Like a lot of people my age, Private Dancer was my introduction to Tina. At the time, I knew nothing about her incredible journey with Ike Turner or the years she spent fighting to rebuild her career as a solo artist. All I knew was that the second the video for "What's Love Got to Do with It" came on MTV, I couldn't look away.
Back then, my dad had a pretty great system. He'd buy the latest 45s, record them onto one of his mixtapes, and then I'd inherit the singles. I still remember bringing those records home and playing them over and over again. Like just about every radio DJ at the time, my dad couldn't stop talking about Tina's iconic fishnet look on the Private Dancer cover. Me? I just thought she was the coolest woman I'd ever seen.
By the time the album's title track, "Private Dancer," was released as a single, I was already a full-fledged fan. Ironically, I wasn't crazy about the song the first time I heard it. It felt slower than the other hits from the album, and I didn't immediately connect with it. But sometimes the songs that take the longest to grow on us become the ones we treasure most.
Now, all these years later, "Private Dancer" is one of my favorite Tina Turner recordings. I also love the different videos that have been released for it, but this live performance from Wembley Arena has always been my favorite. It captures Tina at the height of her powers, commanding an arena packed with fans who hung on every word.
Watching it today is a reminder of why she became such a legend. The performance is understated, elegant, and completely captivating. It's proof that great songs—and great artists—never really age. They just find new generations of fans to fall in love with them.
Some songs instantly make you want to dance, then there are songs that make you want to sing at the top of your lungs, and then there are songs like Human Nature by Michael Jackson. This one just floats.
Released in 1983 on the legendary Thriller album, Human Nature has always felt different from the rest of Michael's biggest hits. While Beat It packed a rock punch and Billie Jean gave us one of the most unforgettable bass lines in pop history, Human Nature slowed everything down into a silky, late-night groove that somehow still sounds as fresh today as it did more than four decades ago.
If someone asked me to define the phrase "smooth groove," this might honestly be the first song I'd play.
Everything about it is effortless. That shimmering keyboard intro. Steve Lukather's delicate guitar work. Michael's impossibly soft vocals as he asks, "Why, why... tell 'em that it's human nature." It's the kind of song that never feels like it's trying too hard. It simply exists in its own perfect space.
One of the coolest things about Human Nature is that it wasn't originally written specifically for Michael. Songwriter Steve Porcaro of Toto came up with the music, and lyricist John Bettis added the now-iconic words. Quincy Jones immediately recognized something special, and the result became one of the emotional centerpieces of Thriller.
Unlike many of Michael's biggest singles, Human Nature doesn't rely on huge hooks or explosive choruses. Instead, it pulls you in with atmosphere. It's dreamy, reflective, and somehow both relaxing and mesmerizing at the same time. Whether you're driving with the windows down after sunset or just unwinding at home, it fits the moment perfectly.
The song has also become one of the most sampled and covered tracks in modern music. Artists across R&B, jazz, hip-hop, and pop have borrowed pieces of it because that melody is simply timeless. Great music never really ages, and Human Nature is proof of that.
Even after all these years, I still find myself turning the volume up whenever those opening notes come on. It's one of those rare songs that instantly changes the mood in the best possible way.
Michael Jackson had countless classics, but if we're talking about the ultimate smooth groove? Human Nature deserves to be right at the top of the conversation.
I fell in love with Tina Turner's music back in 1984 when she released Private Dancer. I knew nothing of her career years earlier with Ike and I knew nothing of her struggle to establish herself as a solo artist. I only knew that when the video for "What's Love Got To Do With It" started I was completely sucked in. I remember at that time my dad would buy singles' and add them to a mixtape, then I'd get to keep the 45. At the time my dad, like every other DJ on the radio was mesmerized by Tina's fishnets on the cover. I just thought she reeked of coolness.
By the time the title track, "Private Dancer" was released I was already a fan. At first, I thought that the song was a bit boring but it quickly grew on me. Now many moons later I love it AND all three of the videos that have been released for it. The one below is my very favorite. Shot during a concert at Wembley Arena, it shows just how popular Tina really was in her heyday. It's also a subtle version of a song that's kind of timeless, don't you think?
"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.
We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.
ICYMI-
Jody Watley is just about as iconic as they come and she's also loaded with peace, love, and positivity. She'll be the first to tell you that "it's in the music" so you need to check out this recent interview about her brand new project- SRL- Shalamar Reloaded.)
