Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    Banner
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
          • Movies 1950
          • Movies 1951
          • Movies 1952
          • Movies 1953
          • Movies 1954
          • Movies 1955
          • Movies 1956
          • Movies 1957
          • Movies 1958
          • Movies 1959
        • 1960s Movies
          • Movies 1960
          • Movies 1961
          • Movies 1962
          • Movies 1963
          • Movies 1964
          • Movies 1965
          • Movies 1966
          • Movies 1967
          • Movies 1968
          • Movies 1969
        • 1970s Movies
          • Movies 1970
          • Movies 1971
          • Movies 1972
          • Movies 1973
          • Movies 1974
          • Movies 1975
          • Movies 1976
          • Movies 1977
          • Movies 1978
          • Movies 1979
        • 1980s Movies
          • Movies 1980
          • Movies 1981
          • Movies 1982
          • Movies 1983
          • Movies 1984
          • Movies 1985
          • Movies 1986
          • Movies 1987
          • Movies 1988
          • Movies 1989
        • 1990s Movies
          • Movies 1990
          • Movies 1991
          • Movies 1992
          • Movies 1993
          • Movies 1994
          • Movies 1995
          • Movies 1996
          • Movies 1997
          • Movies 1998
          • Movies 1999
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Music»Music by Decade»1980s Music
    1980s Music Music H 3 Mins Read

    Huey Lewis & The News

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    It makes sense that San Francisco sextet Huey Lewis & The News were one of the most popular American bands of the 80’s.

    Huey (real name Hugh Anthony Cregg III) was good looking in a dumb guy-next-door way – a rock & roll Dobie Gillis – and his band could appear to play hard even if they neglected to generate any intensity,

    In the early-70’s, Cregg met up with Clover, a soft-rock/country collection of longhairs who left Fantasy Records after recording two albums. He had known some of them since school and was officially drafted into the band around 1972.

    The group slogged it out on the same circuit of clubs for several years until their luck changed in 1976 when members of Dr Feelgood – who were in Los Angeles to play at a CBS convention – cruised into the Palomino Club one night with their manager, Jake Riviera, and their guitar roadie, Nick Lowe, in tow. Riviera was impressed and coaxed Clover into coming to the UK.

    Nick Lowe got Clover (minus Hugh) to back Elvis Costello in the studio on his first LP, My Aim Is True, and the band wound up recording two more albums in England.

    But the UK was in the throes of the punk maelstrom and not interested at all in Clover’s chicken-funk offerings. The albums bombed and Clover broke up on their return to the USA.

    But Hugh bounced back, organising a weekly jam session at a Marin County club called Uncle Charlie’s, which attracted some first-class players (John Colla had played with Sly Stone and Van Morrison) who gradually became Huey Lewis & The News.

    Partially via their connection to Jake Riviera and Nick Lowe, Chrysalis UK signed the band to a record deal and released their self-titled debut album in 1981.

    While the album sold poorly, the follow-ups Picture This (1982) and Sports (1983), established Huey Lewis & The News as a chart-topping concern.

    The band was responsible for several empty-headed Top Ten hits – among them I Want A New Drug (1984), The Heart Of Rock & Roll (1984), The Power Of Love (1985) and Stuck With You (1986) – but those annoyances were merely bland compared to Hip To Be Square (1986), which was genuinely malevolent, popping up everywhere from college marching band halftime shows to Las Vegas showrooms. It was also big at weddings.

    hueylewis_012

    Musically, Hip To Be Square was marginally more interesting than what Lewis and company usually conjured up: the fast beat was agreeable enough and the band sounded less reined-in than usual by the group’s inevitable drum-machine taskmaster.

    Lyrically, however, this was a perfect anthem of rationalisation for uneasy sell-outs. The narrator of the song has cut his hair, scored a “good” job, and realised that, yes, its hip to be square, because in this context “square” means financially successful.

    We’ll leave you by saying that Hip To Be Square was a pox on rock & roll in the late 80’s, and to draw your own conclusions about the fact that Huey Lewis and The News were eulogised by psycho-killer Patrick Bateman in the book American Psycho.

    Huey Lewis
    Vocals, harmonica
    Chris Hayes
    Guitar
    John Colla
    Saxophone, guitar
    Sean Hopper
    Keyboards
    Mario Cipollina
    Bass
    Bill Gibson
    Drums

    Related Posts

    • USA For Africa
      USA For Africa
      In the wake of the British-instigated Band Aid, Harry Belafonte decided to launch a similar appeal in America. Bob Geldof himself joined the host…
    • Asia
      Asia
      Asia began in early 1981 after the apparent ending of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, two of the founding…
    • Outfield, The
      Outfield, The
      The Outfield formed in East London and began recording during the mid-1980s. In 1986, their single Your Love went into…
    • Young Homebuyers
      Young Homebuyers
      Young Homebuyers hailed from Adelaide, Australia, and pivoted around the songwriting team of Nigel Lawrence and Greg Williams, who met…
    • Katrina And The Waves
      Katrina And The Waves
      Formed in Cambridge (UK) in 1981 - although there was actually a prototype of the Waves back in 1975 - Katrina…
    • A Certain Ratio
      A Certain Ratio
      A Certain Ratio (the name is a pointer to a Brian Eno song) formed in Manchester in 1977. The band's original members…
    • Van Halen
      Van Halen
      Van Halen was one of the most popular American hard rock/heavy metal bands to emerge in the 70's, primarily distinguished…
    • Aliens, The
      Aliens, The
      The Aliens were one of the first Australian bands of the late 70s to adopt the New Wave "uniform" of black…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleHuman League
    Next Article Howlin’ Wolf

    Comments are closed.

