Daily Boom Sunday Soundtrack: Saturday Night Fever

Daily Boom 90's Nostalgia: Whitney Houston - 'I'm Every Woman'

"I can cast a spell
Secrets you can't tell
Mix a special brew,
Put fire inside of you
Anytime you feel
Danger or fear
Then instantly
I will appear
Yeah oh
I'm every woman
It's all in me
Anything you want done, baby,
I do it naturally"

Remaking a big song done by an even bigger music icon is always going to be a huge risk. That said, Whitney Houston covering Chaka Khan does somehow make sense. When Chaka put out "I'm Every Woman" it was a sultry ode to capable women everywhere. Whitney's spin on it in 1993 was a little more upbeat and fun.

It was the second song off of The Bodyguard soundtrack, an album that was already enjoying crazy success thanks to Whitney's "I Will Always Love You".  When the video dropped for "I'm Every Woman" we got our first look at a very pregnant Whitney who appeared to be happier than ever before. She and her bump danced all the way thru the clip, which also included a cameo appearance by TLC. 

The song peaked at number 4 on Billboard's Hot 100 but enjoyed greater worldwide success than its' original version. Check out the video below. It's garunteed to make you happy.

Currently Booming: Beyond The Boom Playlist by W James Anderson (Listen)

Boom Radio: Mojo Rocks with Mojo Moomey (Aired 9-17-21)

Boom Radio: Deep Dives with Patrick Hemming (Aired 9-17-21)

Listen to "Deep Dives 1981 - 1993" on Spreaker.

Currently Booming: Adam and the Ants on American Bandstand

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Jermaine Stewart- 'The Word is Out'

Why did you have to tell them

I told you not to say a word

Why did you have to say it

We were never seen (never seen)

Now I can't believe the word is out

Today we're going to go all the way back to 1984 for our daily throwback. Jermaine Stewart had just released his very first album, post-Shalamar and the title track was also the first single. "The Word Is Out" is actually still a great dance track even if its not Stewart's most popular. Most people will remember him first for "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" which hit the top of Billboard's charts a few years later in 1986.

Sadly Stewart only put out a handful of albums before his death to AIDS-related liver cancer in 1987. If you go back through his catalog of work, Stewart had some great stuff, starting with "The Word Is Out".

Currently Booming: 'When The Bands Stopped Playing' Coming to Streaming Platforms in September

 

In early 2020, the music industry was readying itself for another blockbuster year. Acts like Guns N’ Roses and Foo Fighters were gearing up for major tours, while Motley Crue announced a reunion that had sold out nationwide within minutes. Symphonic shows, festivals, Vegas residencies, and club gigs were all booked solid when Covid-19 brought everything to a screeching halt. Overnight an entire billion-dollar industry was shut down and the fact remains that it will be one of the very last industries to fully reopen. 

Not everyone fortunate enough to grace the stage makes a ton of money, especially when you consider the massive amount of overhead that goes into booking even the smallest of club tours. Artists feel as though their lives are at stake because their livelihood is their life. If they cannot work, then they cannot feed their kids and they just aren’t going to make it. No one was waiting for a rock star to sign a contract or respond to an email- musicians were just as unemployed as those who would normally pay hard-earned money to see them play. 

Those working behind-the-scenes in the industry have been the hardest hit, living through a situation that snuck up on them and has then unfolded like a gradual continuation of an utter disaster. There was no money to be made, people were getting sick, and hundreds of thousands died.  Many people do not realize just how much one venue benefits an entire community and the tourism industry. Concertgoers stop for dinner before a show, they stay in a hotel, they shop, they fuel up before driving home. Everyone from parking attendants to the guy that stocks the ice behind a bar has been directly impacted by the hard-hit music business. 

When the Bands Stopped Playing is a bit of a time capsule that gives viewers a detailed glimpse inside of this shattered and shuttered industry through the eyes of its’ hardest workers. Famous artists, indie artists on the rise, plus rock and dance acts working the club circuit have all lent their voices to this special project. We also believed it was crucial to hear from the perspective of the president of one of the most successful venues in the U.S.as his story speaks for every other venue that was shuttered for the better part of a year. Every voice was crucial to the telling of this story and in our eyes, they also share an equal amount of importance. They speak openly about the financial hardship, deep depression of losing something that they love so much (even temporarily), and the things that they are doing to help keep their own positivity and hope alive.  