When I say the name Jody Watley
a number of things may rush to the forefront of your mind. Grammy winner. Fashion icon. Soul Train and Shalamar. Eighties
dance diva and of course, those hoop earrings. Even now, if you
happen to catch her onstage during an energetic Freestyle
Explosion set she's all sass and class. Seeing Watley perform
live this past summer left me feeling like I had been handed a gift,
that it was a real privilege to see her do her thing onstage.
Offstage Watley exudes peaceful, Zen-like energy that you feel even
before you see that she has entered the room. It was an honor to be
able to grab a few minutes of her time this past week to discuss her
excitement over Shalamar Reloaded, her love for her kids, and
the need for people to lift each other up rather than bullying from
behind a computer screen.
Cate Meighan: You've raised some
eyebrows lately by finally addressing the rumors and internet trolls
that have chased after you for a long time. Why did you choose to
speak up now?
Jody Watley: Sometimes after you
choose to stay publicly silent for a while there comes a need to
speak. I needed to say what I needed to say because the lack of
fact-checking has led to lies being spread on the internet, radio, and television. I could only be thrown under the bus so much before I
had to address it. I decided to deal with it in a way that
establishes the fact that I have absolutely nothing to be angry about
because I've enjoyed a very successful career on multiple platforms.
I also wanted to try and disarm the notion that I'm some angry black
woman while looking at our society's need to stereotype strong
women as something negative.
C.M.: Your piece was clearly
written by a strong and well-educated woman.
J.W.: Thank you. My mom actually
called after reading that piece, to tell me that she thought that it
was well-spoken. I've always been a writer by nature and an avid
journaler. It was written at a point in time when our first lady was
taking some heat and some members of our women's Olympic gymnastic
team were under heavy scrutiny and comedian Leslie Jones had been
hacked and publicly shamed. I really hope that people will think
about the damage that a lie or negative perception can lead to,
especially when the target isn't given an opportunity to respond from
the very start.
That's one of the reasons why I
included screen captures of real hostility from real people that
have attacked me from behind their computer screens. It makes it a
little more real when you read the person's actual words rather than
just having them reiterated to you. A lot of it comes from other women
that are for whatever reason, disappointed in themselves and want to
bring others down with them. Women do this to each other instead of
spreading support and joy. It's a conversation that needs to be had.
C.M.: Tell me about your latest
endeavor, Shalamar Reloaded (SRL).
(Shalamar Reloaded Official Photo: Rosero McCoy, Jody Watley, Nate Allen Smith)
J. W.: Well, once I finally got
the trademark it finally put an end to all kinds of false
advertising. I knew that I wanted to take something familiar but put
a new spin on it so there you have Shalamar Reloaded. I wanted to
invest in new music videos and make a strong statement with whatever
we put out. I've known Rosero McCoy since 1998 and working
with him has always brought a lot of joy to my life. Nate Allen
Smith beat out hundreds of other talented guys. He is our
heart-throb (laughing). He is also just so humble and talented that
it makes him a perfect fit for Shalamar Reloaded. It's really a
collaboration when it comes to writing the songs. I feel like it's a
gift from the universe to have a group experience that is this
enjoyable. We really want to be together, we weren't just thrown
together by other people and told to make it work.
C.M.: SRL has a
new video coming out soon, right?
J.W.: Yes, “The Mood” will
be released on Monday, Sept. 26th. It was filmed in Hawaii
and was a lot of fun to make. We'll be teasing it a little earlier
than that. “The Mood" will be featured on our upcoming full-length album, Bridges.
C.M.: Aside from your work with
SRL, you've also popped up on the Freestyle Explosion tour now and
then with a bunch of other 80's divas such asExpose` and Lisa Lisa
(of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam). I caught the Philadelphia show and you
absolutely brought the house down.
(Freestyle Explosion- Philadelphia 8-2016)
J.W.: (Laughing) Thank you!
People often seem to be surprised by my performance on that tour. I
just bring in some dancers and try to create a contemporary moment
with some of my old music. I try to serve up fashion, fun, and fierce performance. I do remember that show and we really did have a
lot of fun. That whole experience is pretty amazing because this
group of artists with decades of success really does get along. We
enjoy doing these shows together because it's such a positive freestyle vibe. The audiences really get into it and that makes it a
lot of fun.
C.M.: You're always juggling a few different projects at once it seems. Is there a real plan
behind-the-scenes or do you just kind of go with it?
J.W.: Both (laughing). There is
always a framework to what I'd like to accomplish but then I do just
go with things as they come along. SRL is my priority right now and
finishing our album. But then Jody Watley as a solo artist is always
going to be around because as Nate and Rosero say, I'm “the engine
that makes it all go”.
