I’m going to blame Rol from My Top Ten for my lack of posting something new for a while. I’ve been busy as I am now part of the Cancel Culture Club over at his place, where we debate whether songs from the past should be seen in a rather different light in these modern, progressive times. Should they be “cancelled” or do they still have merit despite their old-fashioned attitudes?
It’s been a really interesting series to be a part of, so I would recommend you hop over and spend some time reading the responses. So far we’ve been broadly in agreement about the songs in question: Young Girl, Turning Japanese and Girls, but I think with the next song on his list, it could be a lot harder to find consensus. Watch his space.
Rol’s other popular feature is Saturday Snapshots, where we have to work out from the photo and clue who each artist is and then find a link between one of each of their songs. We are now up to #420, so as you can imagine it’s been going for many years and a great reason to get up early on a Saturday morning and give the old grey matter a workout.
Those of us who join in however do feel guilty about poor Rol having to do all the legwork on Snapshots (although he has had some help of late in the form of guest posts). I have racked my brain over the years to think of a puzzle I could host but my ideas always seem lame and unworkable. I do however like saving things I like the look of on social media that relate to music, and at a push they could make for a bit of a puzzle.
As regular visitors to this place know I am fond of a spreadsheet and can’t imagine my life without them. I spotted something recently relating to songs that was in the form of a spreadsheet, but I then lost it again before I could save the picture. No matter I thought, I could remember how it went so I would create my own. The cells do end up quite small, so you’re going to have to blow up the image, but can you work out what all five songs are and who they are by? Each line represents a different one and you should be able to work out what it is by noting what the singer did on each day of the week. It’s very easy so don’t look at the comments boxes until you’ve got them all.
What I would most like from you guys however are more entries for my spreadsheet – there must be many out there that have lyrics relating to days of the week. If you have any, let me know via the Contact Me link. I can then add them to my sheet and share it again. Thanks in advance for your help.
The other picture I saw recently was this one of New Wave stars of the 1980s. I recognised most of them but not all so let’s see how you get on. At the moment I’m stuck with the chap at the far right of the top row and the two girls at the extreme left and right of the bottom row – can anyone help? I’m sure between us we can identify them all. Once we do have them all (if I’m lucky enough to get enough visitors to help) I’ll do a row by row spreadsheet with their names. Of course you will I hear you say!
As I’ve shared Rol’s photo of Debbie Harry, I’ll end with a song from Blondie, hopefully a politically correct one (although I’m starting to notice that I often missed the metaphors and euphemisms in songs when I was young – so naïve). Here is The Tide Is High from 1980, a song not written by the band but originally recorded by a Jamaican vocal group called The Paragons. But is Debbie in the picture above – I think she is but I don’t think it’s a very good likeness. What do you think?
Until next time…
The Tide Is High Lyrics
(Song by John Holt)
The tide is high but I’m holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
I’m not the kind of girl
Who gives up just like that
Oh, no
It’s not the things you do
That tease and hurt me bad
But it’s the way you do
The things you do to me
I’m not the kind of girl
Who gives up just like that
Oh, no
The tide is high but I’m holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
the tide is high but I’m holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
Number one,
my number one
number one
Every girl wants you to be her man
But I’ll wait right here ’till it’s my turn
I’m not the kind of girl
Who gives up just like that
Oh, no
The tide is high but I’m holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
The tide is high but im holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
Number one,
my number one
number one
Every time that I get the feeling
you give me something to believe in
every time that I got you near me
I know the way that I want it to be
but you know I’m gonna take chance now
I’m gonna make it happen somehow
and you know I can take the pressure
a moment to pay for a lifetime pleasure
Every girl wants you to be her man
But I’ll wait right here ’til it’s my turn
I’m not the kind of girl
Who gives up just like that
Oh, no
The tide is high but I’m holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
The tide is high, but I’m holding on
I’m gonna be your number one
Postscript:
As my puzzles have been up for a week now, I think it’s time to offer up the solutions.
Spreadsheet of Songs Answers
Row 1 – Friday I’m In Love by The Cure
Row 2 – 7 Days by Craig David
Row 3 – Everyday Is Like Sunday by Morrissey
Row 4 – Eight Days A Week by the Beatles
Row 5 – Manic Monday by the Bangles
Solution to the New Wave Faces Print
What's It All About? 
Alyson, I too wonder how Rol delivers Saturday Snapshots to such a high standard every week… all of his posts, to be honest. Cancel Culture Club is a great addition and I will be contributing to the next one!
As for the missing names in the chart, I can say with complete confidence that the person, top row far right is the wonderful Klaus Nomi.
As for the women on the bottom row, looks like Toyah and Clare Grogan to me…
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He certainly does deliver doesn’t he but I can’t help feeling guilty that he can’t join in, with Snapshots especially. I will have to come up with a guest post soon.
Would never have guessed Klaus so thanks for that. As for the girls, you could be right. I always think of Toyah as having a very geometric fringe but she did end up with hair like that too.
Do you know who the chap standing next to Claire is?
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Alyson, do you know whether the pop star drawing is from the US, UK or even somewhere in Europe?
I was thinking it might not be the because otherwise there seem some odd omissions e.g. no Madness (unless I missed them) who you would think would make the cut ahead of Devo or Klaus Nomi if it was from the UK.
So if Khayem isn’t right – I have no idea – maybe the women in the bottom corners were more successful in the US or on the continent.
