You've brought my world to an end Love takes its victim and leaves its remains My broken heart has died in vain Tell me why have we forsaken the dreams we had The pain makes it so hard to understand You're a lifetime ago but a memory away And I'll love you till my resurrection day Love kills the fire's gone Dying embers still remain Love kills and now you're gone Girl, I'll never be the same again
I'm going to be honest here, saying that I don't remember Vinnie Vincent Invasion's "Love Kills" is an understatement for me. It was released back in 1988 on the A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master soundtrack and pooped up in an episode of MTV Classic'sMetal Mayhem this morning. Vincent started the group back in 1984, after finding fame as a member of KISS. In 1986 he hired Mark Slaughter to handle the lead vocals and the group then had a few successful tracks.
Anyway, I stumbled onto this video this morning and was struck by just how good 22-year-old Slaughter (looked) sounded here. He later went on to find success with his own band, Slaughter, into the 90's. In the years since "Love Kills" the group obviously disbanded but the guys have continued rocking out individually. Check out the video below, do you remember this one?
"I want a girl with extensions in her hair Bamboo earrings At least two pair A Fendi bag and a bad attitude That's all I need to get me in a good mood She can walk with a switch and talk with street slang I love it when a woman ain't scared to do her thing Standing at the bus stop sucking on a lollipop Once she gets pumping its hard to make the hottie stop She likes to dance to the rap jam She sweet as brown sugar with the candied yams Honey coated complexion Using Camay Let's hear it for the girl she's from around the way"
There are some songs that are just so catchy that even if they aren't typically your style of music, you can't help but love them. I think LL Cool J's "Around The Way Girl" really falls into that category. I can't remember ever hearing anyone complain when it comes on the radio and even if rap isn't your thing, I'll bet you know at least some of the lyrics. Don't you? Of course you do. This is one of the first songs that featured some heavy duty sampling (Mary Jane Girls, The Honey Drippers) and it's an example of how sampling another song can add to the value of another artist's work. I've always had a soft spot for LL and this remains one of my favorite songs by him. Nothing wrong with looking for a streetwise chick, right?
A get my engine moving, set these wheels a turning
Our love could use some rejuvenation
You bring the wine, I'll bring the sweet conversation
Romance is here to stay, I'll testify 'cause I need some today
So won't you
Jump start my heart
Charge me up when I'm running down
Oh, jump start my heart
Lift my feet up off the ground"
"Jump Start (My Heart)" is a bit of a lost hit for Natalie Cole. I think most people associate her with ballads and songs that serve as a tribute to her father (Nat King Cole). But by now, you know me and you know that I can't turn down a song that makes me want to move something. I mean, that's a good way to kick off the weekend right? Check out the video below for "Jump Start (My Heart)". Do you remember it?
"I can tell you how I feel about you night and day
How I feel about you
I'll love you more in the rain or shine
And making love in the rain is fine
A love so good and I call it mine
Love is blind"
Al B. Sure! is one of the very first soul singers that I can remember actually being my own age when he first broke through. In the late 80's I thought of Motown when I thought of soul and just about every R&B artist out there in my age group was headed in a real New Jack Swing kind of direction. Al B. Sure! kind of made me stop dead and really listen. His song "Night and Day" hit Billboard's top ten and it was one of those end of the night request countdown favorites. Perfect song to dedicate to your boyfriend or girlfriend before going to sleep.
I know Al B. Sure! was popular but I hadn't realized just how many awards he was nominated for. We're talking Grammy's, Billboard Awards, Soul Train Awards... In other words, he had the music industries respect as well as the fans love. Al B. Sure! is still rooted firmly in the music biz and so are his three grown sons.
Check out the video for "Night and Day" below. It's one of those songs that I always recognize 3 notes in!