Since this was filmed during lockdown and while dealing with Covid-19 restrictions there was no such thing as a backstage interview, we met our interviewees exactly as they were. Some have studios at home with great cameras and others had a more normal setup. One artist was in the process of showing his home and his wife had a work meeting in the hotel suite that they were staying in- so he chatted from his car. This group of people has been so incredibly honest with us, and we feel a responsibility to be just as honest with our viewers in how they are portrayed. 

 

The cast of When the Bands Stopped Playing includes:

Haley Johnsen – American Idol Semi-finalist

Jeffrey “Soave” Martinez – Freestyle Artist

Numa Saisselin – President of The Florida Theatre of Performing Arts

Sabrina Nieves – The Cover Girls

Ron Keel – Ron Keel Band

Jeff Pilson – Foreigner/Ex-Dokken/Black Swan

Michael Sweet – Stryper

Click HERE for more info!

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Night Ranger - 'When You Close Your Eyes'

"A girl in love 
With a gleam in her eye
I was a younger boy 
All dressed in white
We're older now
Do you still think about me"

When I think back to middle school musical artists like Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper had everyone's' attention. They were like the top flight of what you heard every few hours on the radio but there were also a lot of solid rock groups in the mix too. Journey, Foreigner, and Heart did a great job of breaking up the pop music. So did Night Ranger, the powerful rock band formed in San Francisco back in 1979. They were building steadily and getting decent airplay and then "Sister Christian" broke through and became one of the biggest summer songs of 1984.

It seemed impossible for the band to put out a better song but they did, by chasing "Sister Christian" with "When You Close Your Eyes". Singer Jack Blades wrote the song about reflecting on an ex-girlfriend and apparently, a lot of people could relate to wondering if an ex ever thinks of you. The chorus is infectious and whether you're 15 or 50, the sentiment will inevitably strike a chord. When it first came out I was at an age where everyone around me, myself included, was going through some sort of breakup and so the song sat at number one on the local evening radio request countdown for a really long time.

Looking back on Night Ranger's work now I think what I like the most about it is how truly timeless it is. Songs like "When You Close Your Eyes" could be released now and still have the same gut-punch effect. Check out the video below and you'll see what I mean.

Daily Boom 90's Nostalgia: George Michael - 'Jesus to a Child'

"And what have I learned
From all this pain
I thought I'd never feel the same
About anyone or anything again
But now I know
When you find a love
When you know that it exists
Then the lover that you miss
Will come to you on those cold, cold nights
When you've been loved
When you know it holds such bliss
Then the lover that you kissed
Will comfort you when there's no hope in sight"

I jumped on the George Michael bandwagon the very first time that I heard "Careless Whisper" blaring through my father's speakers. He and Andrew Ridgely put out some of the best pop songs of the 80's but I always felt like Michael really hit his stride in the 90's. He was grown and had experienced the harshness of real adult life. By the time he released Older in 1996, he had already lost one of the loves of his life and was starting to see the downside of fame firsthand.  I think he poured everything into that album and you can feel it.

"Jesus to a Child"  is one of those songs. You can feel the fragility and the brokenness in him and in his lyrics. For every fluffy pop song out there, there needs to be something as deep as this to balance the scales. "Jesus to a Child" has a way of uniting anyone that has felt deep pain and unimaginable loss. Sooner or later, we all get there and connect with this. Check out the video, it's George at his most honest. 

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Dan Hartman - 'I Can Dream About You'

"I can dream about you 
If I can't hold you tonight
I can dream about you
You know how to hold me just right
Moving sidewalks, I don't see under my feet
Rising up from down here below where the streets see
Me lonely for you."

It really is pretty amazing how one song can take you back in time. Dan Hartman's "I Can Dream About You" is certainly one of those songs for me. A little cheesy? Sure. But it was popular during the summer of seventh grade for me and 1984 is permanently benchmarked in my mind as my favorite childhood year. It represents bar-b-que chips, grilled cheese made under the broiler, and sneaking sips of beer in my friend's bathroom.

It represents neon accessories, summer vacations to Wildwood, NJ, and books filled with Scratch N Sniff stickers. Gold chains, seashell bracelets, and striped shorts. 1984 was all about the music- from watching videos on MTV to sitting outside with a boom box- music was always involved. Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, John Waite, and, of course, Dan Hartman. They were all in heavy rotation.

