Tuesday Tunes 184: Still Standing

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Thank you, everyone, for not pointing out last week’s deliberate error – somehow I numbered it as #182 having already done that one! We now return to a normal counting sequence, and I promise to try not to do that again 🀣

I said last week that I would probably use the stand or standing theme again, and it seems a good plan. So here we go with another set of five, and I’m guessing that most of these will be familiar to you. Nothing wrong with that: I do occasionally stick to the mainstream!

I’ve played this first one before, but as that was all the way back in September 2020 I don’t think I can be accused of overdoing it. It fits well with today’s title, too. See if you can spot a familiar face among the dancers – he makes several appearances:

That one was on Reg’s seventeenth album, Too Low For Zero, released in May 1983. The album reached #7 in the UK and #25 in the US. I’m Still Standing was released as a single in July 1983, peaking at #4 in the UK and #12 in the US. It was, he said at the time, his response to feeling that he had become less relevant after the rise of disco, punk and the New Romantics. The video was filmed in Cannes and has been viewed more than 205m times – it did much to garner airplay and contribute to both the single and the album being successful. For him that was a real statement of personal strength, which he needed after a poor run of performance in the singles chart.

Back to the Sixties for today’s next tune. I don’t often play Motown songs, but for this one it is easy to make an exception:

Standing in the Shadows of Love was released as a single by The Four Tops in November 1966, and reached #6 in both the US and the UK. It was later included on their album Reach Out, which was released in July 1967 Β in the US, reaching #11, and in November 1967 here in the UK, peaking at #4. I’m pretty sure that the delayed release helped the album appear in many Christmas stockings that year, as it is almost a greatest hits collection: a fantastic track list.

I’m going for one of my usual suspects for this one. Anyone who has seen these posts before won’t be surprised to see him here, even if I’ve had to go for the official audio-only version:

Bruce Springsteen released Last Man Standing on his twentieth studio album, Letter To You, in October 2020. The album reached #2 in the US and #1 in the UK. This track wasn’t released as a single, but I still think it is a great song advocating hope for the future, based on the writer’s staying power through life. Bruce has given us so many wonderful songs over the years, even when they are just tucked away, almost out of sight on an album.

I’m going with another uplifting message next, a song of love and support for someone going through a hard time. The video quality isn’t great, but it’s still a nice song:

I’ll Stand By You was released as a single by The Pretenders in April 1994, when it got to #10 in the UK and #16 in the US. It was also included on their album Last Of The Independents, which came out the following month, peaking at #8 in the UK and #41 in the US. Those were their last top ten placings either for a single or an album in the UK, and their last top twenty US single. Though Chrissie Hynde is American the band always did much better here than in her homeland, for reasons I’ve never really understood. They did manage to induct them into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2005, though. The band is still going and released its most recent album, the aptly titled Relentless, last September – it made #25 here.

Today’s final tune comes from a guy who hasn’t had much success with singles in the US, though his albums have done well over there so I’m hoping he will be familiar to American readers. Brits will, I’m sure, recognise him. Again, video quality is showing its age, sorry:

I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down was originally recorded as a slow soul ballad by Sam and Dave in 1967, but Elvis Costello and the Attractions played it as an uptempo Northern Soul tune. That might explain why it reached #4 in the UK when it was released in February 1980 but didn’t make the US chart. It was the lead single from the band’s fourth album, Get Happy!! which came out at the same time, peaking at #2 in the UK and #11 in the US. It’s a fun way to close this week, I think.

That’s all for today, so I’ll just wish you an enjoyable week as I take my leave. See you again in a couple of days 😊

40 thoughts on “Tuesday Tunes 184: Still Standing”

  3. Pingback: January | Take It Easy

  4. Your absolutely right on with your assumption today: your song choices were all ones I know and (for the most part) like. Four out of five ain’t bad! πŸ˜‚
    It goes without saying that you would kick things off with Sir Elton; it would almost be sacrilegious not to! That’s one of my favorite songs by him.
    Thanks for a little taste of Motown, one of the greatest genres in American music history. I dedicated a month to Motown in my former music blog; the choices are endless and maybe I’ll touch on it again.
    I’ve always loved the edginess of Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders as well as the unique sound of Elvis Costello. He looks quite young in that video, obviously pre Diana Krall days. It was great fun to see him and the group cutting up like that; everything is so very serious these days but I do adore him.
    Well, what can I say about Springsteen? You either love him or don’t and I don’t. I think you knew that already but I did feature one of his vids in a recent story of mine so that’s got to count for something. πŸ˜‚ He does have one hell of a band, though!
    Thanks for a great lineup today, Clive. Super post!

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  6. 100% with me today, Clive. I don’t typically like Elvis Costello that much (I had never heard this one before), but this was a fun tune. My favorite is Elton.

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    • I’d have enjoyed some time in Cannes too! Only been there once, remember the whole area as being full of beautiful people and unbearably hot! I saw that you’d seen Willow’s comment so you now know who he was. A much younger version of what we’ve seen on tv recently. Glad you found a favourite and liked the cartoon – a good one 😊

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  11. A great selection! My favorites are the Four Tops and the Pretenders. πŸ™‚
    And you are welcome for me not pointing out your mistake in the numbers. Though I should confess that I didn’t notice it. LOL! πŸ™‚

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  12. Five excellent choices ….all good for their own reasons! My favourite is the Elvis Costello track!
    Elton’s video was a great hit as was the whole album. Oh! The dancer Bruno Tonioli. Dashing young lad then πŸ’œπŸ’œ

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  14. Home run, Clive! All these songs are standouts. (Sorry, couldn’t help it.) Bruce sings this one in concert, accompanied only by his guitar. It’s a powerful moment in the show. And the Pretenders tune is my favorite by them. Good stuff!

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    • Thanks, Larry. I guess someone had to say it! I’m glad you liked them, and can well imagine the power of Bruce performing that solo. Though I do prefer several others of The Pretenders’ songs to this one – not a fit for the theme, though 😊

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