The 80s Cruise Has T’Pau It Its Hands
January 29, 2025
By Steve Spears
When you think of T’Pau, what comes to mind first? The thumping dance-floor classic “Heart and Soul?” The cheery face, soaring voice, and fiery red hair of lead singer Carol Decker? Maybe it was when you discovered the ethereal power ballad “China in Your Hand,” a chart-topper worldwide that sadly escaped a release date in the U.S.
“It was a super fun time,” Decker says of the ’80s. “The first mobile phone. The first computers. MTV was born. Just incredible, massive steps, not incremental steps.”
These days, Decker still tours as T’Pau, often appearing at European music festivals like Night of the Proms and Rewind. But this coming March, cruisers will get a special treat when the band performs on the 2025 voyage of The 80s Cruise. I recently caught up with Carol on a Zoom call for the Stuck in the ’80s podcast. Listen to the full interview here. Here are some highlights.
Eighties fans out there are pretty excited because T’Pau is on the 2025 voyage of The 80s Cruise. Have you been on a cruise before?
“I have! I’m so excited to be invited on this one because it’s nice to come out to the States again even though I’m probably in the water just off the coast. I’ve done a lot of cruises around the UK and into Europe and out to Bali, which was exciting.”
What’s the most unusual venue the band has played?
“It was a theme park in Germany, and it was very piratey. Our room was all made out like a ship and there were pirate figures everywhere. I also did a show with Cutting Crew back in the ’80s. We were in Cleveland, and we were on the banks of a river, and the entire audience were on boats. So nobody kept still. You’re trying to connect with someone you’re singing to, and they’re gone. And then the next boat goes past. So that was really that was very funny.”
David Bowie, Roxy Music, and the Sex Pistols influenced a lot of British artists I’ve talked to. T’Pau peaked later in the ’80s. What were the bands that influenced your sound?
“In the late ’70s, I was completely into disco, and I still have a huge love of blending a sort of dancy beat with a rock song. Chic was my absolute favorite. And then I loved early indie ’80s bands like Joe Jackson and New Order. I’ve got a very eclectic sense.”
America had “American Bandstand,” but Britain’s “Top of the Pops” always seemed so much cooler to me. What memories do you have of performing on the show?
“It was the one show that grandchildren and grandparents, all the generations, could sit and watch. It was a pivotal point for the charts, so to be on it, I think I grinned so hard, my cheeks hurt. And we finally got to perform ‘Heart And Soul,’ our first big international hit. I couldn’t stop smiling all the time. It was just a phenomenal thing to be on. I remember being on with the Bee Gees were on.”
Oh wow. Music royalty!
“The biggest memory for me was we were doing a run-through for ‘China In Your Hand,’ which was a huge hit for us in Europe. And Paul and Linda McCartney, his lovely late dear wife, were watching us for ages because Paul was promoting one of his solo albums. They were staring. When I finished sound checking, they came over and said, ‘Oh, we hope we weren’t intimidating you. I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just that you remind us so much of our little girl Stella.’ She was a toddler at the time and had bright red hair, and so did I. They’d been away from home touring for ages. And so they were just going, ‘Oh, Stella’s gonna look like Carol when she grows up!’ And we became pals. And for the longest time, I was quite friendly with the McCartney’s and Linda used to send me a Christmas calendar of all her fantastic photographs.”
I’ve been curious why “China in Your Hand” was such a big hit in Europe but virtually unknown in the States. Do you think there’s a difference in music tastes between US and UK fans?
“I’m guessing there must have been because firstly, we were very much in the grip of Virgin America. They wouldn’t entertain ‘China In Your Hand’ as a release, and there was very little we could do about it. The theories put to me at the time were that all the radio stations were formatted to different kinds of music.
And “Heart and Soul” didn’t sound like it played alongside “China in Your Hand.”
“The album is incredibly eclectic. That wasn’t a problem for European audiences, but did seem to present a problem in the States, which broke my heart because I love America. I’ve always been coming and going over the years. It would have been so fabulous to have “China In Your Hand” and be a big hit out there too, wouldn’t it?”
Steve Spears is the creator and co-host of the Stuck in the ‘80s podcast, which just began its 20th year of recording. He and co-host Brad Williams are the hosts of Big 80s Trivia onboard each voyage of The 80s Cruise. Find out more at sit80s.com.