I think that Richard Marx's "Angelia" ends up being a bit of a lost hit- not that it wasn't popular. The song went to #4 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1989, it's just that I think some of his other songs have appeared to be more memorable to the masses. But for me, it has always been one of his very best. There's a kind of cool story about it too. Apparently, "Angelia" is Marx's favorite song off of his second album, Repeat Offender and he fashioned it off of the riffs from Def Leppard's Hysteria and Pyromania albums. What's ironic is that after "Angelia" was released Def Leppard then came back and used its' musicality to inspire "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad".
Pretty cool how the sound came full circle between both artists. I've just always loved the sound and I remember loving the video when it was first released. It just had a different, more grown-up vibe to it that I really still love. Check it out below!
"Only when I'm dancing can I feel this free At night I lock the doors, where no one else can see I'm tired of dancing here all by myself Tonight I wanna dance with someone else"
I thought we would kick this morning off with a great classic Madonna song. "Into the Groove" was by many considered to be her first real, bonafide hit. The track was featured on the Desperately Seeking Susan soundtrack and probably one of the best parts of the entire film. The summer of 1985 was all about Madonna and we were all heading to the theater's to catch her performance beside Rosanna Arquette. Not too long ago I happened to get my hands on a copy of the Rolling Stone issue that was devoted to Desperately Seeking Susan and everything else that Madonna had going on back then.
So much nostalgia in that one photo right there, isn't there?
"Into the Groove" became a dance anthem for an entire decade and it certainly transcended the film that featured it. The video also inspired a generation's fashion sense. Even at 14, black lace, crop tops and kitten heels were part of my wardrobe. Check out the video below. How long has it been since you've seen Desperately Seeking Susan?
"This may come, this may come as some surprise But I miss you I could see through all of your lies And still, I miss you"
I think I've always loved Sade from the first moment that I saw her "Smooth Operator" video. I was at my grandmother's house and on Saturday afternoons one of the "cable" NYC channels would play an hour of videos. It was before our cable company carried MTV so I had to get my music video fix elsewhere. Sade was totally unique. Classic with a sleek ponytail, normal clothes and that red lipstick. At a time when neon gaudiness was trending she certainly stood out as a class act.
I didn't actually discover "Is It A Crime" until it had been around for a decade and was on Sade's greatest hits compilation. That entire album as a whole made me really understand just how stunningly talented the songstress really is. "Is It A Crime" has always stood out for me because it tells the story of wanting someone that just doesn't want you back. I mean, we've all been there and it stings. Layer Sade's voice over the already raw emotion and you've got a song the lingers with you long after the music ends. Check out the video below.
Do you have a favorite Bon Jovi song? I mean, is it possible to even pick just one? During their early rise to fame the band put out a handful of albums that ultimately dominated the airwaves throughout the 80's. While it's hard to pick, and songs like "Living on a Prayer" and "Runaway" definitely make my final cut of possibilities, I think that "Born to be My Baby" tops my list. The low-budget video has also been a favorite of mine. Forget about the arena-rock crowd, glam makeup and pyro that most rock videos showcased by the end of the decade, Bon Jovi took a simple approach. Just the band working in the studio, putting together their song. Instead of flipping a switch and performing for the cameras, the cameras capture them naturally interacting and guess what? It really works. Check out "Born to be My Baby" below.
My kids have a really hard time imagining what life was like back in the 80's, when patience and waiting were both the order of the day. We're all so used to YouTubing whatever video clip that we want to see when we want it that's it's almost hard to think of life before the internet. Back in 1984 our lives revolved around MTV and the fact that they seemed to repeat popular videos every 4 hours or so. Believe me when I say that my friends and I did the math and would come running inside when we thought that a favorite video was going to air.
One of the first ones that I can really remember planning my life around was Ratt's "Round and Round". It was before hair bands and glam metal had really hit the mainstream so they were really different. Plus they weren't just playing their song onstage somewhere, there was actually a freaky storyline that included an attic dinner with real rats and Milton Berle. It was really just a taste of what was to come because a few years later hair bands like Ratt were ruling the charts.
