70's, 80's 'Feel Good' Music

[postnew]

"Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is a song written by Bennie Benjamin, Horace Ott and Sol Marcus for American singer-songwriter and pianist Nina Simone, who recorded the first version in 1964 for her album Broadway-Blues-Ballads. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" has been covered by many artists. Two of the covers were transatlantic hits, the first in 1965 by the Animals on their album Animal Tracks, which was a blues rock version; and in 1977 by the disco group Santa Esmeralda on their album Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, which was a four-on-the-floor rearrangement. A 1986 cover by new wave musician Elvis Costello found success in Britain and Ireland.

The Animals - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood​

Elvis Costello - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood​

 

[postnew]

Joan Jett - Have You Ever Seen the Rain​

 

[postnew]

"Running Up That Hill" (also titled "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)") is a song by the English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. It was released in the UK as the lead single from Bush's fifth studio album, Hounds of Love, on 5 August 1985 by EMI Records.

Bush wrote and produced "Running Up That Hill" using a Fairlight CMI synthesiser and a LinnDrum drum machine. The lyrics imagine a man and a woman who make "a deal with God" to exchange places. The music video features Bush performing an interpretive dance; Bush wanted to create a serious work, feeling dance had been trivialised in other videos.

In 1985, "Running Up That Hill" reached number three on the UK singles chart, Bush's highest position since her number-one 1978 single "Wuthering Heights". It was named among the year's best tracks by Melody Maker and was nominated for British Single of the Year at the 1986 Brit Awards. In 2012, a remix used in that year's Summer Olympics closing ceremony reached number six.

In 2022, after it was featured in the fourth season of the Netflix series Stranger Things, "Running Up That Hill" reached number one in eight countries, including the UK. It is Bush's only US top-40 hit, reaching number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1985 and number three in 2022. In 2023, it reached a billion streams on Spotify.

Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill​

​

Max’s Song (Full Scene) | Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill | Stranger Things | Netflix​

​

 

[postnew]

"Waiting for a Star to Fall" is a song by American pop music duo Boy Meets Girl in 1988, written by the duo's members, Shannon Rubicam and George Merrill. They wrote the song after witnessing a falling star at a Whitney Houston concert and originally offered the song to Houston, but Arista Records CEO Clive Davis rejected it. American singer Belinda Carlisle then recorded a demo of the song but refused its inclusion on her 1987 album Heaven on Earth, so Rubicam and Merrill decided to record and release the song themselves.

Boy Meets Girl - Waiting For A Star To Fall​

"Waiting for a Star to Fall" was released in June 1988 as the lead single from Boy Meets Girl's second studio album, Reel Life (1988). The song became a chart hit in several countries, reaching number five on the US Billboard Hot 100, number one in Canada, number five in Ireland, and number nine in the United Kingdom. Since its release, it has been remixed and covered by many artists, including Cabin Crew and Sunset Strippers, who experienced concurrent success with their reworkings in 2005.​

Belinda Carlisle - Waiting for a Star To Fall​

​