For the month of October, I’m selecting a song each day from the decade that has the most meaning to me: the 80s. It was the decade that I grew up in. The period of time where I discovered my love for music — and explored many different genres. For the next 31 days, I’ll highlight a handful of songs that I truly loved and that were representative of the decade. #31DaysOf80sSongs
When Fine Young Cannibals first came onto the scene, they had a short, glorious underground era. It was the days before Top 40 stardom, late night show appearances and platinum sales. Two songs really helped drive this vibrant, creative period: “Johnny Come Home” and “Suspicious Minds”. The latter was a modern rockabilly interpretation of the Elvis classic. It was an FYC twist. But “Johnny Come Home” was FYC at its core. When you dissect the recording, it becomes clear that this is the quintessential FYC track, not “She Drives Me Crazy” or anything else.
Most bands create their identity based on the melody and riffs of their songs. But FYC’s identity hinged on other factors. “Johnny Come Home” is a song whose verses barely resemble a melody of any sort. It’s a song that showcases the highly unusual and unique voice of Roland Gift. Its identity is largely based on its infectious rhythms. And it’s elevated with the most unusual of instruments for a modern rock track: the trumpet. When you put it all together, we have ourselves the unique FYC formula. All the elements that made them so addictive, so unusual and, ultimately, so successful.
“Nobody knows the trouble you feel. Nobody cares, the feeling is real.”