90's Nostalgia: Cause & Effect - 'You Think You Know Her'

"Like children
Rarely seen and never heard
Emotion
Bare your soul you'll never learn
But don't ask why
And you won't get lied to
Speak to her softly
It's something you get used to
You think you know her
But you never really lived a life without her"

The 80s may have been the decade that gave us the full-blown synth-pop explosion, but if you thought the sound disappeared when the calendar flipped to 1990, think again.

The synthesizers kept humming. The drum machines kept clicking. And every now and then, a band would come along that sounded just familiar enough to make you remember exactly why you fell in love with the genre in the first place.

That’s where Cause & Effect comes in.

I vaguely remember discovering this group around the beginning of the 90s and immediately thinking, Wait a minute… why does this remind me so much of New Order? And honestly, that wasn't a bad thing.

There was that same cool, electronic pulse, the hypnotic synth lines and that slightly detached vocal delivery that made so much of the best ’80s alternative and dance music feel like it belonged in some futuristic nightclub at 2 a.m. But Cause & Effect seemed to push things just a little further. Their sound felt a bit more progressive, a little darker and very much at home in the changing musical landscape of the early ’90s. Then came “You Think You Know Her.”

Released in 1990, the song found its way onto dance floors and into the ears of anyone still craving that electronic magic. It eventually reached No. 38 on Billboard’s Club Play chart, which certainly wasn't a massive chart breakthrough.

But charts don't always tell the whole story, because sometimes there's a song that simply sounds right.

“You Think You Know Her” was one of those songs for me. It had that infectious electronic groove that made you want to turn up the volume and let it play. It wasn't trying to reinvent music. It didn't need to.

And isn't that one of the best things about digging through old music? You stumble across something you haven't heard in decades and suddenly you're transported right back to another time. Maybe it's a club. Maybe it's a car ride. Maybe it's a record store or a radio station playing something just a little outside the mainstream.

Cause & Effect may not have become household names, but “You Think You Know Her” feels like one of those wonderfully forgotten pieces of the early ’90s that deserves to be rediscovered.

Boom Radio: Brit Rock Playlist

 

90's Nostalgia: Jewel - 'You Were Meant for Me'

"I go about my business, I'm doing fine
Besides what would I say if I had you on the line?
Same old story, not much to say
Hearts are broken, every day."

Jewel burst onto the music scene at just the right moment in the ’90s.

Hair bands had mostly packed up their Aqua Net, grunge had started to fade, and R&B was slipping just a little from the center of the spotlight. New Jack Swing and house music were still around, but suddenly we were hungry for something fresh. And along came the indie-rock chicks. Sarah McLachlan. Shawn Colvin. Paula Cole. The list seemed endless. One after another, these women showed up with guitars, gorgeous voices and songs specifically engineered to tug at our heartstrings, and, naturally, our wallets. And boy, did it work.

Then there was Jewel. “You Were Meant For Me” became a classic almost overnight. If you were college-age, nursing a broken heart and trying desperately to fill the void left by someone who had clearly moved on before you had, this song felt less like a hit single and more like a personal attack. Honestly, it was practically the official anthem for breakups that weren't mutual. I remember watching Jewel's earliest videos and being completely mesmerized by how simple everything felt. There was no need for flashy sets, elaborate choreography, or an army of dancers.

The visuals were beautiful, but they never overwhelmed the song. If anything, they made the music feel even more intimate. There was something wonderfully unpolished about watching this young woman sit with her guitar and sing directly into all those feelings we were trying so hard to pretend we didn't have.

The mid-’90s gave us plenty of music that was loud, complicated and determined to make a statement. Jewel offered something different. She made vulnerability sound beautiful. For a generation of twenty-somethings trying to figure out relationships, heartbreak, adulthood and what the hell we were supposed to do next, that was more than enough.

So let's go back for a minute. Back to the ’90s. Back to Jewel. Back to the song that probably ruined a perfectly good afternoon for anyone who had ever been dumped by somebody they weren't quite finished loving.

80s Throwback: Christopher Cross - 'Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)'

 

If you grew up in the early '80s, Christopher Cross' “Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)” is one of those songs you know well.

You didn't even have to see Arthur to know the song. It was everywhere. On the radio. In the supermarket. Coming through the speakers at the mall. Playing in the background while somebody's mom was driving you somewhere in the family station wagon.