I can remember calling our local radio dedication hour and asking to hear "I Can Dream About You" on a whole bunch of occasions. The best part? I'm as happy to hear it now as I was back then!

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Glenn Frey - 'You Belong To The City'

"You're out of your room
And down on the street
Moving through the crowd
In the midnight heat
The traffic roars
And the sirens scream
You look at the faces
It's just like a dream"

Miami Vice was never my thing. In fact, I'm not sure that I've ever watched an entire episode of the 80's classic show (maybe I should), but the soundtrack? Well, that was fantastic. There was a time in the middle of the decade when every artist either wanted a cameo on the show or at the very least to have one of their songs featured. I think my very favorite song used was Glenn Frey's "You Belong to the City".

Sure it worked great with the Miami vibe on the show, but it also worked great for the rest of America. It went to number 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1985 and the video was in heavy rotation on MTV. I know because I actually remember doing the math so that I could anticipate when it would show next so that I could watch it. 

It's another great 80's song with a fantastic sax solo- which can totally make a song, in case you haven't already noticed. "You Belong to the City" has just enough wail in there to make it fantastic. Check it out below!

Currently Booming: The (Timex) Social Club - 'Rumours' (TOTP 1986)

Boom Radio: Mojo Rocks with Mojo Moomey (Aired 9-10-21)

Boom Radio: Deep Dives with Patrick Hemming (Aired 9-10-21)

Listen to "Deep Dives Return To The 80’s 1981-1991" on Spreaker.

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Men At Work - 'Overkill'

"Night after night my heartbeat shows the fear

Ghosts appear and fade away

Alone between the sheets

Only brings exasperation

It's time to walk the streets

Smell the desperation

At least there are pretty lights

And though there's little variation

It nullifies the night from overkill."

I know that when I first say Men At Work you're probably going to think of "Down Under", the song that everyone most associates them with. And for good reason, because it's a great song with a hook that borders on brilliant. Of course, it was a hit and it's one of those songs that you know right off the bat. That's where the brilliance comes in to play. Just about every song by the group has a melody that is kind of a mash-up of synth and reggae, with the exception of one song, "Overkill".

While I appreciate the humor and fun of most of the earlier songs, Men At Work's "Overkill" from their second album, Cargo, in 1983 proved that the guys could be serious, if not straight up melancholy. I really love this side of the band and it shows lead singer Colin Hay to be a bit deeper then I would have at first believed. While I love a fun song, I equally appreciate the "Overkill" type songs hidden between cheerier tracks on any album. Check out the video below!

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Sweet Sensation - 'Sincerely Yours'

"Dear I write you this letter

To show you how much your love means to me

I wish we could be together

I need you in my life oh can't you see

You promised we would be together

But you still haven't answered my letter

Oh, oh, I'm sincerely yours

The one my heart beats for, the one I adore

Oh, oh, I'm sincerely yours

The love that you gave I've never felt before."

Latin freestyle seems to go hand in hand with Friday, at least in my mind. If Friday is really the day to celebrate the weekend ahead then that means club songs, freestyle and old school house music are the very best way to kick it all off. Let me take you back to 1988 when Betty Dee and her girls stepped out from the shadow of Expose` and The Cover Girls and made their own mark in the dance world. 

Sweet Sensation had the hair, the clothes, and all the moves. But they seemed like the chicks down the street. This was the girl group that you really could have gone to school with or partied with. And their music rivaled other dance floor anthems. Songs like "Take It While It's Hot" and "Hooked On You" were featured on Open House Party and Dance Party USA, making the ladies a pretty hot commodity leading up to their number one single, "If Wishes Came True". 

Betty Dee, Jenae Colon, and Belle Ritter reunited a few years ago and on any given weekend you're likely to find Sweet Sensation hitting the stage somewhere on the east coast. "Sincerely Yours" remains one of their most popular hits. Check out the video below.