"Round and Round", off of Ratt's debut Out of the Cellar album ended up being their most popular song. It climbed to #12 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1984.
"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.
See that guy up there? Well, my teenage self was pretty obsessed with him. David Coverdale first formed Whitesnake in the late 70's after fronting Deep Purple for several years. They released a handful of albums but it was Whitesnake's 1987 self-titled release that ultimately turned them into a household name. Songs like "Here I Go Again" and "Is This Love" soared to the top of Billboard's charts and Whitesnake was considered to be one of the best bands to come out of the 80's hair band era, mainly because they could really play.
I still remember the first time I saw this group on Headbanger's Ball (don't lie, you watched that show too). "Still of the Night" was the very first single off of Whitesnake's self-titled effort and it was like nothing else from that era. The first two minutes absolutely kicked ass but when it slowed down I was totally sucked in. I also realized that Coverdale only had to mumble the words "ohhh baby" and I was a goner.
Has anyone else ever played their bass onstage with a bow? Not that I can remember but that effect helped to propel "Still of the Night" onto the list of top rock songs of all time. The video introduced us to the hotness of Coverdale and also one of the most popular video chicks of all time, Tawny Kitaen. Truly something for everyone in today's throwback clip so enjoy it!
Empty spaces, what are we living for Abandoned places, I guess we know the score On and on, does anybody know what we are looking for Another hero, another mindless crime Behind the curtain, in the pantomime Hold the line, does anybody want to take it anymore The show must go on
"The Show Must Go On" is probably one of my most favorite songs by Queen. It was recorded in 1990 at the height of Freddie Mercury's battle with full blown AIDS and there was concern that he wouldn't be able tp actually hit the necessary high notes. While the rest of the band may have thought that he was too weak to actually perform it Mercury knew better and pulled off the tough vocals in spite of his fading health. The song itself is filled with innuendo about Mercury's health and how change was pretty imminent.
The press had speculated that the legendary front man was ill but no confirmation of Mercury's HIV-positive status was ever given until the day before his death in 1991. "The Show Must Go On" was also released in 1991 and the video that accompanies it features the band performing together at various gigs over the years. Check out the late, great Freddie Mercury and the rest of Queen below.
Bananarama is easily one of the most popular girl groups of the 80's. Songs like "Cruel Summer", "Venus" and "I Heard A Rumor" kept them near the top of Billboard's Hot 100 charts for a few years in the mid-80's. Their True Confessions album from 1986 is probably one of my all-time favorite pop efforts from that era, with "ATrick of the Night" arguably being one of Bananarama's best songs ever. The album version is basically a ballad but when it was released in December of 1986 as a single extra synthesizers and vocals were added in to give it a dance feel.
"A Trick of the Night" was also included on the Jumpin' Jack Flash movie soundtrack. While the song kind of stalled out on the charts it is still considered by many to be one of the ladies best songs, especially in retrospect. Do you guys remember this one?
Today's throwback is a song that really needs no introduction or explanation. In 1987, after spending years in the studio putting it together, Def Leppard finally released Hysteria. The album was made with the intention of every track on it being single-worthy and they achieved exactly that. No song was bigger than "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and thirty years later it's one of those songs that nearly everyone knows the words to, regardless of their age. So click play and sing along below.
You can live your life lonely heavy as stone Live your life learning and working alone Say this is all you want but I don't believe that it's true 'cause when you least expect it waiting round the corner for you Love comes quickly whatever you do you can't stop falling Love comes quickly whatever you do you can't stop falling
1986 was the year when The Pet Shop Boys broke through in the states. "West End Girls" shot to the top of the charts and synth music was at the height of its' popularity. The Pet Shop Boys followed up that song with a track called "Love Comes Quickly" that didn't do quite as well on the charts. It still remains one of the band's favorite songs as well as one of mine. "Love Comes Quickly" is about the lack of control you have when falling in love. Suddenly it hits you that the feelings are already there.
Check out this live performance of the song from Wembley in 1989!
