It’s the spring of 1986. You jump into your Chevy Monza, click on your Pioneer AM/FM/cassette player, and “Beat’s So Lonely” comes on. Yeah, it sounds like Billy Idol in his Elvis crooner phase, but it’s Charlie Sexton, who recorded this very ‘80s blend of rockabilly and new wave when he was just sixteen.

There’s no shame in thinking it’s Billy Idol. “Beat’s So Lonely” was produced by Keith Forsey, who handled all the big Billy Idol hits – including “To Be a Lover,” “White Wedding,” “Hot in the City,” and “Rebel Yell.”

Forsey also co-wrote and produced “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” for “The Breakfast Club,” Simple Minds’ biggest hit and a song that Billy Idol actually turned down. John Hughes, of course, directed “The Breakfast Club” so it’s not a coincidence that “Beat’s So Lonely” ended up in Hughes’ “Some Kind of Wonderful” – although not actually on the soundtrack album.

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If you heard “Call to the Heart” on the radio in 1985, it sure sounded like Journey – those vocals, those keyboards, – but it was actually Giuffria, five guys with big hair and tight pants out of Washington, DC. The first single off Giuffria’s eponymous album, “Call to the Heart” peaked at #15 on Billboard’s Hot 100. That put it three slots higher than “Foolish Heart” from Steve Perry, the guy who was actually in Journey.

Bandleader and keyboardist Gregg Giuffria later formed House of Lords and eventually moved into the casino business. He was even original co-owner of the Biloxi Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Guitarist Craig Goldy joined and left Dio several times. Bassist Chuck Wright had been in Quiet Riot before Giuffira, rejoined a few times, and is in the current touring version of the band. Drummer Alan Krigger toured with Ike Turner and is now in The Hollywood Allstarz with former members of Quiet Riot, Bonham, and Dio.

What about singer David Glen Eisley? He married actress Olivia Hussey in 1991 and has continued working as a singer and actor. In the late 1990’s, Eisley co-wrote and recorded “Sweet Victory,” a rock ballad that was released as part of a royalty-free library music package – songs available for commercials, TV, or movies. That’s how Eisley’s voice ended up in SpongeBob SquarePants’ mouth for the 2001 episode “Band Geeks.”

You won’t find “The Honeythief” on Duran Duran’s “Greatest” because it’s actually Scottish band Hipsway. Those synth stabs always make me think of The Art of Noise, but I can see how there’s bits of “A View to a Kill” or “Notorious” floating around in there.

When this song popped on the radio in 1980, you probably thought it was Paul McCartney and Wings. It’s actually Glaswegian singer/songwriter Ali Thomson. “Take a Little Rhythm” is Ali’s only US hit and it went to #15. That opening sax definitely reminds me of “Listen to What the Man Said,” but there are a few more Macca mannerisms in there too.

I started playing Ali this week because I’ve rediscovered a CD series from Rhino Records called “Radio Daze: Pop Hits of the 80s.” It’s five discs of songs, usually remastered, that are hard to find and don’t get as much radio play as they once did. Rhino did the same thing with the 1970’s and the “Have a Nice Day” series, but while that’s 25 CDs of the ’70s, “Radio Daze” wrapped after just five. I’m trying to add them all to my collection, but I can’t find Volume 3, the one that actually has “Take a Little Rhythm,” for less than $30.

So what’s Ali Thomson doing right now? He put out a new album about a year ago and, in April, sat down in his garden to play.

You didn’t think this 1982 Top 20 hit from Steel Breeze was Rick Springfield, did ya?

It’s mostly the chorus that sounds Springfieldian, but I would swear I had a Limewire download that said it was Rick.