The Fat Boys were a hip-hop trio from Brooklyn that first emerged in the early 80’s. Their 1987 cover of “Wipe Out” was one of the biggest songs of the summer and this video was in heavy rotation on MTV.
Yes, it’s true, (yes it’s true) I’m so happy to be stuck with you
Cause I can see, (I can see) that you’re happy to be stuck with me
(yes it’s true) I’m so happy to be stuck with you
Happy to be stuck with you.
What guy wouldn’t want to be stuck on a deserted island with Keely Shaye Smith circa 1986? Huey Lewis was probably thrilled to get to play in the sun and sand with the then-model for hours while filming “Stuck With You“. The song itself spent 3 weeks at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 and the video was one of the biggest of the year. The desert island in this is actually about ten miles from Paradise Island in Nassau.
And when she shines she really shows you all she can
Oh Rio, Rio dance across the Rio Grande
While Duran Duran was picking up momentum in the early 80’s their second studio album, Rio didn’t really click here in the states- until their flashy video for the title song. “Rio” eventually became a visual example of all of the excesses that the decade became synonymous for. This features the band is slick suits speeding through the Caribbean on a yacht surrounded by beautiful women. Once the video was picked up by MTV then people realized what a great song this really was.
Set to explode in the heat
you won’t tire
Cause baby was born with the beat
Do you guys even remember this video from 1985? I had actually forgotten it but it has to be included here because it features the original Jersey boys playing on the boardwalk and in the sands of Seaside Heights!
I really dig those styles they wear;
And the Southern girls with the way they talk,
They knock me out when I’m down there,
The mid-west farmers daughters
Real-ly make you feel alright,
And the northern girls with the way they kiss
They keep their boyfriends warm at night.
Not long after leaving Van Halen in 1984 David Lee Roth returned to the airwaves with 1985’s Crazy From The Heat. All four songs on the EP were covers of already established hits from the past. “California Girls” was kind of a no-brainer and the video loaded with chicks in bikinis became a summer staple.
Seasons change people change
I’ll sacrifice tomorrow
Just to have you here today
In 1987 Expose` took their Miami freestyle sound and delivered it to the masses, with great success. Hits like “Come Go With Me” and “Let Me Be The One” landed in Billboard’s top ten and solidified their run as a great dance band but that wasn’t all that they were capable of. Their ballad “Seasons Change” earned the girl group their first number-one single and just as the song was a bit of a departure, so was the video. Instead of being a flashy, fun live performance, “Seasons Change” was set in a beach house. The girls are seen packing up their summer house while singing and eventually a run on the beach is of course in order.
what a wicked thing to do to let me dream of you
what a wicked thing to say you never felt this way
what a wicked thing to do to make me dream of you
And a poom-poom – Just shake ya rump!
The year was 1992 and Teddy Riley’s production and guest vocals made “Rump Shaker” a club classic for Wreckz-N-Effect. The visual of a hot chick walking in the sand playing the saxophone is probably still cemented in the minds of many men out there.
Of always having you here by my side
(Oh baby I) cherish the joy
You keep bringing it into my life
(I’m always singing it)
Cherish the strength
You got the power to make me feel good
(And baby I) perish the thought
Of ever leaving
I never would
This was the third single off of Madonna’s 1989 Like A Prayer release. After two controversial songs in a row, it was nice to see Madonna take on something as simple as love. Watching her play in the surf in “Cherish” was a nice reminder that while the diva was certainly issues-oriented, she still had a fun side.
Can you believe that this song is 32 years old? Well, it is and I think that “Boys Of Summer” might be one of the most timeless videos around. The black and white imagery flashes through the different stages of a man’s life, from boyhood to middle age adulthood and you can feel the major flashback unfolding in front of your eyes. This is undoubtedly one of Henley’s best songs, don’t you think?
There is just a sampling of some of the best beach videos in old-school pop culture history. What are your favorites?
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