Technically, "Ring My Bell" actually was released in the summer of 1979 but I'm going to sneak it in here anyway. It sold millions of copies and made sure that Anita Ward would be forever remembered as one of disco's biggest stars. It may be one of the most suggestive songs to come out of the decade but believe it or not it was actually written for a young teen to sing. Yep, "Ring My Bell" was originally supposed to be about a teen girl getting a phone call! Once it was given to Ward the lyrics were tweaked to really sex it up.
"Ring My Bell" stands out because I was totally a disco kid and it was a 45 that I HAD to have. Like, I was 8-years-old and I walked into the record store with my dad and plunked down my own money to buy it. I can still see dad telling my mom about my selection and her freaking out. Dad just laughed and reminded her that I had absolutely no idea what the song was really about and that I bought it for the music. True story but to this day every time that I hear "Ring My Bell" I still can see dad standing there justifying me buying it.
"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!
It's on your head, it's a habit that's hard to break
Do you need a friend, would you tell no lies
Would you take me in, are you lonely in the dark
In the dark"
Wayyyy back in the very early 80's there was a young rocker named Billy Squier that was kind of like a shooting star. He could sing and play and perform with the best of them. His earliest songs like "The Stroke" and "My Kinda Lover" did great on the charts and they were pop-ish enough to get a whole lot of top 40 airplay as well.
"In The Dark" was my absolute favorite though. It has such a great edge to it and when I hear it now 37 years later I still really dig it. It was considered a no-brainer that Squier would have a long-standing career in rock, at least until 1984 album Signs of Life was released. The lead single, "Rock Me Tonight" was the biggest hit of his career but the video that accompanied it was so awesomely bad that it is often viewed as the thing that all but killed Squier's career. He is still around and you might catch him playing but his career just never was the same. I've always kind of wondered if it was the negativity that did him in or if it was his reaction to it. If it somehow ate away at him and made him a little fearful of creating some new stuff. Either way, it's a shame because this dude is pretty great. Check out "In The Dark" below!
"Much to my surprise I felt A warm, not cold vibe When he looked in my eyes (Oh yeah, it's possible) His bad boy front not charm Was his disguise Oh whoa whoa (Let me tell ya) He read so much into me Listened so attentively He liked me, I rest my case Wasn't just a pretty face."
Debbie Gibson was one of the biggest pop princesses to come out of the 80's. By the time 1990 rolled around she (and much of her audience) had grown up and it was time to prove it. "Anything Is Possible" marked the debut of a sexier Gibson. The video included black lace, leather, and sleeker dance moves. It was probably one of her better singles in terms of packaging but by 1990 the pop waves were starting to slow down. That meant fewer sales for Gibson and this ended up being her first album not to break the top ten on Billboard's chart. I think 25+ years later it still holds up as one of her best and updated songs. Check out the video below!
"Baby tell me does she love you like the way I love you Does she stimulate you, attract and captivate you Tell me does she miss you existing just to kiss you Like the way I do Tell me does she want you, infatuate and haunt you Does she know just how to shock and electrify and rock you Does she inject you, seduce you and affect you Like the way I do Like the way I do"
Years before Melissa Etheridge became an Indie rock darling of the 90's she made some serious moves as a rocker. When her self-titled first album was released back in 1988 it featured a song called "Like The Way I Do". It never charted well on Billboard's Hot 100 but it did really well on the modern rock charts. It also was in heavy rotation on rock stations across the U.S. In between Warrant and Kix you were quite likely to hear Etheridge's "Like The Way I Do" or "Similar Features" being played to break up the hair band predictability.
Check out the video for "Like The Way I Do" below!
Better hide your heart, 'cause you're playing with fire
One of the ways to almost ensure a hair band hit back in 1980-something was to create a love triangle that played out in under 5 minutes. The story of Tommy, Rosa and Tito laid the groundwork for "Hide Your Heart" by KISS back in 1989. The history behind this song is kind of interesting because after Paul Stanley first wrote the song it was actually rejected for the band's 1987 album, so Bonnie Tyler recorded it. Her version of "Hide Your Heart" was released in 1988 but didn't exactly set the rock world on fire.
