Aldo Nova peaked with his first single Fantasy. Given the leopard skin pimp outfit he’s wearing in the video, it’s not hard to see why.  But don’t call him a one hit wonder. He’s had plenty of hits over the last 30 years believe it or not. They were just recorded by other people. Clay Aiken’s # 1 hit in 2003 This Is The Night was written by Aldo Nova.

As for Fantasy, it hit #3 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Charts and #23 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982. The video is standard early 80’s cheese, but the song is one a rock classic.

WATN? He released several more albums in the 80’s (my favorite was Twitch) and then tried to stage a comeback in the 90’s working with Jon Bon Jovi.

Trivia: Over the course of her career, Celine Dion has recorded 11 songs written by Aldo Nova. Others to collaborate with him include Bon Jovi, Michael Bolton, Faith Hill, Clay Aiken, and Blue Oyster Cult. Now that would make for a wacky music festival!

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Oh, yeah. You’re a closet Seagulls fan. Admit it and come over to the dark side. We have cookies. This video was in heavy rotation in 1982 and scored the band their first top ten hit. (Despite their perception as a one hit wonder, they did have 2 other singles crack the top 10.) The video is a perfect time capsule of the New Wave genre (both the hair and the heavy use of synthesisers.)  We give it 5 guitars, cause we’re weird like that.

WATN? The band last toured in 2005.

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This video gets 2 guitars if for no other reason than it prevented Michael Jackson from having back to back number 1 singles. For one week in between Billie Jean and Beat It, Come On Eileen held the number 1 spot in America. The band mixes British pop, Celtic fiddle, and the worst fitting overalls to ever grace MTV. They all look like their waiting for a 100 year flood.  American singer Johnny Ray makes an appearance at the beginning of the video, but we here at Pound note think it could have been left out.

WATN? They released an album in 2007 that was mostly a rehashing of their first 2 albums.

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This is probably my favorite INXS song, but it’s a lousy video. About 2 minutes into the video, I can’t tell who seems more intoxicated -the cameraman or Michael Hutchence. The band would go on to make a lot of great videos in the 80’s. This wasn’t one of them. Great song, though. So give it a look.

Trivia: The drummer is wearing hot pink socks. Why? The keyboard is suspended from a wire so it’s being played above the head of Andrew Farriss. Again, why?

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Welcome to the birth of our new website: WriteItOnAPoundNote.com.  This site is dedicated to 80’s music and the videos that have since disappeared from MTV’s and VH1’s programming.  We will try to post a new video daily with some commentary and “where are they now” type info.  If you love 80’s music, please suggest a video or tell your friends.

Our first video is dedicated to the man that inspired the name of the site. In 1982, Adam Ant’s Goody Two Shoes hit #1 in the U.K. and #12 in the United States. It was from the Friend or Foe album, his first solo effort after the breakup of Adam and the Ants.

Long before Johnny Depp or the “Puffy Shirt” from Seinfeld, Adam Ant perfected the Pirate Chic look.  The video is a bit self indulgent, but we give it 3 guitars.

“If the words unspoken, get stuck in your throat. Send a treasure token, token. Write it on a pound note, pound note.”

Trivia: The song is featured in the movie Hot Fuzz. The butler in the video, Graham Stark, appeared in three different Pink Panther movies.

WATN? - Ant turned to acting in he late eighties/early nineties. A couple of forgettable albums later, he released Wonderful in 1995. It was his last studio album.  A live recording entitled Live at the Bloomsbury is scheduled for release later this year.

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