And that opening? “Once in your life you find her…” Yep. There it is. Instant time machine.

Released in 1981, “Arthur's Theme” was written by Christopher Cross along with Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen for the Dudley Moore movie Arthur. It became Cross' second No. 1 hit and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

But honestly, none of that explains why the song still works. It's the feeling.

“Arthur's Theme” has that very particular early-'80s magic where everything sounds expensive, romantic, and just a little bit melancholy. The keyboards shimmer and the vocals are impossibly smooth. The whole thing feels like it's floating three feet above the ground.

And then there's that line:

“When you get caught between the Moon and New York City…”

I mean, COME ON. Who writes a lyric like that anymore?

It sounds like a postcard from a New York that existed mostly in our imagination, glamorous, slightly lonely, romantic and filled with people who apparently had nowhere to be until midnight.

Christopher Cross was having quite a moment around this time. His self-titled debut had already given us “Sailing,” “Ride Like the Wind” and “Never Be the Same.” He was suddenly everywhere, with that distinctive voice that sounded like it had been dipped in silk.

But “Arthur's Theme” was different. It had a little more personality. A little more humor. A little more movie magic. And that was fitting because Arthur itself was such a strange little cultural phenomenon. Dudley Moore played a wealthy, perpetually drunk man-child who has to choose between the life he's expected to live and the woman he actually loves.

Somehow, Christopher Cross managed to put all of that into four minutes. You could hear it without thinking about Dudley Moore at all. It belonged to anyone who had ever been young and hopelessly romantic. Anyone who had stared out a car window at night imagining that somewhere, somehow, life was about to become much more interesting. That's what I love about these old songs, they weren't trying to be nostalgic.

Back then, it was simply a new Christopher Cross song on the radio. Now? It's 1981 all over again, and we're all just trying to do the best we can.

Boom Radio: Love Note's Playlist

 

80s Throwback: Madonna - 'Causing A Commotion (Who's That Girl Soundtrack)'

"You met your match when you met me
I know that you will disagree, it's crazy
But opposites attract, you'll see
And I won't let you get away so easy

The love you save may be your own
Can't fight this feeling, aren't you tired of being alone
You won't admit it, but you know it's true
It's not a secret how I feel when I stand next to you"

In August of 1987, Madonna crashed and burned onscreen in a little movie called Who's That Girl. And yet, somehow, the movie's soundtrack managed to come out of the whole mess smelling like a rose.

The movie was originally supposed to be called Slammer, and I can still remember the buildup all summer long. There was a certain inevitability to it: Madonna was everywhere, so naturally we were all going to see her new movie. Casting Madonna, however, wasn't quite enough to save Who's That Girl from becoming a critical and box-office disappointment.

But that soundtrack? Now we're talking.

The title track, Who's That Girl, arrived first and promptly went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was catchy, bright, and completely unavoidable that summer. Then came Causing a Commotion.

I remember that song almost feeling like it appeared out of nowhere. One minute you weren't thinking about it, and the next minute it was lodged permanently in your head. That beat, that attitude, that unmistakable Madonna energy—it was exactly the kind of song that made you want to own the soundtrack even if you had absolutely no intention of defending the movie. Because let's be honest: every soundtrack has that one song. The song that makes you think, Well, I guess I have to buy this now.

For me, Causing a Commotion was that song. It went all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the dance chart, becoming one of those quintessential late-'80s Madonna floor-fillers that still sounds ridiculously good decades later. And then there's the backstory.

The song was written during the final, increasingly turbulent period of Madonna's marriage to Sean Penn. Their relationship was already a regular fixture in the entertainment press, with stories about Penn's violent outbursts, battles with paparazzi and the general chaos surrounding the couple.

Remember, there was no internet to immediately fact-check everything we read. We had MTV, Rolling Stone, People, Entertainment Tonight and whatever magazine happened to be sitting at the supermarket checkout. So much of what we knew about celebrities came filtered through those sources.

And from that perspective, Madonna and Sean Penn's marriage seemed every bit as complicated and combustible as the title of this song suggested. Causing a Commotion may have been attached to a movie that didn't exactly set the world on fire, but the song had a life of its own.

