"Into the flood again Same old trip it was back then So I made a big mistake Try to see it once my way Drifting body it's sole desertion Flying not yet quite the notion"
The early 90's were truly one of the most depressing eras in music history. Grunge replaced hair metal and suddenly everyone was not just introspective, but fairly depressive and that's probably why the sound didn't last for very long. The great thing about grunge was that artists had found their way back to writing real songs again. Between glam rock songs about partying and hot chicks, and dance songs about partying and having a good time, the end of the 80's songwriting lacked depth. It was kind of refreshing to hear artists saying things that mattered again.
I think one of the best examples to come out of the 90's is Alice in Chains' "Would". Sure it embodied the heavy sound that everyone was creating but it also touched on death, addiction and not passing judgment. Jerry Cantrell had been thinking of Andrew Wood (who had died of a heroin overdose a few years earlier) and all of the issues that his untimely death had caused, so he put it to music and people got it.
The song itself holds up better than most other early 90's tracks. Grunge has a way of sounding dated now and only a handful of tracks seem to have held up as well as "Would?". Check out the video below.
We are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.
(ICYMI the first time...)
Some songs just stay with you. No matter how many years have passed since the first time that you remember hearing it on the radio, four seconds in and you recognize it as YOUR jam. Sure, it might be one of a handful of songs that you classify that way, but it's still YOUR jam. Pretty Poison's "Catch Me I'm Falling" has always registered as one of mine. It was just the right song at the right time for me, one that to this day leaves me dancing. It has worked that same kind of magic on a lot of people. I say that because, in between heating up dance floors worldwide, "Catch Me" has also found its' way onto the soundtrack of at least a dozen movies, as well as television shows like Breaking Bad.
I recently had an opportunity to catch up with Jade Starling, who has had a roller coaster ride of a year. She has helped to love and rally her bandmate through cancer, hit the stage on numerous occasions, and has found an enormous amount of personal healing in the #metoo movement. Every step of the way Jade has remained grateful, gracious, and infectiously positive. Keep reading and you'll find her just as endearing as I have!
Cate Meighan: It has been a while, so fill me in on what you've been up to. Jade Starling: As I reflect on the last year or so, it really has been a very busy and productive time. We've done a lot of tour dates this last year. We were out on the Lost 80's Live Tour and we shared the bill with some incredibly famous groups that I've idolized forever. Missing Persons, Berlin, Wang Chung, Naked Eyes, Spandau Ballet- just all of the really great music that I grew up with. Here I was, on tour with them and it was just such a great experience.
2017 started off with a challenge though because my longtime partner in the group, Whey Cooler was diagnosed with Stage 4 throat cancer and he had to go through chemo and radiation treatments for about three months. I always knew that he was one of the strongest people, if not the strongest person that I've ever known in my life. What he went through was just the worst, but being a strong person and one that is blessed with unconditional love, he managed to find the strength to get through this. The support of his friends, family and fans was amazing. Everyone really rallied around him and lifted him up. I would say by May his treatments were over and we started going out on tour again. Honestly, he was just coming off of treatment and probably shouldn't have been on the road, but he wanted to go and I think in the end it was the best thing. He needed to get out there again. He was never someone that didn't do anything, so he was in the studio every day right up until those last weeks of treatment. He worked like he wasn't sick and I admire that so much. We had been working together for thirty years and so getting back out onto the road just made sense. As of today, he is almost back to normal and has been in remission for three months.
(Photo: Jade Starling Official Facebook)
Also our classic song “Catch Me I'm Falling” was featured in the movie "The Big Sick" (available on pay per view) this year. Having our song in the movie brought a lot of recognition and we've been sorting through more offers for tour dates and things like that so that song really is a gift that keeps on giving (laughing). Who knew that Catch Me would be such a blessing?
CM: "Catch Me "I'm Falling" was such a huge song and I think it's one that is instantly identifiable even 30 years later. Do you ever feel boxed in by the success of it?
JS: I don't feel boxed in by it but it's like the pinnacle of everything. People will always compare everything we do to our biggest, worldwide hit, I never like to dwell on the past. I'm grateful that the song keeps reinventing itself. It has been used in a dozen movies and it has been on tv shows like Breaking Bad. I'm not mad at that at all (laughing) because it's fantastic. But we are still working on new music and we've had amazing success at the dance or club level for the last decade or so. We've had over a dozen or so songs chart on Billboard's dance chart and six number ones on there. Also in the last few years, I released my first solo album called Captive and it spawned three Billboard dance hits. I think we're still relevant, especially in the dance community. I think our style is pretty diverse. We're actually award-winning songwriters. We've written songs for other people and have worked with other artists like Joss Stone.
