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My 80s Playlist: talkSPORT’s Simon Jordan picks his top 80s tunes from Tears for Fears to The Jam
Virgin Radio
13 Jul 2023, 11:14
One half of talkSPORT’s White and Jordan, Simon Jordan, popped by Virgin Radio 80s Plus to discuss some of his top tunes of the decade.
Football star Simon got involved in the business side of things in the 80s and 90s, and kept his sporty foot in with the purchase of Crystal Palace.
The broadcaster first got involved in telly and radio in 2007, appearing on a number of shows including Question Time and Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway, and since then he’s gone on to host talkSPORT’s flagship mid-morning show with Jim White.
While stopping by Virgin Radio 80s Plus, Simon sat down with Steve Denyer on My 80s Playlist, and the broadcaster dished on his very favourite songs of the decade.
To see the entire list, watch Simon Jordan’s My 80s Playlist below:
Steppin’ Out - Joe Jackson
Steppin’ Out by Joe Jackson was inspired by his time in New York City, and ended up becoming his highest-charting single in the US.
Reaching number six on both sides of the Atlantic in 1982, Joe impressed listeners by playing all the instruments on the track aside from the drums.
On his choice, Simon explained: “It was just a song that I loved so much. Because I lived in New York. I was in New York for two years, it was a difficult city, but the whole feel of that song embodied a certain stage in my life. I was trying to be successful. I was trying to be energetic and ambitious, but also wanting to feel sort of full of excitement towards life. And that song really gave it to me.”
Geno - Dexys Midnight Runners
1980s single Geno by Dexys Midnight Runners was the band’s very first UK number one.
Acting as a tribute to soul singer Geno Washington, Geno took inspiration from the genre too and for Simon, it’s one for the history books.
He shared: “My fascination with Dexys Midnight Runners, from the name itself, from the idea that that was derived from some form of substance that people wanted to use in the 80s...through to that particular look and feel, through to the saxophone that they played, the marching feet on Top of the Pops and the pop band. The pop videos that they did, it was to me, the turning of the 70s into the 80s. This was some song, this song stands the test of time.”
Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears for Fears
Pop rockers Tears for Fears had a signature tune with 1985’s Everybody Wants to Rule the World.
It narrowly missed out on the top spot in the UK singles charts, but for Simon, the track showed a turning point in music.
He said: “In the mid 80s, when you're moving away and you've got bands like Wham! that are dominating the charts, and Culture Club and Duran Duran are revving their engines up. This was another song that really resonated with me and really made me feel a young man in life.”
Annie I’m Not Your Daddy - Kid Creole
Released in 1982, Kid Creole and the Coconuts had a number two hit with Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy.
Once again, Annie was a rather personal song for Simon, who admitted: “I also love this song. My girlfriend at the time was called Suzanne, we were having a child and I used to make fun of her by saying ‘I'm not your daddy’. Because I was in an economic position to be her daddy, literally. But the song itself, I just love Kid Creole and the Coconuts.”
That’s Entertainment - The Jam
Punk-mod revivalists The Jam had one of their biggest imported singles with That’s Entertainment in 1981.
It only had its UK release in 1983 and they never released a domestic single in the UK, but their countless hits made choosing That’s Entertainment a tricky one for Simon.
He said: “The Jam were just a brilliant band, from the greatest hits album Snap through to the studio stuff that they produced at the end of their career. A Town called Malice could have been an obvious conclusion, Going Underground, In the Subway, a whole raft of songs. But That's Entertainment because of the manner in which [Paul] Weller leaps out of the song.”
You can listen to Virgin Radio 80 Plus HERE. You can also listen on DAB+ in London and Central Scotland and on smart speakers across the UK, as well as via the Virgin Radio UK app.
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