C.M.: You've had so many huge,
career-defining moments that anyone can find out about if they take a
glance at Wiki. I've learned that the quieter, in-between moments
often mean more after everything is said and done. Has that been the
case for you?
(Classic family portrait: Jody with children Arie and Lauren)
J.W.: Yeah, you're right. Being
able to take breaks over the years so that I could raise my son and
daughter has just meant the world to me. Playing dolls and
superheroes, going to the park, and making Santa cookies- those things
have kept me grounded. My daughter is the first college graduate in
our family and my son is in college now as well, studying business and finance. To send two people out into
the universe to achieve their own dreams has been my bigger purpose.
It's such a challenge to work with kids but I didn't miss the most
important thing, being there along the way for them. Being popular
with my kids has mattered most of all. I'm a real mom and now I'm
getting to have fun with SRL!
C.M.: Tell me something that you
really want your fans to know.
J.W.: I'm a hell of a cook
(laughing)! Well, I am but... As long as we're alive it's never too
late to go down new paths and try different things. Our world is
so youth-obsessed, stop comparing yourself to others and find your
joy. Forget your age, feel good and enjoy your journey. Stay excited
about what's next because it's a gift to be here! Love and let
yourself be loved.
"I hear Brenda's got a baby But, Brenda's barely got a brain A damn shame The girl can hardly spell her name (That's not our problem, that's up ta Brenda's family) Well let me show ya how it affects the whole community Now Brenda never really knew her moms and her dad was a junky Went in debt to his arms, it's sad Cause I bet Brenda doesn't even know Just cause your in the ghetto doesn't mean ya can't grow But oh, that's a thought, my own revelation Do whatever it takes ta resist the temptation" I gotta tell ya, when Tupac Shakur first arrived on the scene back in the early 90's I wasn't really a fan. I mean, it was obvious that 2Pac was a masterful rapper and he clearly had an agenda and a message to deliver, but I just wasn't ready to "hear" him. I knew about the east coast west coast rap rivalry because I think even if you lived under a rock in West Virginia, it had still reached you. Names like 2Pac, Puffy and Biggie just weren't in heavy rotation for me. I recently went back and started listening to Pac and Biggie's catalogs of music and discovered that I'm a fan, especially of the former. "Brenda's Got A Baby" was 2Pac's debut single and it introduced him to the world as a young man that not only understood the issues of teenagers but he had issues with those problems. He didn't understand why more men weren't taking responsibility for their actions. In the 90's I was probably too young and oblivious to really get the fire and intelligence that motivated 2Pac, but I see it now. Check out the video for "Brenda's Got A Baby" below!
"I couldn't escape this feeling with my China girl
I feel a wreck without my little China girl
I hear her heart beating loud as thunder
Saw these stars crashing
I'm a mess without my little China girl
Wake up in the morning, where's my little China girl
I hear her heart's beating loud as thunder
Saw these stars crashing down"
It has been awhile since anything by David Bowie has made its' way on to DailyBOOM, hasn't it? So let's revisit "China Girl", a song that was first recorded by Iggy Pop in the late 70's with little fanfare. He and Bowie had written it together and when Bowie remade it in 1983, it found commercial success. It's off of the Let's Dance album and the single was sandwiched between the title track and the later release of "Modern Love", so it was basically positioned for success.
The song itself has always had a bit of a double meaning. While the video depicts a romance, China is a term for heroin and girl is a term for cocaine. Bowie supposedly loved the hidden meaning of the song because he loved adding different layers to his music.
I just remember loving the song as a kid and I still believe it's one of Bowie's best tracks to come out of the 80's. Check out the video below!
"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.
Since Covid-19 has brought live music to a halt DailyBOOM is flashing back to some favorite exclusive content of the past.
ICYMI
I recently had the cool opportunity to attend a Freestyle show in White Plains, NY. Many jokes were made about the "Real Housewives of Westchester County" coming out in full force to attend this event and who could blame them? The roster was jammed with 12 back-to-back acts, including Debbie Deb, who needs absolutely no introduction to true freestyle fans. Here's the thing, if you haven't a clue what freestyle music is, you're still very likely to know Deb's music. Her songs "Lookout Weekend" and "When I Hear Music" are still played in clubs across the country and they've been revisited and covered by the likes of Gwen Stefani. I was able to grab the bubbly performer's attention for a few minutes and she was thrilled to have a chance to connect with her fans via a quick Q&A session.
Cate Meighan:What does it feel like to know that more than 30 years after "Lookout Weekend" first broke through, it's still a regularly played club song?
