I was thinking of making a playlist of 80s songs that make good use of a saxophone and call it 'I Want Your Sax" lol
There are lots of great songs out there, some even I may not know of, some that you may not know of.  Share some!


I will begin with one from 1988 that no one will probably know but me (lol) titled Ain't Good Lovin' by a band called Diamond in the Rough.  This peaked at #48 in Canada and the sax solo at 1:42 is still my favourite ever!

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Here is Rock And Roll Girls by John Fogerty.  This was a 1985 Top 20 hit in both the US and Canada.  Sax solo at 1:18.  This is such a great song!
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Martha & The Muffins
"Echo Beach"
1980

Always liked the surreal feel of this song from back when I first heard it in 1980.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfksKIVyTAY

In the 1983 movie Eddie and the Cruisers, the voice of Eddie was John Cafferty and with his Beaver Brown Band scored a pair of US Top 40 hits from that film, first with On The Darkside and 2nd with Tender Years.  Both featuring fantastic sax solos and both songs are just fantastic!

On The Darkside
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Tender Years
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"Rio" by Duran Duran (title track from the band's 1982 album) readily comes to mind. :) I hate when certain stations edit out that part followed by the bridge verse.

"Electric Blue" by Icehouse (from the band's 1987 album Man Of Colours; it was a hit in early '88 in the States) also comes to mind.

Great sex sax solo in this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eAQa4MOGkE

"Careless Whisper" from 1984 by George Michael, has an excellent saxophone played by Steve Gregory.

Here is The Border, a 1983 Top 40 hit in the US and Canada by the band America. I sang this at karaoke once and did air sax with the solo at 2:46 and it was fantastic!

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This is Come As You Are, a 1987 US and Canada Top 40 hit by former J. Geils Band vocalist Peter Wolf.  The sax solo is at 1:54 and like the America tune, I also once sang this at a karaoke and I gotta tell you, it's so fun doing an air sax!

TRIVIA:  This video is based on the "Take Me To Broadway" scene from the 1954 film Small Town Girl starring the late Bobby Van.  In the video, you can see a worker putting up a billboard poster for the film

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The Waterboys
"A Girl Called Johnny"
1983

(Listen closely. It's about Patti Smith, by the way. During the period when she was out of the public eye, married and raising a family).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXTqkIWsrUI

Here is the 1987 single Lonely in Love by the late Dan Fogelberg.  This never became a mainstream hit, but did peak at #1 in Canada and #2 in the US, both on the Adult Contemporary charts.  There is a sax solo to open the song and another one at 2:07.  I must have listened to A/C radio as a kid, because I remember this one very well and it still sounds great!

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Here is a 1985 hit called Close My Eyes by an Alberta born singer named Paul Janz.  This is a song that makes me proud to be Canadian because to my knowledge, it only charted in Canada and for a lot of years was my favourite song of the 80s.  I have wonderful memories of this one.  The sax solo is at 2:25

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In "Joe Le Taxi" by French singer Vanessa Paradis, released in 1987. The lyrics describe has a passion for Latin music and her saxophone ("saxo jaune", or "yellow saxophone"), but looking at the personnel for the recording it seems to be a synthesizer that makes the saxophone sound.

Is this so?

Waiting On A Friend

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKLVmBOOqVU

Waiting On A Friend


O0 Seriously features some great sax...

Here's some screamin' sax -

Disclaimer: for the sensitive, this might be rated "R" were it a movie, just as a warning...


Romeo Void - Never Say Never (1982)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x0fPZrPV3M

What was the instrumental track/song from the 1980s the titlecis alluding me, it was played on what is possibly a soprano saxophone?

What was the instrumental track/song from the 1980s the titlecis alluding me, it was played on what is possibly a soprano saxophone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN2RnjFHmNY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN2RnjFHmNY
Thank you!

That's the one!

From the film Breaking Glass

Will You by Hazel O’ Connor

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou96vLl--e4



Sax solo by Wesley Macgoogan

The English Beat (known as "The Beat" in the U.K.) used saxophone extensively, including solos.  Example -

English Beat - Sole Salvation (1982)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FbbaZQqfR4

Here's some screamin' sax -

Disclaimer: for the sensitive, this might be rated "R" were it a movie, just as a warning...

Romeo Void - Never Say Never (1982)



Oh yes!! A new-wave hit. I know that one well.

The band's other notable hit, "A Girl In Trouble Is A Temporary Thing" (1984), also makes use of the sax, not just at the beginning and end, but in other parts of the song as well.

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I totally forgot about Romeo Void.  A Girl in Trouble has such beautiful sax!