Eventually, KISS did decide to record the song for their 1989 Hot In The Shade release and it did pretty well on the main steam rock charts, reaching number 22. While this wasn't one of the best charting songs by KISS it actually has always been a favorite of mine. Check out the video below. Do you guys remember this one? You HAVE to, right?
When I mention the name John Schneider I'm going to bet that the first image that comes to mind is a flash of the 70's breakout television hit, The Dukes of Hazzard, right? If you're a little younger than me then maybe you're brain races to that dad you wished you had on Smallville. Schneider has made a name for himself by breathing life into characters that are uniquely embedded in our own personal history. He is also a well-established country music veteran that has spent this entire year piecing together a labor of love called, The Odyssey. The concept is simple enough, one new song is released each week and it is intended to touch on topics that we all feel- death, illness, love and all of the other complications that weave in and out of a life well lived. Actually recording this kind of extensive catalog is not as simple as the concept and Schneider has brought in the big guns to help. Fifty-two songs have been recorded with the help of esteemed songwriters like Paul Overstreet, Chuck Cannon, Keith Stegall, Jenee Fleenor, Mac Davis, Kyle Jacobs and Bill Anderson, to name just a few. The Odyssey has unfolded in ways that even Schneider couldn't have anticipated, making this fantastic project a personal awakening even for him. I was able to spend a few minutes with him this week and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to share his excitement while appreciating his depth and keen sense of the things that matter most of all. Check out the conversation below!
(John Schneider Promo Shot- Official Facebook)
Cate Meighan: How are you doing?
John Schneider: I'm doing really well and in many regards, my life has just never been better. I've never felt more creative or like I was making more of a difference than I am now and it's all about this music. I wish I could tell you that this is what I thought that it would be about when I first started The Odyssey, but I'm not that smart (laughing). I'm just ecstatic with where it's all at now and the direction that it's going in.
CM: How long did it take for you to realize that The Odyssey was going to become a transformative project for you?
JS: When Alicia Allain (The Odyssey producer) and I went back to Nashville with this project people that we talked to like musicians, songwriters, and producers, all said it's about damn time because they missed the way that I tell a story. That is just the biggest compliment that I can possibly get. There are a lot of singers out there and a lot of people can sing a song well but not a lot of people can really feel the story of a song. I'm a dad that cried at Finding Nemo (laughing), I mean I weep when I think about the movie Up, the first 45 minutes of that movie just tear me apart (laughing). I feel things and so when I tell a story, I'm really feeling it. We knew we were heading in the right direction pretty quickly.
CM: I've noticed that your audiences are equally receptive to your storytelling.
JS: It's just great, not only to see an audience singing along with the fun songs but to be wiping their eyes to something a bit more serious. We did a song called "I Want to Hear It Again" which is basically a very one-sided conversation between a man and his father who is losing his hearing. It's about how he would give anything to hear tires on the gravel road or his moms' windchimes again and it is wonderful to know that there are other people out there like me, who have not been totally hardened by whatever has gone on in their life up until this point.
CM: I think that the details in your lyrics trigger their own memories and personal nostalgia.
JS: I guess that's probably a big part of why it seems to work and it's just so wonderful. This also goes back to Smallville and Dukes of Hazzard for me. When people talk to me about those shows it's part of their own personal history. You know, they spent Friday nights at their grandparents and it was their grandfather's favorite show. It's the same thing with Smallville, many people have shared that their own relationship with their father wasn't great, but that my character gave them hope, What an awesome position to be in where so many people connect me to some of their fondest nostalgic memories and what an honor that really is. I also feel a tremendous responsibility to try, in some way, to reflect the person that they think I am. This music does that, and it has a sense of humor in songs like "I Hate Cancer" or "My Wife Ran Away With My Best Friend, I'm Sure Gonna Miss Him" (laughing).