Debbie Deb: Sometimes it's surreal
for me. Sometimes I don't even realize that's my voice pumping through
the woofers and tweeters. I still tend to get butterflies to this
day cause everyone will point to me and I do get shy. I don't go out
to get any attention. There's always a real sense of gratefulness that
it's playing and people are getting down. It's a great feeling and I
love to watch.
CM: Your songs have been covered by the likes of Gwen Stefani & Janet Jackson- what is that like for you?
DD: It makes me feel very flattered and I sometimes wonder if they would
ever want to meet me. Once again, I do stay very humble about it.
CM: How does it feel to still be performing these songs so many years later?
DD: 20 years ago, if you told me this was gonna be my reality, I would have lost if we were betting. I was not looking for this by any means but today I love
it and I love the people jamming with me. There's no way to explain the
feeling they give me.
CM: How do you choose the dancers that are on stage with you?
DD: This is pretty close to my heart. I only want the locals of the town
I'm in. I really want people that are electric and who never get a
chance to show it due to a variety of reasons. E.g. being too heavy,
low self esteem, or just to shy. I love picking older and younger folks
and just finding a good mixture to represent how people really look today.
CM: Are you a real freestyle fan? What other music do you like to listen to?
DD: I do love Freestyle because it's been a huge part of who I am, but I
must say that I love anyone from Tori Amos to Pearl Jam and Metallica- also Shabba Ranks. I am somewhat of a music snob but I respect all
music.
CM: Who inspires you?
DD: Anyone that has a God given gift. People that have a natural talent in different things.
CM: Tell me something about Debbie Deb that would totally surprise me.
DD:I am a huge cat lover - I love any animal in general but I do want to be that "cat lady".
I
love cooking a variety of different ethnic foods. I love to draw and
it serves as therapy for me. I need to be near water (not just because
I'm a Pisces) I love crazy demented, off the wall, indie films
that I was turned on to by my two moms. (My mom and her wife).
CM: What would you like to say to all of your fans out there?
DD: I owe everything that I'm doing now to my fans of Old School for
keeping me going via music. I consider all my fans my personal
friends. I have a wonderful husband that holds things together for me
and whom I tend not to give enough credit. I want people to know that
I'm just a regular girl trying to live life as best I can. We all need
to work out demons that may take us down and show them who's in charge.
When I meet someone, I love to hear about them. Selfishness is
something I run from.
You can catch Debbie Deb playing live across the country with Freestyle Explosion with a bunch of other artists so hit the link for ticket info. Check out a recent live performance of "When I Hear Music" below!
What a sad week this has been. I have spent the last 36 hours working, doing radio interviews about Prince's death, the details as we know them now and what his true impact on pop culture was. I have cranked out details and connected with numerous people over this loss, with many asking why his death feels so different. It's a true gut punch for anyone raised in the '80s, isn't it? I suspect that since Prince has been there for the last 35 years it just kind of felt like he always would be somewhere creating music. I think many of us didn't really realize the impact that he had on us until we learned that he was gone.
I was in 7th grade during the summer of Purple Rain and I remember it well. It was that rated R movie that none of us were allowed to see so we absorbed every possible detail from television, MTV and magazine articles. Back in the '80s (you know, when everything wasn't just the click of a mouse away), we cut everything about our favorites out of the newspaper or any magazine that we could find. My friends and I were divided down the middle, either you loved Prince or you loved Michael Jackson- it couldn't be both. I was a Prince girl and built my magazine cut out scrapbook accordingly. And the music truly did directly influence everything back then. If you loved Prince then you represented with your purple on the daily. Most Prince fans loved Madonna equally, especially when they toured together so it was a mix of purple lace hair bows, crosses, and purple jelly bracelets all summer long.
That summer ended up being the very best one of my childhood and the Purple Rain was always part of the soundtrack. My friends and I spent hours at the kitchen table together glued to a boom box waiting for a chance to call into Q-102 (THE station to listen to) to try and win a copy of the soundtrack. None of us won a Prince album but we did score theBoss, Steve Perry, Chaka Khan, and a few others. Music was absolutely everything back then, especially when you were at the mercy of a DJ or MTV to play it for you.
It took me years to really understand that Prince was more than the freaky guy in purple with perfect eyeliner, that he was a musical genius. I had a friend absolutely obsessed with him and he spoon fed me various Prince facts while we worked together. By the time "Batdance" came along I understood what I was really listening to and came to expect nothing short of amazing-ness from him.
