The 10 Best Coney Hatch Songs of All-Time
The 1980s was a time of great rock and roll, with many bands achieving mainstream success. One such band that came to prominence in this decade was Coney Hatch from Canada. This blog post talks about the ten best songs by this band over their career. We will also look at what makes these songs so memorable and popular today.
10. Monkey Bars
It is impossible to talk about Coney Hatch without talking about the song that really put them on the map. According to the Canadian Bands, Monkey Bars was released 1983 shortly after band was formed in 1980 and became one of their signature songs. With some very catchy lyrics, the vocals are great: “I love you like I never loved before/ Like monkey bars or playground swings,” and the guitar is also really memorable, with a very distinctive sound. This song was part of their self-titled debut album, and it soared to the top of many charts. It managed to reach as high as #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and it also topped several rock music charts. Monkey Bars is still one of Coney Hatch’s most popular songs.
9. Fantasy Girl
The next song I would like to talk about is Fantasy Girl. This was another big hit for Coney Hatch, and it became one of their most recognizable songs. The song has a great guitar riff, and the vocals are really catchy too. It even managed to reach #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, which is an impressive accomplishment for a rock song. Another thing that makes this song stand out is the video, which has some good comedy mixed in with the rock and roll edge. This was one of Coney Hatch’s biggest hits, and it remains hugely popular today.
8. Devils Deck
Devils Deck is on my list, and it’s another one of Coney Hatch’s biggest hits! This song was released in 1986, and it reached #35 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It also wound up being one of the highest-charting songs by a Canadian band at that time. I really like the vocals in this song, and it has a strong guitar riff as well. The lyrics are also very memorable, and they fit with the overall sound of Devils Deck: “Do you want to live forever/ Or simply die trying?”
7. This Ain’t Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5-7Oh6VjFs
This Ain’t Love is a Coney Hatch song that has never been recorded by the band. The song was written in 1985 with Randy Bachman and Neil Young during a jam session in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, at the Warehouse Studios. The song was originally intended for Young’s “Old Ways” album, but he decided to use it on his “Old Ways” video instead. The song was performed by Coney Hatch with Randy Bachman on VH-1 “Storytellers” and in concert at the US Festival 1983. In 1983, the band recorded a demo of this song at Bearsville Studios using lead vocals by Andy Curran. The 1982 demo version features Andy Curran singing lead vocal, and the song has a slightly different musical arrangement. The song was performed live at the “Happy Together Reunion” Festival in Toronto and at other festival dates in 2012.
6. No Sleep Tonight
No Sleep Tonight is a Coney Hatch song written by Lew Anderson and Randy Bachman in 1985 at the Warehouse Studio in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. There were two renditions of this song: an acoustic demo and one as a full band demo. The song was the first recorded for the album in 1985, but it was dropped from the final release of “Ride The Wild Wind” and instead became available on YouTube. It has become an anthem for Winnipeg Jets fans with its references to players Dale Hawerchuk and Teppo Numminen.
5. First Time for Everything
This song was written by Randy Bachman in 1985 for the “Ride The Wild Wind” album, which was never recorded by Coney Hatch but instead available on YouTube. It is a hard-driving rocker with lyrics that describe a woman being in control of the listener’s body. The lyrics are directed to a romantic interest, and the song moves between a waltz time and a straight 4/4 rock beat. The song is notable for the absence of a bass guitar. Instead, the sound of bowed double bass was used to create texture and effect, especially during the instrumental break in the song.
4. No Sleep Tonight
This song is one of the most popular songs for parties, as it has a very upbeat tempo with a catchy chorus. The lyrics talk about how love can make you feel on top of the world and that nothing will get in your way. It was released as a single in 1984, and it spent five weeks in the top 100 singles charts, peaking at #66. Coney Hatch performs the song with lead vocals by Andy Curran and keyboard parts played by Randy Bachman. The video was shot in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and directed by David Hogan.
3. Love Poison
Love Poison is a Coney Hatch song that was written by Randy Bachman in 1985 for the unrecorded “Ride The Wild Wind” album. Lead vocals were performed by Andy Curran, bass guitar and keyboards by John Hallisay, drums by Brian MacLeod, and the song was produced by Randy Bachman.
2. Wrong Side of Town
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1hBI3QRsAU
This song is probably the most sentimental of all Coney Hatch songs. It talks about how people live on the wrong side of town and will always be two steps behind those who live in a better area. This is a subject often used in Coney Hatch songs and can be found in other Bachman-Turner Overdrive and The Guess Who songs. The song was released as a single in 1985, and it spent nine weeks in the top 100 singles charts, peaking at #44.
1. Blown Away
This song is about a man who has faced many disappointments in his life and has no chance to get better at all as he still can’t find a job. The man feels like even if he doesn’t like his life, he has no other option to go. The song also talks about how no matter how hard the man tries, people around him just don’t accept him and that it is only through love and understanding that he can be understood.