Curiosity Killed the Cat were a British pop band formed in London in 1984, comprising singer Ben Volpeliere-Pierrot, guitarist Julian Godfrey Brookhouse, bassist Nick Thorpe and drummer Migi Drummond. The band achieved success in the UK in the late 1980s, with their debut album Keep Your Distance reaching No. 1 in 1987 and producing three top 20 hit singles in "Down to Earth", "Misfit" and "Ordinary Day". This was followed by Getahead in 1989, with another UK top 20 single "Name and Number". In 1991, Thorpe left the band, with the remaining three members continuing under the shortened name Curiosity for their third and final album, 1994's Back to Front, which included the UK top 5 single "Hang On in There Baby". The band split in 1994 although there have been occasional temporary reunions.
"Take My Breath Away" is a song written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock for the 1986 film Top Gun, performed by American new wave band Berlin. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1986.
"The Power of Love" is a song originally recorded and released by British band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. It was written by Holly Johnson, Peter Gill, Mark O'Toole and Brian Nash, four of the five members of the band. It was released by the group as their third single.
"Notorious" is a song by English rock band Duran Duran. Released internationally by EMI on 20 October 1986, it was the first single from Duran Duran's fourth studio album of the same name, and showcased a new direction for Duran Duran with a funk rock sound.
"Close to Me" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released in September 1985 as the second and final single from their sixth album, The Head on the Door.
"Who Wants to Live Forever" is a song by the British rock band Queen. A power ballad, it is the sixth track on the album A Kind of Magic, which was released in June 1986, and was written by lead guitarist Brian May for the soundtrack to the film Highlander. Queen was backed up by an orchestra, with orchestrations by film score composer Michael Kamen. The song peaked at No. 24 in the UK charts. In 1991, it was included in the band's second compilation album, Greatest Hits II.
"Too Much Love Will Kill You" is a song written by British guitarist Brian May of Queen, Frank Musker and Elizabeth Lamers. The song reflected the breakdown of May's first marriage and attraction to his future wife, Anita Dobson. It was first recorded by Queen around 1988 or before, and was intended to be on the band's The Miracle album in 1989, but did not make the cut due to legal disputes following the band's decision that all songs on the album would be written by the group as opposed to individuals.
"Living on My Own" is a song written and performed by British singer-songwriter Freddie Mercury, originally included on his first solo album, Mr. Bad Guy (1985). It was released as a single in September 1985 by CBS in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 50. The July 1985 release in the United States had "She Blows Hot and Cold" as its B-side. Eight years later, in 1993, "Living on My Own" was remixed by Belgian producers No More Brothers and re-released to widespread chart success. The song's lyrics reflect Mercury's longstanding admiration for Greta Garbo, whose quotations are featured prominently in the lyrics. The accompanying music video was directed by Hannes Rossacher and Rudi Dolezal, and features footage of Mercury's 39th birthday celebration at a nightclub in Munich, West Germany.
"Need You Tonight" is a song by the Australian rock band INXS, released as the first single from their 1987 album, Kick, as well as the fourth song on the album. It is the only INXS single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also achieved their highest charting position in the United Kingdom, where the song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart; however, this peak was only reached after a re-release of the single in November 1988. On its first run on the UK charts in October 1987, it stalled at No. 58. It was one of the last songs recorded for the album, yet it would arguably become the band's signature song.
"The Sun Always Shines on T.V." is a song by Norwegian synth-pop band a-ha, released as the third single from their debut studio album, Hunting High and Low (1985). The song was written by guitarist Pål Waaktaar. In some commercial markets the single was not as popular as their previous (debut) single "Take On Me", which had reached the top spot in the United States and several other countries around the world, but in the United Kingdom and Ireland it improved upon the number-two charting of "Take On Me", reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in January 1986, having been released there on 16 December 1985. Its success secured for the band the prestige of having number-one single status on both primary Anglo-American popular music charts on either side of the Atlantic.
"Suburbia" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys. It was remixed and released as the fourth single from the duo's debut studio album, Please (1986), and became the band's second UK top-10 entry, peaking at number 8. "Suburbia" has drawn comparisons to the theme from ALF, which coincidentally premiered the day that the song was released.
"Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" is a song by American hip hop trio De La Soul, released in May 1991 by Tommy Boy Records as the lead single from their second album, De La Soul Is Dead (1991). It is a party jam about overzealous fans who pursue the group with demo tapes in their efforts to obtain an endorsement from the group. The song was inspired by one overzealous fan in particular, Breakestra frontman Miles Tackett, who was shopping demo tapes to the group (note "demo tapes by the miles" in the song's subtitle). It was very successful on the charts in Europe, reaching number one in Finland, Greece and Switzerland, as well as on the UK Dance chart. Additionally, the song was a top-10 hit also in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the UK. Its music video was directed by Mark Romanek.
"Hunting High and Low" is a song by Norwegian band a-ha, released in June 1986 as the fifth and final single from the band's debut studio album of the same name (1985). It became the third most successful single from Hunting High and Low on the charts and one of the band's most recognizable and popular songs. The song did not chart in the United States, but reached the top five in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
"Word Up!" is a funk and R&B song originally recorded by American funk band Cameo in 1986. It was released as the first single from their thirteenth album of the same name. The song was written by band members Larry Blackmon and Tomi Jenkins. Its frequent airing on American dance, R&B, and contemporary hit radio, as well as its MTV music video, helped the single become the band's best known hit.
"New Sensation" is a song by Australian rock group INXS. It was the third single released from their sixth studio album, Kick (1987). The music was composed by Andrew Farriss and the lyrics were written by Michael Hutchence. The song features a signature Kirk Pengilly sax solo and lyrics about a partying lifestyle.
"Name and Number" is a song by English band Curiosity Killed the Cat. Released as a single on 4 September 1989, the song peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Hang On in There Baby" is a song written by American musician Johnny Bristol and arranged by H. B. Barnum as the title track from his first album. It was released as his debut solo single in 1974, reaching No. 8 on the U.S. Hot 100 and No. 2 on the U.S. R&B chart. In the UK, it reached No. 3.
"Down to Earth" is a song by English band Curiosity Killed the Cat, released in November 1986 by Mercury Records as the second single from their debut album Keep Your Distance. It was the band's biggest hit, peaking at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Ordinary Day" is a song by English band Curiosity Killed the Cat, released in March 1987 by Mercury Records as the third single from their debut album Keep Your Distance. It peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Dear John" is a song by Scottish band Love and Money, released in 1986 as the second single from their debut studio album All You Need Is.... The song was written by James Grant and produced by Tom Dowd.
