This Week's Forgotten Gem of the '80s - Hothouse Flowers' "Don't Go"

Anyone under the false but popular impression that '80s music was more often than not painfully homogenous and lacking in soul should make some immediate time to crank up this 1988 tune, a joyful effort from Ireland's Hothouse Flowers that shows no respect for generic boundaries but all the respect in the world for what Ned Schneebly/Dewey Finn (from the film School of Rock) might refer to as musical fusion. "Don't Go" is, by all reasonable accounts, a rousing pop song that communicates a million intangible sonic reasons why feeling depressed is actually pretty unnecessary in the great scheme of things. That doesn't mean listening to this song once will take care of all your mental health issues (believe me, I know; I've tried everything), but it does mean the track should have enjoyed at least some action on what was at the time a fairly paltry pop chart. Thankfully, this tune was far from unheard, cracking the Top 20 on Billboard's mainstream rock and modern rock charts. But certainly there should have been room in a pop countdown that would soon welcome "Walk the Dinosaur" into the Top 10. But really, why am I complaining when I can just go listen to this song and find a little Zen in my day?

• Sample or download "Don't Go" here.
• Official Hothouse Flowers Website