"Billie Jean" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson,released by Epic Records on January 2,1983,as the second single from his sixth studio album,Thriller (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones and co-produced by Jackson. "Billie Jean" blends post-disco,R&B,funk,and dance-pop. The lyrics describe a woman,Billie Jean,who claims that the narrator is the father of her newborn son,which he denies. Jackson said the lyrics were based on groupies' claims about his older brothers when he toured with them as the Jackson 5.
Snap! is a German Eurodance group formed in 1989 by producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has been through a number of lineup changes over the years,including American singers,songwriters,and rappers Thea Austin,Turbo B,Niki Haris,and Penny Ford. Their best-known hits are "The Power" and "Rhythm Is a Dancer",both of which reached No. 1 in multiple countries.
Wham! were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They were one of the most successful pop acts during the 1980s,selling more than 30 million certified records worldwide from 1982 to 1986.
Faith is the debut solo studio album by the English singer George Michael,released on 30 October 1987 by Columbia Records and Epic Records. In addition to playing various instruments on the album,Michael wrote and produced every track on the recording except for one,"Look at Your Hands",which he co-wrote with David Austin. A pop album with influences of R&B,funk and soul music,Faith's songs include introspective lyrics,which generated controversies about Michael's personal relationships at that time.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson recorded for his sixth studio album Thriller (1982). It is the opening track of the album and was released as its fourth single on May 9,1983,by Epic Records. It was written and co-produced by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones. The lyrics pertain to strangers spreading rumors to start an argument for no good reason. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" evokes the disco sound of Jackson's previous studio album,Off the Wall,released in 1979. The song is characterized by a complex rhythm arrangement and a distinctive horn arrangement.
Wax were a new wave duo based in Manchester,England,consisting of American singer-songwriter Andrew Gold and 10cc guitarist/bassist Graham Gouldman. They are best known for their European hit singles "Bridge to Your Heart" and "Right Between the Eyes". In the US,they were listed as Wax UK,while later releases were additionally credited as Andrew Gold &Graham Gouldman.
Bucks Fizz were an English pop group that achieved success in the 1980s,most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists:Bobby G,Cheryl Baker,Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. They received attention for the dance routine which accompanied the song,in which the male members of the group ripped the female members' outer skirts off to reveal much shorter mini-skirts beneath. The group went on to have a successful career around the world,but the UK remained their biggest market,where they had three No.1 singles with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981),"The Land of Make Believe" (1981) and "My Camera Never Lies" (1982) and became one of the top-selling groups of the 1980s. They also had UK Top 10 hits with "Now Those Days Are Gone" (1982),"If You Can't Stand the Heat" (1982),"When We Were Young" (1983) and "New Beginning " (1986). Bucks Fizz have sold over 50 million records worldwide.
JohntáMoore Austin is an American singer,songwriter,arranger,record producer,and rapper from Atlanta,Georgia. He is best known for his production and songwriting work on hometown native Jermaine Dupri's record label,So So Def Recordings during the mid-2000s.
"Agadoo" is a novelty song recorded by the British band Black Lace in 1984. "Agadoo" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart,and spent 30 weeks in the top 75. It went on to become the eighth best-selling single of 1984 in the UK,despite not being included on the playlist for BBC Radio 1 because it "was not credible".
"Fields of Gold" is a song written and performed by English musician Sting. It first appeared on his fourth studio album,Ten Summoner's Tales (1993). The song,co-produced by Sting with Hugh Padgham,was released as a single on 7 June 1993 by A&M Records,reaching No. 16 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song also reached No. 2 in Canada and No. 6 in Iceland. In 1994,it was awarded one of BMI's Pop Songs Awards. The music video for the song was directed by Kevin Godley,featuring Sting as a gold silhouette.
"Stay" is a doo-wop song written by Maurice Williams and first recorded in 1960 by Williams with his group the Zodiacs. Commercially successful versions were later also issued by the Hollies,the Four Seasons and Jackson Browne.
"Here I Go Again" is a song by British rock band Whitesnake. Originally released on their 1982 album,Saints &Sinners,the power ballad was re-recorded for their 1987 self-titled album. It was re-recorded again the same year in a new "radio-mix" version,which was released as a single and hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 10 October 1987,and also No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart on 28 November 1987. The 1987 version also made No. 1 on the Canadian RPM singles chart on 24 October 1987. In 2018 at the BMI London Awards,it received the "5 Million Performances Award",while in 2022 it garnered the "8 Million-Air Award".
"Turn! Turn! Turn!",also known as or subtitled "To Everything There Is a Season",is a song written by Pete Seeger in 1959. The lyrics –except for the title,which is repeated throughout the song,and the final two lines –consist of the first eight verses of the third chapter of the biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. The song was originally released in 1962 as "To Everything There Is a Season" on the folk group the Limeliters' album Folk Matinee,and then some months later on Seeger's own The Bitter and the Sweet.
"Muscles" is a 1982 hit single written and produced by Michael Jackson,and performed by American singer Diana Ross. It was released as the first single on September 17,1982,by RCA from Ross's Gold-certified album Silk Electric. The single reached number No. 7 in Cash Box magazine and No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It climbed as high as No. 4 on the Billboard Soul chart,whilst hitting No. 2 for 2 weeks on the Cash Box Soul chart. The track featured prominent background vocals by Patti Austin with seasoned session singers Maxine and Julia Waters. It earned Ross a twelfth Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The song was originally intended to be an R&B answer to the massive Olivia Newton-John hit "Physical".
Valotte is the debut studio album by singer-songwriter Julian Lennon. The album was produced by Phil Ramone and recorded at several studios from February to August 1984. It was released in October 1984 on Charisma and Atlantic. The album was first certified gold in the United States,in the new year,then shortly afterwards being certified platinum. From the album,four singles were released,each with a music video,charting at various positions on the singles charts in both the United Kingdom and US. "Too Late for Goodbyes",the second US single,and "Valotte",the first US single,were both US Billboard Top 10 hits,the former reaching No. 5 and the latter reaching No. 9. The album peaked at No. 17 in the US and No. 20 in the UK. Lennon toured the US,Australia,and Japan in March–June 1985.
David Austin is a British singer and songwriter,who released the single "Turn to Gold",co-written with George Michael in 1984. It reached No. 68 in the UK Singles Chart. The single featured backing vocals from Michael,who called Austin his best friend in the documentary film,A Different Story.
"Amoureuse" is a French language composition by Véronique Sanson introduced on her 1972 album of the same name. Rendered in English the song became a hit single for Kiki Dee and –as "Emotion" –for Helen Reddy.
Michael Julien,also known as Peter Warne,was a British songwriter,who was the co-writer of a number of hit songs around the world.
"Freedom's Prisoner" is a song by British singer-songwriter Steve Harley,which was released in 1979 as the only single from his second solo album The Candidate. The song,which was written and produced by Harley and Jimmy Horowitz,reached number 58 in the UK Singles Chart.
"C·30 C·60 C·90 Go" is the debut single by English new wave band Bow Wow Wow. It was written by Malcolm McLaren,Matthew Ashman,Leigh Gorman and Dave Barbarossa. Originally only released on cassette,it was the world's first-ever cassette single.