The early 80s group Quarterflash made good use of the sax, most notably on the hits Harden My Heart and Take Me To Heart


Harden My Heart (1981)
sax solo to open and another one at 1:52

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Take Me To Heart (1983)
sax solo to open and another one at 2:10

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Here is British SKA group The Special AKA with their 1984 hit Free Nelson Mandela.  In some countries, this song is just called Nelson Mandela.  There is a combo of sax and trumpet throughout this song, but a specific sax solo is heard at 2:22.  This is such a good song!

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This one was not a hit, nor was it released as a single, but if I was ever going to learn how to play the saxophone, the first song I would learn would be the theme to The New Hollywood Squares that aired from 1986-1989.  I was such a fan of this version of the show and the theme song is my favourite piece of music that features a sax!

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The early 80s group Quarterflash made good use of the sax, most notably on the hits Harden My Heart and Take Me To Heart


Harden My Heart (1981)
sax solo to open and another one at 1:52


Take Me To Heart (1983)
sax solo to open and another one at 2:10


Oh yes, I had forgotten about "Harden My Heart" until now. First at the beginning, then another one at the instrumental break. I'm not sure if I know "Take Me To Heart", however.

"Who Can It Be Now" by Men At Work (1982 in the States) contains use of the sax, courtesy of Greg Ham. The intro and the chorus use it for a "hook"...but there is an instrumental break where it's used long enough to be considered a solo.

Here is British SKA group The Special AKA with their 1984 hit Free Nelson Mandela.  In some countries, this song is just called Nelson Mandela.  There is a combo of sax and trumpet throughout this song, but a specific sax solo is heard at 2:22.  This is such a good song!


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This one was not a hit, nor was it released as a single, but if I was ever going to learn how to play the saxophone, the first song I would learn would be the theme to The New Hollywood Squares that aired from 1986-1989.  I was such a fan of this version of the show and the theme song is my favourite piece of music that features a sax!

I remember this version this one had John Davidson on the show as host.

I remember this version this one had John Davidson on the show as host.


Yes indeed, and regular panelists Joan Rivers (Center square), JM J. Bullock (Upper left square) and announcer Shadoe Stevens (who typically sat bottom middle square)

George Harrison
"I Got My Mind Set On You"
1987

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_71w4UA2Oxo

Yes indeed, and regular panelists Joan Rivers (Center square), JM J. Bullock (Upper left square) and announcer Shadoe Stevens (who typically sat bottom middle square)

Yes, when he was a panelist. (In which case he would introduce himself last, after introducing the other eight celebs.) If he wasn’t one of the Squares, he’d just be off camera.
The central square, however, would often vary (unlike on the original version and the later one).

Glenn Frey: You belong to the city
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TToLgW7zuc

Leonard Cohen
"Ain't No Cure For Love"
1988

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux8s4wJXNnA

The Honeydrippers - Rockin' At Midnight (1984)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vRUnT-TeRg

"True" by Spandau Ballet (1983) also contains a sax solo!

"True" by Spandau Ballet (1983) also contains a sax solo!


I forgot about Spandau Ballet.  They had so much great sax in their songs.  Another good one is from 1984, Only When You Leave.  The sax solo is at 2:45

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8TjTTxJuK4
Kenny G - Hi, How Ya Doin'? (1983)

Kenny G - Hi, How Ya Doin'? (1983)


Of course, ALL of Kenny G's music involves the sax. That's because it's his primary instrument. O0

Don't forget "The Heat Is On" by Glenn Frey (late 1984). Not only does the sax occur at the beginning (after a slow intro), but also in later portions of the song.

David Bowie's 1983 hit "Modern Love" also includes a sax solo during the instrumental break.

"Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS (1988) also has one!

In the 1983 movie Eddie and the Cruisers, the voice of Eddie was John Cafferty and with his Beaver Brown Band scored a pair of US Top 40 hits from that film, first with On The Darkside and 2nd with Tender Years.  Both featuring fantastic sax solos and both songs are just fantastic!

On The Darkside
Tender Years


I remember HBO promoting this film in a big way when they were about to get it when I was a kid. Several times a day there would be be something building up the mystique of Eddie, behind the scenes clips, and just a general sense that this was a big deal. I've never seen the film, but I wonder if it lives up to the hype. Every time I hear "On The Darkside" I think about that.

The English Beat (known as "The Beat" in the U.K.) used saxophone extensively, including solos.

“Mirror In The Bathroom,” a track from their 1980 album I Just Can’t Stop It also makes good use of the sax.

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"Only The Lonely" by The Motels (1982). The instrumental break begins with an electric guitar solo and then transitions to sax.

Careless Whisper.