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Missed out an important word in the second para: “I was thinking it might not be the UK because…”
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Sorry Ernie I’ve been out all afternoon and just finished dinner. I thought it was a UK artist as the majority seemed to be UK pop persons. Seems you’ve worked out it’s an American though so well done. Just shows how big the 2nd British Invasion was around the time of the start of MTV. We definitely had the best videos.
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I think you’re onto something, Ernie. In which case, I’d revise my bottom row left suggestion to Nina Hagen, rather than Toyah. Not sure about ‘Clare Grogan’ now either. There’s writing on their top which might be a clue but I can’t read it.
No idea about the guy next to ‘Clare’, sorry!
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The writing says M. Lineham who turns out to be the New York based illustrator Matthew Lineham: Home | M. Lineham Art. So some of the ones we don’t recognise may be US based or bigger in the US.
Bottom right – could it be Belinda Carlisle in her Go-Go’s days? I can’t see them anywhere else
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PS Don’t look at that link if you want to keep guessing, I have discovered it lists everyone in the poster. I will withdraw now and leave you all to it. But can confirm Clare is bottom right. You will do well to identify the man next to her, he is heavily camouflaged.
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I haven’t followed the link, Ernie, but with your helpful clue – and knowing it’s US focus – it’s got to be Stan Ridgway! If I’m right, I never would have guessed without help… and I’m a fan of his music, both Wall Of Voodoo and solo!
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Well done K. Quite a few I still have to identify actually so they might be Americans.
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Ooh, love this, thanks for the puzzling, Alyson!
Ernie – I think it’s Suggs from Madness 4 rows down, 5 from left, between Vince Clarke and Dave Gahan. There do seem to be a lot of British characters there but I agree with Khayem that it’s Nina Hagen bottom left. No idea who the man next to Claire Grogan is!
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Yes, recognised Suggs, Vince and Dave but still a fair few I have to get. It seems the artist was from NYC so amazing he included so many Brits but maybe it was designed that way. So many of them did well across the pond in the early 80s.
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Do you know who the girl is with the shock of pink hair? I’m stuck.
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No, I’ve no idea who she could be, and yet she must have been so striking!
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I’ll check out the list on Ernie’s link at some point but in the meantime I’m wondering if it could be Gwen Stefani?
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The solutions are now up in a Postscript C. Thanks for playing along.
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Oh thanks, Alyson. I can rest easy now!
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Ha ha – I doubt if you lost any sleep over my lame puzzles but thanks for giving them a try. I am in awe of Rol’s dedication to Snapshots.
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It’s another US reference, Dale Bozzio from Missing Persons. Coincidentally, I’ve been listening a lot to Destroy Rock & Roll by Mylo, which name checks Missing Persons (& Duran Duran) repeatedly throughout. I don’t think they ever had a hit in the UK.
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Ok thanks again. If they didn’t have a hit here I’m not surprised I didn’t recognise her. Most of them are definitely Brits though.
I did recognise Berlin’s lead singer however.
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Most impressed, Khayem! Thank you from me too.
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Here are a couple of Friday songs I like:
Friday On My Mind — The Easybeats
Friday I’m In Love — The Cure
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Yes, the Easybeats song is a good one and has been featured in this blog before.
The Cure song is the first one on my spreadsheet… but don’t tell anyone!
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Hello Someone’s has probably beaten me to it: but chap on top row far right is Klaus Nomi.
I think front row far left is Nina Hagen – but I might be wrong. No idea about front row far right…
Hope this helps Alan
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Yes, it seems that it is definitely Klaus whom I hadn’t heard of before.
Quite a few of you think it’s Nina so a good chance that’s the right answer.
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Alyson, if ever proof were needed that I must be right-brained rather than left-brained, I’m looking at your spreadsheet here and I’m embarrassed to say but I’ll say it anyway – I don’t understand it!
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Sorry, each line represents a song and you should be able to work out what it is by noting what the singer did on each day of the week. In the original sheet the artist was in the first column but it would have been too easy if I’d left it in! Good luck.
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I’m glad you explained that, because, like C, I was very confused. I was thinking of Blue Monday at first and trying to come up with a song with each space in the spreadsheet. I have now worked out which song each row refers to. Phew.
Thank you for doing my advertising for me too, Alyson.
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Yes, sorry about that. You can now see why the rest of us don’t try to come up with our own puzzles – we’re so bad at it. (Except C, whose photoshopped faces were very good.)
Thought you’d find it really easy.
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The spreadsheet puzzle has us stumped. We’ve got lines 1, 4 and 5 (I think) but 2 and 3 are a complete mystery.
The 80s picture will keep us entertained for ages!
Many thanks.
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Oh, that’s a surprise as I thought everyone would have got them quite easily. I’m thinking you might not know the songs. I will add the answers to the comments box and/or as a Postscript once a week has elapsed.
The picture is full of New Wave artists of the 1980s which narrows it down a bit (at first I thought it could be anyone). Also there are a few Americans and Europeans in there that weren’t familiar to me so makes it harder.
Good luck.
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The solutions are now up as a Postscript Graeme.
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Many thanks!
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As my puzzles have been up for a week now, I have added a Postscript with the solutions.
Thanks to anyone who tried them out but not easy I’ve discovered to come up with something that works well interactively on the blogs. Even more respect to Rol than I already had.
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