I hadn't quite understood what the music video for Nik Kershaw's January 1984 hit "Wouldn't It Be Good?" was all about but dang, I really did enjoy the New Wave song. I finally realized that Kershaw had been acting as some alien curious about what humans were like and after having a good tasting, decided that they weren't all that healthy after all and scampered back off to his home planet.
Still, as I said, "Wouldn't It Be Good?" was a good load of fun to listen to, and just for YMOfan04's benefit, I can explain that the synths used were a PPG Wave 2.2 and a Yamaha DX7. It made for quite an interesting riff, and I was surprised to find out that the cool instrumental bridge in the extended version was actually an "orchestra of electric guitars" rather than a bank of synth-horns which now makes things even cooler.
I'd probably say that I heard "Wouldn't It Be Good?" more on the radio than saw the video on TV. The radio back then was giving it a whole lot of heavy airplay. In Canada, it hit No. 9 on RPM and in the United States, it only got as high as No. 46. Meanwhile in Kershaw's UK, it peaked at No. 4 on the OCC.
So, what was occupying the Oricon charts a few days following the release of "Wouldn't It Be Good?" in the world? I have Nos. 5, 6 and 7.
5. Feifei Ouyang -- Love Is Over
6. Anri -- Kanashimi ga Tomaranai (悲しみがとまらない）
7. Jiro Atsumi -- Busan Ko e Kaere (釜山港へ帰れ)
The little girl near the end of the "Wouldn't It Be Good?" video looks a little like a youngDrew Barrymore, but I don't think it is her. Anyway, this is the first time I saw the video for this song, but I have heard this song on the radio very often when I was growing up. Feifei Ouyang -- Love Is Over and Anri -- Kanashimi ga Tomaranai (悲しみがとまらない) are some of my favorites. Anri makes a sad song sound so catchy, cool, and strangely happy somehow. This one I love to sing when ever I go out for karaoke.
ReplyDeleteHi, Brian. Unless Drew was hard up for money at the time (which is possible considering some of the vices she was into), probably it isn't her in the video.
DeleteI guess "Kanashimi ni Tomaranai" would be a quintessential kayo: happy melody, sad lyrics. The song was also a karaoke favourite as well in my neck of the woods.