I usually make it a rule on this site to avoid replicated coverage of any one artist or album or song unless absolutely necessary. I think it's a policy that helps promote breadth of content and is therefore a sound one. However, in the case of this keyboard-heavy early power ballad - which made appearances on two separate occasions within the U.S. Top 50, in 1983 and 1989 - I think an exception can be justifiably made.

The reason I feel compelled to honor this Australian one-hit wonder in such a way relates to an experience I had last week while making my daily journey through the contents of my iPod. Going alphabetically by song title, I reached this song during my lunch break and cranked it up to sing along the way I'm always compelled to do whenever I hear it. When my mp3 player, as it sometimes does, jumped to the next song without apparent reason, I became quite agitated, especially after multiple attempts to go back and work through the glitch failed completely. So, long story slightly abridged, I didn't get to listen to the whole song that day, a fact that marred an otherwise perfectly enjoyable lunch break in my breezy, shaded car with the windows rolled down. Now that I've gone out of my way to procure a clean copy of the tune this weekend, I wanted to point out, dear readers, that when owning a song becomes this important, I think it's safe to say you might have a forgotten gem on your hands.

• Compare prices on Moving Pictures CDs here.
• Top 10 '80s Songs of Self-Pity & Self-Absorption

I'm sure there are more than a few music fans who might suggest that the only memorable thing about British synth pop band ABC is that their records/tapes/CDs could be found very near the beginning of the pop/rock section at your local music store. Notice that I use the past sense there because, seriously, does anyone really go to stores for music anymore now that chains charging up to $20 a pop for an album have all but replaced the independent, locally owned retail experience of old?

Anyway, I suppose I digress. I had intended to lament the relative obscurity of an overlooked '80s band instead of ranting like the old codger I am, so back to that. The wide musical interests and appeal of this consistent group effectively represent the capability of '80s music to endure, as ABC's blend of retro soul, funk and elegant electronic pop maintained the vital threads of early rock and roll within its modern textures. Leader Martin Fry still shines vocally a quarter century after making hits out of solid songs like "The Look of Love" and "Be Near Me," but the best thing about the band's catalogue is that it proves quite clearly that synth pop, new wave and New Romantic stylings don't have to be as stodgily one-dimensional as those genre reputations sometimes suggest. Despite its elementary-sounding name, ABC displays a keen ear for more than just the '80s basics.

• Profile of ABC
• Top 5 ABC Songs of the '80s
• Compare prices on ABC CDs here.