I'm between "Loverboy" and "When the Going Gets Tough" meself.
― Hell is other people. In an ILE film forum. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 6 December 2009 02:52 (fourteen years ago) link
haha great video.
i miss this type of early-MTV videos.
― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 6 December 2009 02:53 (fourteen years ago) link
billy ocean was a badass for a minute there before this stuff. witness:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpoRIOtGzc8
that's the answer to this poll
― andrew m., Sunday, 6 December 2009 03:23 (fourteen years ago) link
Where's 1976's "Love Really Hurts Without You" which reached #22. Ocean made some great Radio singles. I love Caribbean Queen, Loverboy, Getta Outta My Dreams, Love Zone, When The Going Gets Tough, even the rather minor Mystery Lady was good. But for some reason his ballads have never done much for me. Anyway, voting Caribbean Queen.
― jetfan, Sunday, 6 December 2009 05:38 (fourteen years ago) link
I can do without the last three cuts and "Nights" is my fave (different label hence not on this comp, I'm assuming). But definitely "Carribean Queen" here. It pushes forward where "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going" strolls a bit too much for my taste. Simply awesome!
I asked a gal I used to work with if she had any guilty music pleasures. She said she did but wouldn't tell me. I kept at it but she wouldn't budge...for hours! Finally, she blurted out, all red-faced, "Ok fine! Billy Ocean!" "All that for Billy Ocean?!? Billy Ocean is amaaaaaaaaazing! I thought you were going to say something like Enya..."
Soto, your intro reads like a Book from The 1980s Hymnal. Amen, god bless, and all.
― Kevin John Bozelka, Sunday, 6 December 2009 08:50 (fourteen years ago) link
Loverboy is flat-out epic.
― all yoga attacks are fire based (rogermexico.), Sunday, 6 December 2009 09:20 (fourteen years ago) link
I was all set to vote "Love Really Hurts Without You" which is far and away his best track afaic, but now I'm a bit stuck. Probably gonna give the nod to "When the Going Gets Tough" but the guy needs a proper Best Of I reckon.
― SBanned of Brothers (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 6 December 2009 10:05 (fourteen years ago) link
I was all set to vote "Love Really Hurts Without You" which is far and away his best track afaic
Seconded! It'll have to be Get Out Of My Dreams then.
― The people of Ork are marching upon us (Matt #2), Sunday, 6 December 2009 12:59 (fourteen years ago) link
always thought "loverboy" was a nice match with teena marie's "lovergirl" (same year, i think).
― hellzapoppa (tipsy mothra), Sunday, 6 December 2009 16:17 (fourteen years ago) link
"Carribean Queen" does one of my favorite things in pop music, and that is ending each line with a little sound effect summing up what he just sang. "She said I was the tiger she wanted to tame – *tiger growls*" "And I get so excited just from her perfume – *wolf whistle*" The best is after "electric eyes that you can't ignore" they throw in some DISCO LAZERS like you're going to get zapped by her disco lazer vision. Combine this with all the histrionic strings and his slightly casual vocals and you have one exciting, giddy pop song. The only thing I can think of that's comparable is "Smiling Faces Sometimes" by The Undisputed Truth.
― mascara and ties (Abbott), Sunday, 6 December 2009 17:32 (fourteen years ago) link
Also, as KJB sort of noted, it has the amazing spoken word intro of "She is simply: awesome." It makes me grin like crazy every time.
― mascara and ties (Abbott), Sunday, 6 December 2009 17:33 (fourteen years ago) link
andrew m is correct - Nights (Feel Like Gettin Down) completely owns but from the poll I vote Caribbean Queen
― chief rocker frankie crocker (m coleman), Sunday, 6 December 2009 18:08 (fourteen years ago) link
Going with "Caribbean Queen," though I like a lot of these. (Weren't there also remixes called "European Queen" and things like that? Or did I just dream that once?)
Anybody ever heard his '70s stuff, btw? His first U.S. Top 40 was "Love Really Hurts Without You," which went #22 in 1976, and then he didn't chart again for another eight years -- weird.
― xhuxk, Sunday, 6 December 2009 18:37 (fourteen years ago) link
No, you're right.
"Carribean Queen" does one of my favorite things in pop music, and that is ending each line with a little sound effect summing up what he just sang
Like Steve Miller's "Abacadabra."
― Hell is other people. In an ILE film forum. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 6 December 2009 20:41 (fourteen years ago) link
xpost
Not remixes as such, I believe the song was originally called "European Queen" and he changed it to "Caribbean Queen" cos it sounded more exotic for the European market. Or maybe vice versa. But that's essentially what happened.
― SBanned of Brothers (Noodle Vague), Sunday, 6 December 2009 21:21 (fourteen years ago) link
"Carribean Queen" all the way. Loved a couple of the ballads back then, but the faster ones have held up better.
― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 6 December 2009 22:31 (fourteen years ago) link
And, yes, "European Queen" was the original. I believe he also made other versions in additions to those two. The only thing changed in those "mixes" were the titles in the chorus though.
― Tied Up In Geir (Geir Hongro), Sunday, 6 December 2009 22:32 (fourteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Saturday, 19 December 2009 00:01 (fourteen years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Sunday, 20 December 2009 00:01 (fourteen years ago) link
Let's smoke out those who voted for "There'll Be Sad Songs."
― Hell is other people. In an ILE film forum. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Sunday, 20 December 2009 00:09 (fourteen years ago) link
Cripes, I forgot all about "Loverboy." Racking my brain, the first thing I thought of was Teena Marie, actually. Wow, "Loverboy." Produced by Mutt Lange!
