Chart Week: December 22, 1984
\nSong: \u201cThe Belle of St. Mark\u201d – Sheila E.
\nChart Position: #34, 9th week on the chart. Peaked at #34 for three weeks over December and January.<\/p>\n
One last 1984 countdown to close out the year. And, holy crap, what a countdown it was! The summer of \u201984 gets all the glory, but this week was pretty spectacular, too. \u201cLike A Virgin,\u201d \u201cOut of Touch,\u201d \u201cCool It Now,\u201d \u201cWe Belong,\u201d and \u201cI Feel For You\u201d in the Top 10. \u201cWake Me Up Before You Go-Go,\u201d \u201cRun to You,\u201d \u201cBorn in the USA,\u201d \u201cEasy Lover,\u201d \u201cThe Boys of Summer,\u201d \u201cCareless Whisper,\u201d and \u201cI Would Die 4 U\u201d were all also in the Top 40. \u201cCareless Whisper,\u201d at #37, led a stellar group of debuts that also included \u201cSugar Walls,\u201d \u201cDo They Know It\u2019s Christmas,\u201d and \u201cSmalltown Boy.\u201d
\nGod damn!<\/p>\n
With all those monster songs, why do I pick this one?<\/p>\n
A, because I\u2019ve always loved it.
\nB, because anytime I hear it, I think of Christmas Break of that year.
\nC, it demonstrates how deep music was that year.<\/p>\n
This is a great, great song. And I bet to a lot of folks it has been totally forgotten.<\/p>\n
My memories of so many songs on this list go back to point B. I can distinctly remember listening to several of these songs at various points during my two-week break from school that year. I remember hearing \u201cThe Belle of St. Mark\u201d on that stretch of I\u2013435 just west of the Grandview Triangle, where there are those two big hills with the valley between them, while we were on our way to a family dinner at some Chinese place.<\/p>\n
I know, I\u2019m weird.<\/p>\n
Christmas 1984 was a huge point in my life. There was a lot going on then, much of which I didn\u2019t realize the significance of until I was older. It was also the last real Kid Christmas I had, before the gifts under the tree all transitioned to the practical and mature.<\/p>\n
Several times I\u2019ve tried to write something about the final weeks of 1984 and what they meant to my childhood. I\u2019ve never been as successful as I\u2019ve wanted to be. And I\u2019ve never been sure if they are best shared through a blog post, or if they are a jumping off point for some kind of longer work. I hope someday I can find the correct path and method of getting them out of my head and onto some kind of text document.<\/p>\n
For now, Sheila E. singing Prince\u2019s words over his music – her percussion excepted, of course – will have to do.<\/p>\n