CM:Life is hard though and you have to have a sense of humor. to get through everything. What has the actual process of creating these songs been like for you?
JS: I'm really excited about the process because it has enabled me to work with some of the most sought-after musicians on the planet and the best songwriters in the business, not just currently but over the last 40 or 50 years. Music, at its' best, is an amazing tool to bring people together. What else in the world can make you feel like you're in high school again? You know it's THAT song, the one you heard on THAT trip with your buddies when you went to wherever it was and were doing whatever you shouldn't have been doing (laughing).
What makes this music exceptional is that everybody who either wrote it or played on it is that guy or girl, so it means something to them or they wouldn't have been attracted to it. People of this caliber don't do something because it's a job, they do something because they want to do it and because it means something to them.
CM: Was there a kind of personal enlightenment for you that happened as this project started to unfold? JS: Oh yes definitely and I'm realizing it as I'm talking about it to other people, more so than when I've actually been recording it. We just finished the final 18 songs last week, so they're still hot off the presses, and I'm realizing that I'm not putting out something that I need to find a way to sound excited about. I'm not trying to figure out a way to somehow give the impression that this music has changed my life, because it just has! I'm crazy about this stuff, I just love it and I think people can feel that.
CM: I think that comes through in the music, the feelings involved are obvious and I think your audience catches on quickly.
JS: I think that they can just feel it and so many odd things happened along the way. Jim Martin has quite a few cuts now and is one of the guys who wrote: "Wherever She is I Hope She Stays There". He has worked at the Opryland Hotel as the nighttime janitor for 28 years and anyone else, once they started recording their music would have probably stopped being the janitor of the hotel. Jim is still there and he still does that, because it's his job.
Alicia and I decided to do a video for the song "Phantom of the Grand Ole Opry" and we knew that Jim, who is 6 foot 4 and has had some pretty serious health issues, had to be in it. He's just a sweetheart with an infectious laugh. So we called him up and told him that we want him to do this video and that's when he tells us that the man who wrote this song, wrote it about him! The songwriter, who I never had a chance to meet, was very close to Jim and eventually passed away because of cancer and Jim in turn then wrote "I Hate Cancer" with this friend in mind. So in a really unique way, a lot of these songs are interconnected on a very emotional level.
We also want to make the audience part of The Odyssey so for "I Hate Cancer" I asked people on Facebook to send me photos of their loved ones who have been affected or afflicted by this horrible illness. I have about 200 photos that were submitted and looking at them one at a time to the words of the video is just pretty heavy. We wanted to include these precious people in this video, not only as a tribute to them but as a way to help these families support one another. They aren't alone, we have all been touched by cancer.
CM: There's often a real comfort in actually seeing that you aren't alone in your pain.
JS: Yes and it seems as if this music is not only healing to me and important to the people who play on it, but it has some tremendous healing properties for those who wrote it and those who are living it as well. I'm not a believer in just hanging out and waiting to see what happens. We're working our asses off and this music really touches nerves. It's life-changing for those who are involved and I believe that it can be the same for those who listen and hear it.
I am honored to be a part of this project and the further down the road Alicia and I go with it, the more we realize that this was not our idea, we just so happened to be open to doing it and so it became ours. Somebody else would have done this. Somebody would have put these songs together and I'm just so thankful that it was us. We could have stopped at 34 songs easily, but if we had stopped then we would have been missing some really fantastic and important material.
CM: Based on the way that things have been unfolding for you in the last year or so, do you feel like you can even guess what will come next in your career?
JS: It seems to always end up better than I thought, especially now. This time next year I believe we'll take this music from The Odyssey and we'll be playing it everywhere, from large venues to little clubs, radio stations, hospital wards- you name it. This is the kind of music that will work just as well in a large venue as it will for just a few people because it means something and it has real emotional value. I'll always have my guitar in the back of the car and ready to play, I'll never stop being that guy when this music takes off. Our lives are short and we're here for such a brief amount of time but while we're here, we should smile. I'm excited to be able to help people to smile.
