Today’s song was one of the biggest of 1983. It spent 5 weeks at number two but couldn’t get past Every Breath you Take by The Police and Irene Cara’s Flashdance for that #1.
The success of today’s song was both helped and hurt by Michael Jackson. This artist would never have gone to #2 on the Billboard charts without being played on MTV which, before Billie Jean, didn’t play black artists. So he can thank Michael for opening that door. But then when Grammy time came his song was nominated for best R&B song of 1983 but LOST to Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean.
The song’s title was taken from London’s first market street to be lit by electricity. A place where riots broke out in 1981 over racism and unemployment, as referenced in the opening lyric: “Down in the street there is violence”
Did you guess Electric Avenue by Eddy Grant? Good job you get a cookie!
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