Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
I am in the process of buying back pieces of my past which brings me to:
George Lam 10 Minutes 12 Inches
This medley single came out in 1985. Until that time it is the first of its kind. In this single George Lam sang a 10 minute long medley comprised of the most popular Cantonese songs (of different genre) by various Hong Kong artists (including: Sam Hui, Alan Tam, Leslie Cheung and many more) at the time.
The way this medley was mixed and arranged was sear genius, not to mention witty and it possesses George Lam's brand of quirky humour. The reception to the single was hot, subsequently inspired a series of medleys from different Hong Kong artists (Sam Hui even released a whole album on nothing but medleys).
After searching high and low I managed to find a used copy of this single on eBay...
Relevant Links: George Lam's medley on YouTube
Sam Hui's medley on YouTube
I am in the process of buying back pieces of my past which brings me to:
Tears For Fears: Everybody wants to rule the world
When I first heard this song ages ago (1985), I was hooked and has been ever since obsessed.
The song was released on the 18th March 1985. It was the 9th single released by the band. By April 1985 the song climbed to the second spot in the UK chart. It won the best single in the British Award the following year.
The song's success was much more pronounced across the Atlantic ocean. It reached the top spot in the US chart on the 8th of June 1985 and stayed there for 2 weeks. The song also reached the number one spot in the US Hot Dance Music chart and US Hot Dance singles sales the same year.
Due to the massive reception of the song internationally the song was remixed and re-released in 1986 under the name "Everybody wants to run the world". The purpose of the re-released was to promote the Sport Aid campaign which helped in raising money for the famine crisis in Africa at the time. The song peaked at number 5 in the UK chart in June 1986
The song has an accumulated radio broadcasts of over 2 million by 1994 which affirmed the song's endearing popularity. This song represents the pinnacle of the band's success (sadly).
Roland Orzabal commented that the song almost did not make it into the album "Songs from the Big Chair". After much convincing from the producer Chris Hughes the band eventually agreed to record the song... and the rest is history.
Here are the different versions of the song: Everybody wants to rule the world 4:10
7, 10, 12 inch singles
Songs from the big chair (Album)
Everybody wants to rule the world (urban mix) 6:06 7 & 12 inch singles
Everybody wants to rule the world (extended version) 5:43 12 inch single
Everybody wants to run the world 4:30 7 & 12 inch singles (Sports Aid, Run the World)
Everybody wants to run the world (running version) 4:30 7 & 12 inch singles (Sports Aid, Run the World)
Everybody wants to rule the world (acoustic version)
Aeroplane (Curt Smith's 2nd solo album), Canada & US release only
I'm in the process of tracking down a copy of the CD...
Music videos:
Original music video
TFF @ Top of the Pops (March 1985)
Everybody wants to run the world
Everybody wants to rule the world
Guest appearance in the TV series Psych