I will be your keeper you possess the key Forget me not forget me not 'Cause you belong to me, yeah I will be your shadow when you walk away Forget me not forget me not I will follow you until your dying day.
Those lyrics are a little stalker-ish, aren't they? John Waite has always been a favorite of mine when I think back to 1980-something. I instantly connect him with his ballady "Missing You" and while I know that he was the lead vocalist for Bad English in 1989, I completely forgot about this song ."Forget Me Not" was a huge hit on the modern rock charts, in spite of not cracking the top 40 on Billboard's Hot 100.
I happened to catch this video this weekend on VH1 Classic's Totally 80's and was sucked in by the guitar work. I remember when Bad English first arrived on the scene I had a hard time taking John Waite seriously with all of that hair but the songs, boy did they click. As of right now, they still do.
I think between late 1983 and 1984 it was absolutely impossible for MTV to play for more than an hour without showing a Billy Idol video. "Rebel Yell" became an instant anthem and Idol's classic sneer and bad boy demeanor made "Eyes Without A Face" equally popular. But "Flesh For Fantasy"? That was my favorite. Probably because it was edgier and the video featured some (barely dressed) bad ass dancers. The fact that my bible thumping mother thought that Idol was the devil in black leather only made me like him even more.
I love the fact that even 30 years later you can still catch Idol rocking out, lip curl and all. What song is your favorite?
You make me, make me, make me, make me hungry for you
Everything you do is simply dreamy
Everything you do is quite delicious
So why can't I be you?"
I'll admit it, I'm not exactly a fan of The Cure. I cherry pick, carefully. For whatever reason I've always, always loved "Why Can't I Be You" and it's all about the video. Maybe it's because Robert Smith is slightly more animated than usual or because his lip liner is MIA. Maybe it's the costumes or the fact that the video features some of the most awesomely bad choreography ever. I don't know but when you put these things together it ends up looking like this (below), and I happen to love, this.
"I've got all this love, waiting just for you I just gotta know that your love is true Can't keep running boy in and out my life Wanna be your girl, not 'cause the mood is right"
A good part of the 90's were about soul, New Jack Swing and slowjamz for me. In between the Indie alternative music domination you had its' polar opposite- R&B. Many groups came and went and one of my favorites was Jade. They arrived on the scene in 1991, had a break out hit in 1992 which paved the way for their debut album, Jade To The Max.
"Don't Walk Away" was one of the leading singles from it and it also went on to be one of the hottest dance songs of 1993. What followed was a string of singles over the next few years that did well on Billboard's charts. The group eventually disbanded by the late 90's but reunited in recent years to play a gig here and there. "Don't Walk Away" will always be my favorite, check it out below!
"We're J.J. Fad and we're here to rock Rhymes like ours could never be stopped See, there's three of us and I know we're fresh Party rockers, non-stoppers, and our names are def"
I love a one-hit-wonder that everyone knows and I'm pretty sure that "Supersonic" classifies as one of those, right? The song was first put out in 1985 by q quintet called J.J. Fad (Just Jammin' Fresh and Def) and the song stalled out. Half of the group left over money issues but the other two ladies, Juana Burns (MC J.B. ) and Dania Birks (Baby-D) decided to hang in there. They were later joined by Michelle Franklin (Sassy C) and decided to rerecord and release "Supersonic" in 1988, this time as an A side. This time around the song took off. A little known fact- N.W.A. and Dr. Dre were given credit on J.J. Fad's first album for their involvement. It took three years for the ladies to release a sophomore effort because N.W.A. found their own success and were busy touring themselves. J.J. Fad eventually left the music business to raise families but returned a few years ago. You can currently catch them performing on a string of old school tours. I saw them live a year or so ago and their "Supersonic" is probably tighter now than ever!
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