8. Deanna

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

I must admit The Birthday Party never really did it for me, but Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds? Definitely.

Released as the second single on the 1988 album Tender Pray, 'Deanna' is cited as being written about a woman whom Cave had a "passionate, intense relationship with". Usually I’m all for getting into the history and context of the songs I love, but this one quite happily sits in my rotation simply as a masterclass in mixing garbling bass low ends with the piercing quality of organ lines in a rock song. There’s nothing like organ fills, gallop tom beats and the reckless tone of Cave’s vocals to create a track so incredibly awesome for lack of a better word.

'Deanna’ is garage rock at its finest!

7. The Boy With the Thorn in His Side

The Smiths

'The Boy With the Thorn in His Side' was first released as a single in 1985 before appearing on The Smiths' third record, The Queen Is Dead the following year in ’86. With choral melodies second perhaps to 'I Know It’s Over' there is a playfulness to 'The Boy With the Thorn in His Side' which although is explored in a lot of The Smith’s repertoire, is beautifully encapsulated in the simplicity of this tune (as well as the fact that it has strings). Like many of those suckers for alternative rock, there’s nothing much better than a rock lineup ornamented with synthesised string sections.

It is also perhaps one of the few Smiths songs that can be listened to without being faced with glaring existential quandaries, exhausting attempts at comprehending satire, or slumping into a woeful pit for a while — I love The Smiths, I really do, but sometimes you just want to have a bit of a singalong in the car; 'The Boy With the Thorn in His Side' is most definitely the song for that job.

6. Once in a Lifetime

Talking Heads

I don’t think any other band could turn an existential crisis into a dance hit. Talking Heads did it brilliantly on 'Once in a Lifetime'. This song was born from a multitude of improv jams, from which the band and producer Brian Eno isolated the best parts, played them repetitively, and allowed lead singer David Byrne improvise vocals overtop. What emanated from these sessions in the mid 80s, is a piece brimful of spectacular chaos, cacophony, and perfect imbalance. There is a massive tapestry of sound and rhythm that interweaves seemingly with no conventional pattern or expectation. Within 'Once in a Lifetime' we are graced with elements of funk, reggae, dance, rock and experimental art pop. Fittingly, amidst this sonic alchemy riddled with mismatch and opposition, Byrne protects the track as a musical exploration of the unconscious;

"We operate half-awake or on autopilot and end up, whatever, with a house and family and job and everything else,  and we haven't really stopped to ask ourselves, 'How did I get here".

What on paper reads as something that should sound like a mess, presents itself as (at least in my opinion) one of the greatest new wave pop hits of all time.

5. It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

R.E.M.

With online streaming stats up about 48% during the COVID-19 pandemic, R.E.M.’s 'It’s the End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)' first hit the airwaves on their 1987 album Document. Complete with the iconic R.E.M. rock feel, equally astute and nonsensical lyrics, and overdubbed Stipe backing vocals, 'It’s The End Of The World As We Know It' is one of my all time favourite R.E.M. tracks.

Fun fact, the song actually came from a demo called 'PSA' which was later reworked into the 2003 single 'Bad Day' — also a banger.

4. Never Tear Us Apart

INXS

I couldn’t have a top 8 without INXS. 'Never Tear Us Apart' was released on the band’s sixth album, Kick in 1988. The song is also included amongst my evidence supporting the idea that the best songs are written in 6/8. The waltz-like feel elevates the track above the usual 4 on the floor dance hits of the 80s which although are great, miss out on the groove and flow that rests upon the string pulses of 'Never Tear Us Apart'.

Also, who doesn’t love a saxophone solo?

3. Message To My Girl

Split Enz

Written by Neil Finn, 'Message To My Girl’ reached number 12 on Australian charts the month after its release as a second single for the 1983 record Conflicting Emotions. The following year whilst touring the album, Tim Finn brought in Paul Hester to debut in the rhythm section, who would later on with Neil, form Crowded House.

'Message To My Girl' I would argue to be the strongest of the Split Enz repertoire, perhaps that’s just because I’m partial to Neil Finn on vocals. An anthemic love song, 'Message To My Girl' has both the ticks for an awesome pop rock tune — a killer chorus and a punchy piano riff.

It’s 'simple' done extremely well.

2. Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes

Paul Simon

For many, the folky soundscapes of Paul Simon probably don’t come to mind when thinking of the 1980s. Yet as an avid Simon fan, I would argue that some of his best work was released during the decade. Simon’s seventh studio album Graceland was released in 1986, with its fourth single being 'Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes'.

The track alongside many others was written whilst Simon was on the hunt for a new sound in Johannesburg in the mid 80s, and featured South African male choir Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Whilst the single and the housing record faced heated backlash amongst the midst of the apartheid, what remains is a body of work both exploratory and celebratory of music relatively unknown to western culture.

The high-spirited 'Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes' is a lesson in musical collaboration, where Simon’s musical dialect is swayed and influenced by the newness of Zulu performance (on a Western stage). Staying true to the narrative style of Simon’s prose, the song pieces together conventional pop structures with South African soundscapes, creating a sound so incredibly stunning; brimful of acrobatic bass lines, playful guitar tones, brass riffs, and  Simon’s iconic New York accent as he floats from glorious melody to glorious melody, interweaving with Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

'Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes' alongside the rest of the Graceland album outlines a cosmopolitan of sound which can be found throughout Paul Simon’s 1980s discography, and beyond.

1. Death Defying

Hoodoo Gurus

Here it is, my number one - possibly of all time.

Released as the second single for the Gurus’ 1985 record Mars Needs Guitars!, 'Death Defying' peaked at number 43 on the Aussie charts, with the album itself climbing to 140 on the US Billboard top 200 in 1986.

The track is one of the best examples of Australian pub rock; thumping drums, melodic guitar solos, and lyrics which carry a little more substance than a band just wanting to sell records. I think Hoodoo Gurus are a case in point of having something to say, but having great fun whilst doing it.

I can’t count how many times I’ve been lucky enough to have seen the Hoodoo Gurus play live, and every single time 'Death Defying' is an absolute standout. With one of the band’s finest guitar riffs and closing bridge, sonically, the song is an incredible portrayal of rock n’ roll — I’ve always lost my voice during 'Death Defying', without fail.

However, this is just all just a taster of some of the tunes I’ll be listening out for on My88.

What do you want to hear on the station?