The Bangles -- Eternal Flame

 

And here I thought that The Bangles' "Eternal Flame" was a mid-1980s power ballad. Actually, it came out in January 1989, just half a year before I took off on my first stint in Japan as a teacher. 

In the Wikipedia article for the song, I read that critics rather had pooh-poohed it as a minor piece of sap in their discography although I believe that fans and other listeners had far more approving feelings for "Eternal Flame". I remember hearing it this all the time on the radio and with the strings and the chorus provided by the band members behind Susanna Hoffs' main vocals, I thought that there was something Beatles about it, but the article also mentioned that there was also a hint of Carpenters in there as well.

"Eternal Flame" has been treated as a power ballad and I can imagine other singers launching the title like a howitzer, but Hoffs is more measured in her delivery...more of a comfortable simmer than full boil. And to be honest, I can imagine a group of girls singing this around a campfire more than I can see a diva belt this out on a stage. The song reached No. 1 in a number of countries including the United States, Australia and Norway, while in Canada, it hit No. 2.

So, what else was being released in January 1989? Here are three singles.

Noriko Sakai – Honki wo dashite (ホンキをだして)

Hibari Misora -- Kawa no nagare no youni (川の流れのように)

Yoko Oginome -- Verge of Love (ヴァージ・オブ・ラヴ)

The Bangles -- Manic Monday

Good Free Photos

I'll never not marvel at the observation that Canada's Thanksgiving and Japan's Sports Day fall on the same day...the second Monday in October, considering one nation feasts while the other nation promotes strenuous physical activity. Regardless, I wish my fellow Canadians a Happy Thanksgiving. Our family had the regular get-together last night but since I'm the only person who likes turkey, it was sushi for dinner. 

I figure that depending on the family and the logistics (or lack of them), there will be those who are having a pretty manic Monday getting ready to greet extended family after spending time, money and energy to create that traditional turkey dinner with all of the trimmings. So, as such on the usual special holiday edition of Reminiscings of Youth, I give you "Manic Monday" by The Bangles.

According to the Wikipedia article regarding the song, although it had originally been written and composed by Prince in 1984 as a duet between him and Apollonia 6, the deal with "Manic Monday" didn't quite make it, and a couple of years later, he offered it under the pseudonym Christopher to The Bangles. It was released as the band's single at the end of January 1986.

I remember first seeing the music video showing Susanna Hoffs singing while her fellow bandmates were making like regular folks trying to start off their Monday mornings. The lyrics and the music both come across as a relatable happy-go-lucky day-in-the-life pop tune about resignedly schlumping off to work while wishing that the weekend hadn't ended. 

For both the American and Canadian charts, "Manic Monday" hit No. 2, and even in Japan, it managed to get as high as No. 56 on Oricon. 

Interestingly enough, although I'd planned to consult the Oricon Top 10 for January 1986 for the comparative hits in Japan, I realized that I had already done so a couple of weeks ago for Sade's "Is It a Crime?" which was also released in that month. Therefore, let's go with the singles that were released back then.

Hideaki Tokunaga -- Rainy Blue

Misato Watanabe -- My Revolution

Yukiko Okada -- Kuchibiru Network (くちびる Network)