    Can you help?
    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love for me since 1998. The site carries no advertising, and I rely on donations to help with the running costs of the site and ensure I can keep Nostalgia Central running for your entertainment and education.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small.


    Thank you so much, and please enjoy your trip in the time machine!
    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Inn For Trouble (1960)
      Peggy Mount and David Kossof reprised their popular television […]
    • Barney Is My Darling
      1 9 6 5 (UK) 6 x 30 minute episodes Barney Pank (Bill Fraser) […]
    • Club Paradise (1986)
      Burned out and retired after one too many major alarms, a […]
    • Ugly Little Boy
      1 9 7 7 (UK/Canada) 1 x 30 minute episodes A Neanderthal child […]
    • Rescue 8
      1 9 5 8 – 1 9 5 9 (USA) 74 x 30 minute episodes Rescue 8 […]
    • Ian & The Zodiacs
      Relatively few Britons had heard of a place called Crosby, eight […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    Happy 81st to Anita Harris 🫶

    Happy 81st to Anita Harris 🫶Happy 81st Birthday to Anita Harris, born 3rd June 1942 in Somerset, England. She is an all round entertainer, singer/dancer/actress.
    As a child she was a keen ice skater, and just before her 16th birthday she was talent spotted and invited to join a dance troupe and headed for Las Vegas, performing 3 shows a night. She stayed 6 months.

    While she enjoyed dancing, singing was always her first love. Upon returning to England she joined the Cliff Adams Singers and was with them for 3 years. In 1961 she made her first recordings with the John Barry Seven. Possibly two of her best known recordings are 'Just Loving You' and 'We're Going on a Tuppenny Bus Ride'.

    In the 1960's She appeared in a two 'Carry On' films. On TV in the 70's among other things she was on David Nixon's Magic Box for 8 years as his assistant. She continued working on stage and screen with entertainment legends – everyone from Bob Monkhouse and Tommy Cooper to Bruce Forsyth, Morecambe and Wise and Harry Secombe. In 1986 she made her debut in 'legitimate theatre' playing Grizabella in the West End production of Cats.
    Today she continues to perform on stage and in cabaret with her band. You can hear her recordings on
    serenade-radio.com the Best in Easy Listening.
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 11
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    ... See MoreSee Less

    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    I remember using whatever one was cherry-flavoured.

    It was Dr Mopp for me.

    www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/look-whos-back/ ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Look whos back | Raleigh UK

    www.raleigh.co.uk

    They will be available to buy online and at Raleigh Bikes Nottingham. The online sale will have a virtual queuing system in place and at Raleigh Bikes Nottingham there will be a queueing system outsid...
    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    FIREBALL XL-5 begins this Saturday, 3rd June at 2:35pm on #TalkingPicturesTV So here's five fascinating facts about the Gerry Anderson's 'Supermarionation' programme!
    1 - The series was inspired by the 'space race' between the USSR and the USA. 2 - 39 episodes were made in black and white. 3 - The series premiered on ATV London in October 1962. 4 - The voice of Steve Zodiac was provided by actor Paul Maxwell. 5 - The famous theme song was sung by Don Spencer.
    ... See MoreSee Less

    4 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 8
    • Shares: 3
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/31/bruce-springsteen-review-murrayfield-stadium-edinburgh

    That's why they call him "The Boss".
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Bruce Springsteen review – after half a century, still having the time of his life

    www.theguardian.com

    Springsteen and the E Street Band feel like a bar band that can’t believe their luck to be playing a stadium – and the enthusiasm is infectious
    4 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Sad news. We wish her well 🤗

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Dame Esther Rantzen says her lung cancer is in stage four

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The TV presenter and Childline founder says she is on a new form of medication for the disease.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 3

    Comment on Facebook

    Oh no 😢 in my prayers Esther xxx

    Didn’t she want to put the unvaccinated into camps during lockdown…

    That’s not cool 😞

    Another great voice has left us 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Tina Turner: Music legend dies at 83

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Her unmistakable voice on hits like The Best and What's Love Got to Do With It made her a superstar.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 7
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    I found out on tiktok before I saw it on any news channels..

    Terrible, terrible news. Taken far too young. Vale Andy Rourke!

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Andy Rourke: The Smiths bassist dies aged 59

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Guitarist Johnny Marr confirmed Rourke died after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9_xELTfEds

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-65576903 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    The Beatles: Rare first edition White Album given to charity

    www.bbc.co.uk

    A 1968 White Album, complete with original inserts, is given to a Sutton Coldfield charity shop
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    I recently fulfilled the dream of over 40 years and saw The Zombies perform live (They were amazing!). Their current bass player is a chap called Søren Koch, and this is his regular band - The Beatophonics. If you love 60s Beat music, do yourself a favour and have a listen. They are truly superb. open.spotify.com/artist/5W05FY5rERtVTBippPjold?si=nU5zM8gJSXONAGCWOUrTnA

    variety.com/2023/film/news/beetlejuice-2-release-date-theaters-1235607767/ ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    ‘Beetlejuice 2,’ Starring Michael Keaton and Jenna Ortega, to Hit Theaters in 2024

    variety.com

    Whether or not you say his name three times, Beetlejuice is returning to movie theaters next year. Warner Bros. has announced that “Beetlejuice 2” will be released on the big …
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 3
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Tag Cloud
    Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games British Invasion Britpop Canada Cold War Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Kraütrock Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Politics Power Pop Prog rock Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music Video games
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.