Christine McVie -- Got a Hold on Me

 

Sad to say, but less than a week following the news of Irene Cara's untimely passing, I heard the report that Christine McVie, the keyboardist and vocalist for the band Fleetwood Mac, had died yesterday. My condolences to her family, friends and fans.

Although Fleetwood Mac has been around since 1967 and I also heard the name when I was a wee lad, it really wasn't around the 1980s that I really got to know their music and the people involved. Gradually, I got to know Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks through not only their work in the band but also through their solo creations. 

In terms of the vocalists for Fleetwood Mac, then, McVie was the last person that I got to hear from, and it was through her hit solo single "Got a Hold on Me", created by the singer and guitarist Todd Sharp. Released in January 1984, this upbeat and optimistic song about finally getting that one love after all of the previous trials and tribulations. McVie certainly sounded different from her bandmate Nicks with the former possessing a mellower set of vocal cords. And with "Got a Hold on Me", although it's been categorized as a pop tune, there has been something about the song that struck me as being a crossover country tune in terms of the basic rhythms and McVie's delivery.

In America, "Got a Hold on Me" hit No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 but did even better on its rock and adult contemporary charts by reaching No. 1 in both cases. The song also hit the top of the charts in Canada's RPM Adult Contemporary division, and it got as high as No. 30 on the RPM overall singles chart. I was telling Scott of "Holly Jolly X'Masu" earlier this morning that "Got a Hold on Me" was in such heavy rotation on radio and television back in the day that I was beginning to tire of the song after several weeks. However, giving a listen to it again last night after so long was like hearing from an old friend.

So, what else was hot on the Oricon chart back in January 1984? I will give you Nos. 4, 5 and 6.

4. Anri -- Kanashimi ga Tomaranai (悲しみがとまらない）

5. Jiro Atsumi -- Busan Ko e Kaere (釜山港へ帰れ)

6. Harumi Miyako & Chiaki Oka -- Naniwa Koi Shigure (花恋しぐれ浪)