Also, we're revered in the freestyle world. I don't know how that actually happened but I'm really glad that it did. I don't think that we're a freestyle act but we seem to be lumped in with that type of music and I don't mind that, it's another thing I'm not mad at (laughing). We get invited to do big arena freestyle shows and there are the same dozen artists or so that do these, so I'm happy to be part of that family.
(Photo: Jade Starling Official Facebook)
CM: The freestyle world really is like a family, isn't it?
JS: It's funny how the more things change the more things stay the same. All of the acts and groups on tour just do seem like more of a family. It's like a relationship with the family members that you only get to see a few times a year. It feels right and natural. There's nothing strange about how comfortable it all is. I prefer working with people that I like to be around. I like positive, upbeat people. I don't like drama and I really like to build people up, especially other women. I'm very supportive of other female acts in the industry. I feel that you get what you give in the music industry so I always try to put out the positive and hopefully that's what I'm getting back. I'm all about love (laughing). Think about the love of the fans when they're singing our songs! It's very touching and it warms my heart so I try to stay in touch with our fans. I do answer as many messages from them as I can. It's important to them and it's important to me to keep that relationship going. It's amazing what social media has done and can you imagine if we had it back in the day, how big things could have been? It just seems like the more that I'm out there on social media promoting myself and responding to even basic things, it really does so much. I can make someones' day, or they can even make mine. It just means so much. It's not that hard to be kind and what comes around goes around.
CM: Freestyle music really took off in Miami right?
JS: Yes. Pretty Poisonwas originally based out of Philly but we were doing the majority of our shows in the tri-state area. That's really where it started for us and then it spread out to Florida, especially Miami because that was a big dance hub for sure. It took a long time but I think dance music has finally come to the forefront. It's commercially viable especially with XM Radio and things like that you can just channel in on exactly the music you like and individualize each genre.
CM: You have been involved in the music industry for so long, how have the negative aspects of the business affected you?
JS: Well, during the 90's after our Virgin records deal ended we signed with a small label. The president of this record company was always groping me and touching me. He felt like he could have his hands on me. I ended up suing for sexual harassment and I won because we settled. The recent news coming every day with these people in power, you know you see what they want you to see. They look like these great people that are respectful and would never do anything wrong and yet, so many people have gone through the same thing that I have.
I've had a gag order to keep me from talking about it and for so many years I've suppressed those feelings. Now, with all of these other women coming forward because of #metoo, it's almost like the burden has been lifted off of my shoulders as well. It makes me feel vindicated and it has taken me a long time to be able to say that. I feel like I wasn't alone now and for so long I couldn't talk about it and I felt like I was having a breakdown. It was so embarrassing and I felt belittled and trapped. This person would threaten to take away a budget because I wasn't doing what he wanted me to do. It wasn't in private. He was touching me and making me feel uncomfortable in public and in front of other people.
CM: I think a lot of people think that this is a new issue rather than one that has been swept under the proverbial rug for so long. But it has always existed.
JS: I'm just happy to see so many people and women coming forward to tell the stories about their abuse by these creepy guys. It just messes with your head and it messes you up. I don't care if they're multi-millionaires, they are still despicable. That behavior is disgusting and should never be condoned. It's never okay, in any situation.
CM: What else have you been up to, besides the music?
JS: I work out a lot. I go to the gym because it's good for my head, my body, and my soul. I have to work out, gotta keep it looking good (laughing). I really do enjoy weightlifting, kickboxing, yoga things like that. I've also been working with people on developing skincare products. It's something that I'm really into. Natural things, natural ways to keep your skin looking young. That's something that I'm really working on and it's in the developing stages no so hopefully in the next year or two it'll come to fruition.
It's really important to get into good skincare habits when you're young otherwise you wake up one day, look in the mirror and say,' what have I done or what haven't I done?'. I'm happy to say that I've never done any kind of plastic surgery or injectables. I just don't believe in it unless things are totally falling apart (laughing) and I feel like there's no choice. I think sometimes people get carried away with it. If someone says that another person had work then I think they've gone too far with it. You don't want to look like you've had work, you want to look like yourself and that you haven't aged. I find that with some topical skincare products you really are getting lots of anti-aging and nourishment which is great. It also comes from the inside out. You have to feel joy and happiness in your heart because when you do it shows on your face. Smiling is like an instant facelift.
