The Retroscope: 9 May

9 May 1980: The seemingly upbeat “I Don’t Like Mondays” by the Boomtown Rats won the best pop song and outstanding British lyric categories at the 25th Ivor Novella Awards. Frontman, Bob Geldof was inspired by the tragic soverhooting spree when 16 year old Brenda Spencer who killed two people and wounded nine others when she fired from her home across the street onto the entrance of San Diego’s Grover Cleveland Elementary School. Spencer showed no remorse though and responded by saying,”I don’t like Mondays. This livens up the day”. Thanks for inspiring a great pop song anyway and became the band’s second #1 hit. 9 May 1981: Adam and the Ants reached #1 on the UK “Stand And Deliver”. It enjoyed a five week run at the top and became their most successful single with 1 030 000 copies sold in the UK. 9 May 1987: Starship started their four week run at #1 on the UK singles chart with a song co-written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”. At the age of 48, it made lead singer Grace Slick the oldest female to reach #1 on the UK chart – later broken by Cher’s “Believe” in 1999. http://www.bubblews.com/news/489610-the-retroscope-9-may