Song #171: "Stars On 45 Medley"--Stars On 45 (1981)

1981 may have been the only year, musically, in my lifetime where a song like this could be conceived, produced, and actually succeed..

Stars On 45, the group, hailed from the Netherlands, and found quick, if not fleeting success at home, in the United Kingdom and here stateside. The originator, for lack of a better term, looked long and hard for soundalikes of the late John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The original version of the song lasted 11:30. Inside of it was the four plus minute segment that we all eventually heard on the radio in the middle of 1981.

1981 was a musical year of upheaval, which saw disco buried, new wave quickly begin to wane (quicker than many thought it would), a year where Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes could be the top song of the year, The Moody Blues could have a career resurgence, Juice Newton could keep the country alive, and Olivia Newton-John could suddenly get really, really sexual.

In the midst of change, there was a sliver of opportunity for Stars On 45, and they took full advantage of it.  :)