80s 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 and Friday just seem to belong together. At least in my mind they do.

If Friday is the day we officially celebrate the weekend ahead, then there is really only one proper way to kick things off: club songs, freestyle, and a healthy dose of old-school house music.

So let's take a trip back to 1988, when Sweet Sensation stepped out from the shadow of groups like Exposé and The Cover Girls and carved out a place of their own on the dance floor.

And let's be honest: Sweet Sensation had the hair, the clothes, and all the moves. But there was something different about them. They didn't feel like untouchable pop stars who lived in some faraway universe.

They seemed like the girls down the street. The girls you could have gone to school with. The girls you could have met at the mall. The girls who might have ended up dancing next to you at the club on a Friday night. That relatability was part of the magic.

Led by Betty Dee, Sweet Sensation delivered the kind of dance-pop that practically demanded a trip to the dance floor. Songs like “Take It While It’s Hot” and “Hooked on You” became familiar favorites on shows like Open House Party and Dance Party USA, helping turn the group into one of the hot names in the freestyle scene.

And then came the song that changed everything. “If Wishes Came True," was a dreamy ballad that became Sweet Sensation's signature moment, eventually reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a remarkable crossover for a group that had built its reputation in the clubs and on the freestyle scene.

But for those of us who remember Sweet Sensation from the dance-floor days, the hits that got us moving still have a special place. And thankfully, the story didn't end in 1988. Betty Dee, Jenae Colon, and Belle Ritter eventually reunited, bringing Sweet Sensation back to stages and reminding longtime fans just how much fun this music was, and still is. One familiar beat comes on, and suddenly you're back there: the lights are low, the weekend is just beginning, your hair is probably bigger than it has any right to be, and absolutely nothing matters except the next song.

So, this Friday, turn it up because “Sincerely Yours” still sounds pretty damn good.

Boom Radio: 90s Alt Playlist

 

Boom Radio: Summer Hits of the 80s

 

80s 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 had one of those voices.

For generations of music fans, Vandross is remembered as the king of the slow jam, the guy who could take a heartbreak, a love letter, or a quiet night alone and turn it into something almost unbearably beautiful. Songs like “Here and Now” and “Superstar” became part of the soundtrack of our lives, and his voice seemed almost too perfect to be real.

But every once in a while, it's nice to remember that Luther Vandross could have some fun, too. And that's exactly what we get with “Stop to Love.”

Released in 1986 as the first single from Vandross' fifth studio album, Give Me the Reason, “Stop to Love” showed off a somewhat different side of the singer. It was upbeat, funky and incredibly catchy, and it became his first Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, eventually peaking at No. 15.

But go back and watch that video today and what really jumps out isn't just the song.

It's Luther. There is a looseness to him in “Stop to Love” that we don't always associate with the Luther Vandross who would later become synonymous with romantic ballads. He's smiling. He's dancing. He's clearly having a good time. And that's something people who knew him often talked about: the humor, warmth, and playful personality behind that incredibly polished public image.

It's easy, especially in hindsight, to remember Vandross primarily for the serious stuff. The love songs. The heartbreak. That gorgeous, almost impossibly smooth voice. But “Stop to Love” reminds us that there was a guy underneath all of that who knew how to enjoy himself.

80s Throwback: Olivia Newton John- 'Twist of Fate'

It's gotta be a strange twist of fate
Telling me that Heaven can wait
Telling me to get it right this time
Life doesn't mean a thing
Without the love you bring
Love is what we've found
The second time around

Some movie pairings are so good you desperately want to see them happen again. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were one of them.

After Grease became a massive cultural phenomenon, putting the two of them back together seemed like a no-brainer. They had chemistry, they could sing, they looked fantastic together, and America was still completely obsessed with them.

So naturally, Hollywood decided to put them together again. And then Hollywood apparently decided to get really weird about it.

The result was Two of a Kind, which landed in theaters in late 1983. And if you don't remember it, there's a pretty good reason for that. It bombed.

Like, really bombed.

Because while Grease gave us leather jackets, poodle skirts, teenage romance and songs that we still know every word to, Two of a Kind gave us... Four angels trying to convince God not to destroy Earth and start over.

Yep. That's the movie.