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Black Sheep- 'The Choice Is Yours'

90's Nostalgia: Tevin Campbell - 'Can We Talk'

"Last night I,

I saw you standing,

And I started,

Started pretending,

I knew you and you knew me too,

And just like a roni,

You were too shy,

But you weren't the only,

Cause so was I,

And I've dreamed of you ever since,

Now I've built up my confidence,

Girl next,

Next time you come my way,

I'll know just what to say

Can we talk for a minute

Girl I want to know your name"

I'll never forget getting in a cab a few years ago. The driver was in his 40's and had big curly headbanger hair, still frosted as if it was 1988. He was wearing an old RATT concert tee that blended in with his sleeves of tattoos. He was on the phone at first trying to figure out who was going to get the Motley Crue tickets for him and his friends once they went on sale the next day and I instantly liked him. He was like a fossil leftover from the 80's but the thing was, he was the real deal. He stayed true to the music that he was raised on and had no desire to change any of that. Or at least that was my first impression. I've since learned never to think for certain that I have someone all figured out in a quick glance or three.

As the cab finally started to move he asked if I minded the radio and of course I didn't. Then he told me he didn't like what was on so he was switching over to a CD. The CD was Tevin Campbell and my jaw hit the floor. As "Can We Talk" started to play I told him I never expected to hear that in any cab, because years later most people don't seem to remember him let alone play his stuff. The driver loved him as much as I always have and we totally bonded over 3.5 songs before I got out of the cab.

Tevin first broke through in 1991 with his album T.E.V.I.N. but I wasn't hooked until he dropped I'm Ready in 1993. I think he was the artist that really convinced me to pay more attention to some of the slow jams peppering the charts, in between my Hole and Nirvana listening parties. The video for "Can We Talk" was shot in NYC's Central Park and I love it to this day. Check it out below.

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Asia- 'Only Time Will Tell'

"I see it now
Becomes so clear
Your insincerity
And me all starrey-eyed
You'd think that I would have known by now
Now, sure as the sun will cross the sky
This lie is over
Lost, like the tears that used to tide me over"

If you're a classic rock fan then you absolutely have to own Asia's self-titled debut release from 1982. The band formed in 1981 and in my mind, they are one of my generation's first supergroups, with Steve Howe and Geoff Downes of Yes, John Wetton of King Crimson and Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer all joining forces.  That roster of talent could only lead to more success and that's exactly what Asia found.

Songs like "Heat of the Moment" and "Only Time Will Tell" did very well on the charts and they got tons of radio play.  The album itself went to number one in a handful of countries and it remains their best selling effort. More importantly, it sounded amazing then and it still does now. Asia is one of those progressive groups that has always had a unique sound, the kind that I can still pick out now as soon as I hear it. 

"Only Time Will Tell" has always been the song that jumps out at me the most. Check out the video below!

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Luther Vandross - 'Stop To Love'

"I just wanna be the one that you wanna see

I just wanna have you near me

But you fly away almost everyday

You work a lot but you never stop to love

(Stop) I love you stop (stop)

Come home from the road

(Gotta stop to love)

And let's celebrate (celebrate) the love we got (stop)

Say you're coming home."

Luther Vandross might have one of the most soulful voices to listen to ever. He is quite obviously best remembered for his ballads ("Here and Now", "Superstar", etc.) so I wanted to share something a little different. "Stop To Love" was the first single off of Vandross' fifth album and it was also his first top 20 hit on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. The video from 1986 shows a fun side to Vandross, one that those cloesest to him often talked about. Sadly, the singer's life was cut short after a massive stroke left him comatose for two months in 2003. While Vandross did recover somewhat he never performed in public again and eventually died in July of 2005.

Boom Radio: Deep Dives with Patrick Hemming (Aired 9-3-21)

Listen to "Deep Dives 09 03 21 New Release Show III" on Spreaker.

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Wham!- 'The Edge of Heaven'

"It's too late to stop
Won't the heavens save me?
My daddy said the devil looks a lot like you
Take me to the edge of heaven
Tell me that my soul's forgiven
Hide you baby's eyes and we can...
Take me to the edge of heaven"

This morning MTV Classic reminded me of one of my very favorite songs by Wham! "The Edge of Heaven" was originally touted as the duo's farewell single and in many ways it may have really been one of their best. During the summer of 1986 when it was released, George Michael was already enjoying a super-successful solo career and he was totally ready to move on. 

When asked about the obviously sexual lyrics Michael had said that he believed that he and Andrew Ridgeley had gotten away with them because at that point in time no one paid much attention to what they were saying anyway. "The Edge of Heaven" is one of the first black and white videos that I really remember and the guys looked like they had a blast making it, or at the very least they pulled off faking the fun vibe.

