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance. If I wasn’t hooked on “Saving All My Love”, then along came, “How Will I Know” and it cemented my love. I love a Whitney ballad, but her dance songs have always been my favourite. “How Will I Know” just makes me want to move. It has this fantastic attitude and Whitney is able to still hit the notes and show brilliant vocals, long before auto-tune. It’s my favourite on that album. To consolidate her power, the next single was, “The Greatest Love of All”, and the world truly belonged to her. As a child, I loved this song, back then it would have been my favourite. As an adult, I don’t think it’s held up as well as the rest of the songs. Then again, power ballads don’t age as well. In 1985, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing the song, and even today its lyrics are still a part of popular culture. If I say to you, “I believe that children are our future”, you’d know exactly what I was talking about. The first album was amazing, with so many great tracks. So many artists who’ve had a successful first album fall apart on the dreaded sophomore album, not Whitney. Her, “Whitney” album, is one of the finest second albums ever. First single, “I Wanna Dace With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”, is hands down my favourite Whitney song ever, and also one of my favourite tracks from any artist. It is just one of those songs that make you want to turn it loud, sing along to every single word and dance. Please tell me I’m not alone? In many ways it is the perfect pop song, crafted exquisitely. The chorus is brilliant, the lyrics bring joy, and the key change is a thing of beauty. All these years later, I still feel genuine joy when I hear it. The other singles may not be as well remembered as those from the first album, but these songs are some of my favourites. There’s the incredibly catchy, “So Emotional”, the emotive, “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”, and the moving, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”. I had this cassette growing up and played it to death, would listen to each and every song. How good is, “Love Will Save the Day”? It would be easy to keep talking about her career. Great songs like, “I’m Your Baby Tonight”, “I Will Always Love You” and “My Love is Your Love”, but the 80s is when I loved Whitney the most. When people ask what celebrity death hit the hardest, no question, Whitney. I howled, I ugly cried. It was unexpected and I spent the rest of that day playing her songs. She is still missed. A true icon with a one in a lifetime voice. Thanks for all the great music and memories Whitney.  I will always love you. Damn, sorry, there’s that bad pun again!