Newton-John and Travolta play two people whose relationship becomes part of a plan to save humanity from divine annihilation. Because apparently, after Grease, somebody sat around a Hollywood conference table and thought, You know what these two need? Angels. And the possible destruction of the planet. Critics were not impressed. Audiences weren't exactly lining up around the block either.

And honestly, even the combined star power of Newton-John and Travolta couldn't overcome a plot that sounded like someone had mixed a romantic comedy with a leftover Twilight Zone script.

But here's where things get interesting. The movie may have been a dud, but the soundtrack gave us a winner.

"Twist of Fate" was released as the first single from the soundtrack, and Olivia Newton-John absolutely delivered. The song climbed into the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100, giving her another major hit and ultimately becoming far more memorable than the movie itself.

In fact, if you mention Two of a Kind to most people today, there's a pretty good chance they'll respond with, "Oh yeah...that Olivia Newton-John song!"

And "Twist of Fate" is also a pretty great snapshot of where Newton-John was in her career at the time.

The days of the sweet, innocent Sandy from Grease were rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Newton-John was clearly interested in pushing beyond the good-girl image that had followed her for years, and her music and style were becoming considerably more sophisticated—and, let's be honest, a whole lot sexier. She was reinventing herself. Again.

And while Two of a Kind didn't exactly give her the comeback sequel to Grease that Hollywood was hoping for, it did give us a damn good pop song. So let's forget the angels and the questionable plot.

Just turn up "Twist of Fate" and enjoy Olivia Newton-John doing what she did best.

Because sometimes the best thing to come out of a terrible movie is the song you still can't get out of your head 40+ years later.

Boom Radio: Classic Rock Playlist

 

90's Nostalgia: Janet Jackson- 'If'

The early ’90s were pretty damn emo.

If you weren’t walking around in some state of chronic melancholy, you almost didn’t fit in. Not that any of us really felt like we fit in anyway.

Douglas Coupland’s Gen X novels seemed to remind us that we had been born into confusion, uncertainty and a general sense of What the hell are we doing here? Feeling like a misfit was practically part of the uniform. And, for a while, I was absolutely leaning into it.

I had traded in my hair bands for Bush, Pearl Jam, the Afghan Whigs and pretty much anyone else who sounded like they were closer to Seattle or Portland than the East Coast. Flannel? Absolutely. Questioning the meaning of everything? Obviously.

Then Janet Jackson came along and completely changed the mood.

Her 1993 self-titled album, janet., stayed in my CD player for what seemed like months. I was obsessed with everything about it. The music. The videos. The attitude. The choreography. And, yes, Janet's abs. Let’s not pretend we weren't all staring at those too.

This wasn't the same Janet Jackson who had given us Control and Rhythm Nation. She had grown up, thrown open the doors and completely reinvented herself. The music was sexier, funkier and more confident, while still having that unmistakable Janet sound. And somehow, it was exactly what I needed.

Maybe it was the timing. Maybe it was the music. Maybe it was the fact that Janet seemed to have figured out something the rest of us were still struggling with: you didn't have to fit in. You could create your own damn world.

The entire era was so ridiculously well-packaged that it was impossible not to get sucked into it. Even the fashion worked. Yes, I am talking about the flannel shirts. Janet somehow made them look infinitely cooler than the ones the rest of us were wearing.

MTV was still a thing in those days, and Janet's videos were events. The behind-the-scenes footage featuring her dancers made me desperately wish I was one of her "kids." Seriously. Those dancers were awesome. And then came If. That video remains one of my absolute favorites. The song itself was fantastic, but the choreography? Holy hell.

Three-plus decades later, I can still remember pieces of it.

If was released as the second single from janet. and became another massive Janet moment. The video was visually stunning, incredibly sensual, and packed with choreography that seemed almost impossibly precise. It was one of those videos that made you stop whatever you were doing and watch.

Looking back, it's kind of funny to think about how much music could affect your mood back then. There were no playlists customized by an algorithm to tell you what you should be listening to. You bought a CD, put it in the player and lived with it. And I lived with janet for months.

It was the perfect antidote to my early ’90s existential crisis. While everyone else was busy being miserable in flannel, Janet was reminding us that there was nothing wrong with being confident, sexy, ambitious and completely in control of your own identity. Maybe that's why the album still hits differently for me. It wasn't just a great record it was a mood changer.