1) "Loverboy" vs. "Lovergirl"
2) Mr. Show's "Operation Hell on Earth"
3) That "Loverboy" video is totally "All She Wants to Do is Dance" with aliens, isn't it?
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 20 December 2009 00:42 (fourteen years ago) link
was too busy to write when the poll was going on, but not too busy to vote; and I voted "Caribbean Queen" which I love love love; it keeps me on the lookout for painted-on jeans today. I remember reading that it was an obvious crib of "Billie Jean", maybe even down to the painted-on JEANS lyric. I guess I see that, but so what, it was fertile territory. On a good day I can sing this song pretty well and I sound as good as I can, so I love it for vanity's sake too.
― Euler, Sunday, 20 December 2009 08:15 (fourteen years ago) link
Lovergirl > Loverboy any day imo
― Herodcare for the Unborn (J0hn D.), Sunday, 20 December 2009 08:18 (fourteen years ago) link
IMO, too, which is why I had totally forgotten about the latter but remembered the former, even though I hadn't heard either in ... decades?
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 20 December 2009 12:58 (fourteen years ago) link
WHAT IS THE COLOUR OF LOVE?!
― Anakin Ska Walker (AKA Skarth Vader) (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 19 September 2011 18:11 (thirteen years ago) link
"Suddenly": the poor man's "Hello".
― Corn Maze to the Dark Side (Eazy), Monday, 19 September 2011 19:26 (thirteen years ago) link
I had no idea Billy Ocean had begun performing again! New look is badass, too: http://wdw2.wdpromedia.com/media/wdw_nextgen/CoreCatalog/WaltDisneyWorld/en_US/Media/InternetMediaType/Event/FoodWine2011/Performers/240X144e14.jpg?t=2011-07-26T11:16:53
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 3 September 2012 14:05 (twelve years ago) link
― Corn Maze to the Dark Side (Eazy), Monday, September 19, 2011
hahahaha
― a regina spektor is haunting europe (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 3 September 2012 14:07 (twelve years ago) link
lol this is kinda true when i think about it!
― عليك ارتداء ماكياج من مهرج مثلي الجنس المتداول مائة عميق في سيارة مصغر (Eisbaer), Wednesday, 12 June 2013 03:32 (eleven years ago) link
One of the smoothest voices in late 20th century pop
― Jordan Pickford LOLverdrive (Neanderthal), Thursday, 7 November 2019 06:55 (four years ago) link
I didn’t realise how good he was until I tried singing Caribbean Queen at karaoke. It’s really difficult!
― Chuck_Tatum, Thursday, 7 November 2019 07:24 (four years ago) link
Sometimes I can’t remember what day it is, but somehow I always remember all the vocal ad-libs at the end of the album version of Caribbean Queen when I sing along. They might be my favorite part.
I SAY SHE DANCED BY ME IN PAINTED JEEEANS!!!!
He deserved that Grammy.
― Chantilly Bass, Thursday, 7 November 2019 07:49 (four years ago) link
Love Zone is amazing and I would've voted for that - synths glistening like icicles, bass prowling like a panther in the night
― Wee Bloabby (NickB), Thursday, 7 November 2019 07:52 (four years ago) link
But yeah, Nights (Feel Like Gettin' Down) should have been the write-in winner
― Wee Bloabby (NickB), Thursday, 7 November 2019 07:53 (four years ago) link
― Wee Bloabby (NickB), Thursday, November 7, 2019 2
Excellent "Perfect Kiss"-like video too.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 7 November 2019 11:20 (four years ago) link
me and my whole family used to sing these songs in the car in the 80s. of course I was an elementary school kid so my mom would do "when the goin gets tough" and my brother and I would respond "THE TUFF GET GOIN" or rather I would and he would mumble cos he was widdle
― Jordan Pickford LOLverdrive (Neanderthal), Thursday, 7 November 2019 14:40 (four years ago) link
I also liked Take on Me when I was about 4 but I thought it was "Take on Knee"
Michael Douglas dances in the "When the Going Gets Tough..." video as if he's never enjoyed, much less heard, a pop song in his life.
― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 7 November 2019 14:55 (four years ago) link
CD really needs 'Love Really Hurts Without You' - would have got my vote. Suddenly, otherwise.
― Life is a meaningless nightmare of suffering...save string (Chinaski), Thursday, 7 November 2019 15:34 (four years ago) link
WHEN THE GOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN GETS TOUGH
― Iacocca Cola (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 29 May 2024 00:12 (three months ago) link
That Temptations dance in the video is unforgiveable. You can tell Michael Douglas has never once heard a pop song in his life.
― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 May 2024 00:14 (three months ago) link
Also: "Mutt" Lange pulled the same sampled vocal trick on "Pour Some Sugar on Me" you hear on "When the Going Gets Tough."
― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 29 May 2024 00:15 (three months ago) link
step insidewalk this waygo get tough
― Iacocca Cola (Neanderthal), Wednesday, 29 May 2024 00:19 (three months ago) link
Oh wow never realized it was a Mutt Lange production but yes, has some of his hallmarks
― Vinnie, Wednesday, 29 May 2024 12:25 (three months ago) link
Having had Yacht Rock on Sirius as the road trip go-to for approximately the last half-dozen years now, there's a small bunch of songs that have been fully and wholly killed off for me, enjoyment-wise. RIP "Caribbean Queen"
― Rich E. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 29 May 2024 12:49 (three months ago) link
Nights (Feel Like Gettin' Down) should have been the write-in winner
co-sign