Oh, Manchester, So Much To Answer For

The ne plus ultra of Stock-Aitken-Waterman. The insistently throbbing production here is enough to rival the great Moroder's work, and the lyrics are better than you might recall. Bananarama themselves sell the hell out of the song, which ended up one of their biggest hits worldwide (it helped that it came the year after their US #1 "Venus"). There's a joie de vivre here that's uncontrollable and unstoppable; this may not be the trio's finest hour, but it's my favorite of all their singles, and further proof that when they were on, SAW were fairly unbeatable when it came to pop perfection.