In the last 30 years, so many other artists have come and gone as my taste has shifted and changed over the years. I can honestly say that I like a little bit of everything (minus country) but so few bring to the table what Prince has. I mean, how many on Billboard's charts can play 27 instruments? Yeah, none. How many currently rocking in the top ten will be relevant in 30 years? Maybe 1 or 2 right, maybe? Or maybe none at all.
Today's artists aren't built for the kind of longevity like Prince, David Bowie or even Glenn Frey. They don't bring all of those elements to the table and that has only made the loss of these icons feel that much heavier on our hearts. Prince himself confirmed years ago that there really is a vault filled with his unreleased music. There are albums from Prince & the Revolution and also a few with The New Power Generation. Perhaps part of what makes him so iconic is the fact that he was thinking beyond his life here. He was not only making sure that he wouldn't be forgotten, but he left new music behind so that his presence would be felt in a new way after the fact.
If you manage to catch any of Prince's live performance videos on YouTube before they are pulled down, pay attention to the details. Every single second is choreographed and means something. Amazing how we notice all of the details after the fact, isn't it? Like the fact that there is a purple heart behind Prince on the cover of the Purple Rain album. I never noticed that before this week.
"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.
I fell in love with Tina Turner's music back in 1984 when she released Private Dancer. I knew nothing of her career years earlier with Ike and I knew nothing of her struggle to establish herself as a solo artist. I only knew that when the video for "What's Love Got To Do With It" started I was completely sucked in. I remember at that time my dad would buy singles' and add them to a mixtape, then I'd get to keep the 45. At the time my dad, like every other DJ on the radio was mesmerized by Tina's fishnets on the cover. I just thought she reeked of coolness.
By the time the title track, "Private Dancer" was released I was already a fan. At first, I thought that the song was a bit boring but it quickly grew on me. Now many moons later I love it AND all three of the videos that have been released for it. The one below is my very favorite. Shot during a concert at Wembley Arena, it shows just how popular Tina really was in her heyday. It's also a subtle version of a song that's kind of timeless, don't you think?
"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 guaranteed to make you happy.
"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.
"I hear Brenda's got a baby But, Brenda's barely got a brain A damn shame The girl can hardly spell her name (That's not our problem, that's up ta Brenda's family) Well let me show ya how it affects the whole community Now Brenda never really knew her moms and her dad was a junky Went in debt to his arms, it's sad Cause I bet Brenda doesn't even know Just cause your in the ghetto doesn't mean ya can't grow But oh, that's a thought, my own revelation Do whatever it takes ta resist the temptation" I gotta tell ya, when Tupac Shakur first arrived on the scene back in the early 90's I wasn't really a fan. I mean, it was obvious that 2Pac was a masterful rapper and he clearly had an agenda and a message to deliver, but I just wasn't ready to "hear" him. I knew about the east coast west coast rap rivalry because I think even if you lived under a rock in West Virginia, it had still reached you. Names like 2Pac, Puffy and Biggie just weren't in heavy rotation for me. I recently went back and started listening to Pac and Biggie's catalogs of music and discovered that I'm a fan, especially of the former. "Brenda's Got A Baby" was 2Pac's debut single and it introduced him to the world as a young man that not only understood the issues of teenagers but he had issues with those problems. He didn't understand why more men weren't taking responsibility for their actions. In the 90's I was probably too young and oblivious to really get the fire and intelligence that motivated 2Pac, but I see it now. Check out the video for "Brenda's Got A Baby" below!
Once I had a love and it was divine Soon found out I was losing my mind It seemed like the real thing but I was so blind Mucho mistrust, love's gone behind
Okay so technically, Blondie's "Heart of Glass" was actually released as a single in early 1979, but I remember it from Halloween of that year, so that makes it almost an 80's song, right? No? Whatever. It's my throwback for today because it really kind of defines an era of my life. I mean I was a little kid, but everything that I recall about disco, this song defined.
I remember Halloween in particular because my parents were having a costume party. I was about 8-years-old and my mom had dressed me up in a bright blue Cleopatra costume and I can still remember being in the bathroom for what seemed like forever while she and my aunt did my eye makeup. I also recall lots of compliments on my cat eyes. Aside from that, my DJ father had Blondie's "Heart of Glass" - the extended dance mix spinning on his turntable every few minutes.
I couldn't tell you much else about this party at all. I just remember feeling really grown up in my costume and getting to stay up really late, which I thought was the coolest thing ever. I also can see my parents cleaning up after everyone had left and of course, dad played Blondie one last time for me. So there ya have it, my earliest version of what an adult party would be like included Blondie. I have to admit, I ended up partying quite often with Debbie Harry and the guys playing in the background.
"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.
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