Boom Radio: Mojo Rocks with Mojo Moomey (Aired 9-3-21)

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Kenny Loggins - 'I'm Free (Heaven Helps the Man )'

"Looking into your eyes

I know I'm right

If there's anything worth my love

It's worth a fight

We only get one chance

And nothing ties our hands

You're what I want, listen to me

Nothing I want's out of my reach

(I'm free)

Heaven helps the man who fights his fear

Love's the only thing that keeps me here"

Seeing Footloose in the movie theater for the very first time was a huge deal. It's one of the very first movies that I remember seeing with just friends (no adults) and back in 1984, we were all a little bit of obsessed with it. It still has one of the strongest soundtracks in music history, I think. Just about every song was worthy of being released as a single. My favorite is Kenny Loggin's "I'm Free".

Yeah I know, I'm supposed to think that the title track is IT, but I just don't. I think "I'm Free" is a better vocal and I've always loved the music. I had the soundtrack album because it was inherited from my dad almost immediately after it was released. For me, the soundtrack came before the movie did and "I'm Free" just; left me with such a great feeling. The kind of feeling that every Monday should contain, so here it is. Enjoy!

Currently Booming: Hall & Oates on 'American Bandstand' in 1981 (Watch)

Daily Boom 80's Throwback: Paula Abdul - 'Straight Up'

"Lost in a dream;
I don't know which way to go.
A-let me say if you are all that you seem,
Then baby, I'm movin' way too slow.
I've been fooled before;
Wouldn't like to get my love caught in the slammin' door.
How about some information, please?

Straight up, now tell me ,
Do you really wanna love me forever,
Oh, oh, or am I caught in hit and run?"

I think just about everyone loved Paula Abdul back in the late 80's. She kind of seemed like the girl next door in interviews but once she hit the dance floor it was nothing but fire. My friends and I wanted to dance like her and the guys around us wanted to spend a little time with her as well. What is cool about "Straight Up" is that it sold a million copies the first week that it was out and it shot to the top of Billboard's Hot 100 before a video was even released!

Oh and that video? It was kind of everything. The black and white was a nice departure from the bright colors of the decade and it was memorable. People over the years have claimed that Abdul can't sing but again I need to remind you that she hit number one without a video filled with her sick choreography to bolster the song.

Abdul eventually traded in making music for mentoring and judging others on shows like American Idol. Just when it seemed like her own performing days might be over Abdul started hitting the stage again. You can check out upcoming performance dates on her official site, but in the meantime, check out Abdul at her best below!

Freestyle Throwback: Expose` Demo Clip of 'I Know You Know' [Listen]

Here's one from the old school freestyle vault for you guys. Earlier this week Gioia Bruno posted a clip for the demo of Expose's song "I Know You Know".  The track, off of their debut Exposure album back in 1987, is arguably one of Expose's very best. It was never released as a single but it is one that, to this day, the ladies love to perform live and audiences eat it up. Enjoy!

Daily Boom 90's Nostalgia: Karyn White - 'Romantic'

"Take me in your arms, caress me gently
Oh, I can't get enough, ooh
Thrill me, say the word, I will surrender
To your poetic charm, oh

'Cause when the night falls
I hear seductive voices sing
Romantic songs of love
Let's get intimate

Turn the lights down
It's time to get romantic
(Do everything romantic now)
Light a candle
It's time to get romantic"

My introduction to Karyn White's "Romantic" came in the summer of 1991 in a department store. Back then the juniors department always had random tv's placed near the ceiling and MTV would play nonstop. I guess the music itself was supposed to improve your shopping mood and let's face it, that still does seem to somehow work. When is the last time that you were in a clothing store that didn't have some sort of dance music on?

Right?

It must put shoppers in a good mood and boost sales, otherwise it would be Marilyn Manson playing, no?

So anyway, back to Karyn. "Romantic" was an instant New Jack Swing dance floor classic. And the video? Totally slick. I always joke that you can tell a 90's video by the blue and brown tones in the lighting. While the song itself is politely about sex, the video was pretty classy for the early 90's. Chair dance and all. I stopped shopping on that day back in 1991 to watch, just like I stopped what I was doing the other day to watch it again. 

Daily Boom Lost Hit: Irene Cara- 'Breakdance'