A guest posting by Adrian Mahon
JC writes……
When I made the suggestion that the possible new series of ‘Could Have Been A Single?’ could have been ripe for possible guest contributions, I certainly wasn’t expecting to wake up and find something already in my inbox. Huge thanks to Adrian.
Hi
I hope this passes muster:
‘For a nigh on perfect album, 1985’s ‘What does anything Mean…’ album had only one single release: ‘Singing Rule Britannia…’. Whilst the most ‘punk’ track on the LP, it was possibly hindered in airplay by the title. There were some others that could well have propelled them to the status they should have had at the time.
My vote would go to ‘Looking Inwardly’. I’ve chosen the version on ‘Dali’s Picture’ here as it’s easy to imagine the song live on TV at the time.
mp3: The Chameleons – Looking Inwardly
Originally written in ’81, it missed that first LP and isn’t rated by Mark (“Confused introspection, very dull in my view”). It’s a firm favourite live; possessing that instantly recognisable guitar sound. I’m sure that others in their early 20s at the time would’ve found the album the soundtrack to their lives at the time…
ADRIAN
PS from JC.
Given there’s a possibility of my proposed second entry in the series perhaps being suggested by a guest contributor, I’ve decided to bring it forward as a bonus post for later on today.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Adrian, how very very true!! I’d have given ANYTHING for ‘Looking Inwardly’ as a single, so that I were able to include it in my 111 singles box. The Chameleons’ finest moment, this, no question about that!
And, btw, the Peel Session-version is ace too.
Good call, although I’m in the camp of almost any Chameleon song could have been a single and those that were released should have been massive hits
I think that ‘On the beach’, ‘One flesh’ or ‘Intrigue in Tangiers’ are probably singles, though I am not sure in which order. Being the 1980s and with a decent record label ‘On the beach’ is probably the most commercial and given a different producer (Steve Lillywhite) stadium rock sounding.
P.S. ‘In shreds’ is a might debut single.