I just like to spread positivity. When you're with someone that's negative it just brings you down, it's contagious. Misery loves company. There are so many things that we're blessed with and it's not that there aren't hardships, everyone goes through them. But honestly, I praise God every day. I have strong beliefs and I just always tell people to pray. Use prayer, it helps. My best friend got through cancer and I truly believe it had a lot to do with positivity and prayer. When you think that you've hit that rock bottom and that all is lost, it really isn't. There is still that little spark of hope, so hang onto it.
CM: This really has been both a challenging and rewarding year for you. What comes next?
JS: We're very blessed and lucky. We have been working in the studio on new music and we're going to be releasing a new album in 2018. We're really excited about that. There have been opportunities for us outside of the group but we're still working very hard in the studio. I can't say when exactly but there will be a new single released in the first quarter of 2018 with a new album to follow. There will also be some new remixes of "Catch Me I'm Falling" thanks to some big-name producers and remixers we're working with.
CM: What would you like to say to the fans that have followed you and have really lifted you up this year?
JS: Oh great big special thanks to all of the fans for their undying continued love and support.They are the reason that we're still here doing what we love to do so much.
"Somehow the wires uncrossed, the tables were turned Never knew I had such a lesson to learn I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do I tidied up my point of view I got a new attitude I'm in control, my worries are few 'Cause I've got love like I never knew Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh I got a new attitude"
The 80's reintroduced us to a few women (Tina Turner) that had previous success in a group (Chaka Khan) but found their own way to a solo career. Patti LaBelle is one of them, but it took her awhile. Seven years after the demise of LaBelle, she finally returned to the charts with a little dance ditty called "New Attitude". It did well on Billboard's charts and even better on dancefloors across the globe.
The cool thing is that now, more than thirty years later, "New Attitude" is often the soundtrack to anything intended to empower woman. It has become an anthem of sorts for ladies everywhere. For now, though, let's throw it back to its' original, feel-good video.
"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?
"I can dream about you If I can't hold you tonight I can dream about you You know how to hold me just right Moving sidewalks, I don't see under my feet Rising up from down here below where the streets see Me lonely for you." It really is pretty amazing how one song can take you back in time. Dan Hartman's "I Can Dream About You" is certainly one of those songs for me. A little cheesy? Sure. But it was popular during the summer of seventh grade for me and 1984 is permanently benchmarked in my mind as my favorite childhood year. It represents bar-b-que chips, grilled cheese made under the broiler, and sneaking sips of beer in my friend's bathroom. It represents neon accessories, summer vacations to Wildwood, NJ, and books filled with Scratch N Sniff stickers. Gold chains, seashell bracelets, and striped shorts. 1984 was all about the music- from watching videos on MTV to sitting outside with a boom box- music was always involved. Madonna, Prince, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, John Waite, and, of course, Dan Hartman. They were all in heavy rotation. I can remember calling our local radio dedication hour and asking to hear "I Can Dream About You" on a whole bunch of occasions. The best part? I'm as happy to hear it now as I was back then!
Seeing Footloose in the movie theater for the very first time was a huge deal. It's one of the very first movies that I remember seeing with just friends (no adults) and back in 1984, we were all a little bit of obsessed with it. It still has one of the strongest soundtracks in music history, I think. Just about every song was worthy of being released as a single. My favorite is Kenny Loggin's "I'm Free".
Yeah I know, I'm supposed to think that the title track is IT, but I just don't. I think "I'm Free" is a better vocal and I've always loved the music. I had the soundtrack album because it was inherited from my dad almost immediately after it was released. For me, the soundtrack came before the movie did and "I'm Free" just; left me with such a great feeling. The kind of feeling that every Monday should contain, so here it is. Enjoy!
"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.
"You work all your life for that moment in time, it could come or pass you by
It's a push-shove world, but there's always a chance
If the hunger stays the night
There's a cold kinetic heat, struggling, stretching for the beat
Never stopping with her head against the wind"
I really appreciate one-hit-wonders. I like the fact that these little songs by people that we've usually never head of, can collectively make such a huge impact. Then they keep it too. A great one-hit-wonder now will be, not only remembered in thirty years, but it might also be getting pretty decent airplay as well. In 1983, the Flashdance soundtrack was loaded with goodies that fell into this category.
Michael Sembello's "Maniac" might be the best song on the soundtrack. Full of so much energy- and that's before you see the video that's mostly ripped straight from the film. Jennifer Beals (or her body double) dances her ass off to the hard driving synth. I watched the movie for the first time in decades recently and I was happily surprised by how good it still is. Flashdance has 35 years worth of hype attached to it and I think that it really does live up to it.
"Maniac" is the kind of song that just makes you feel good when you hear it. Sometimes it really is that simple and that's all that a one-hit-wonder really needs. Check out the video below.
Love if you're there come save me From all this cold despair I can hang when you're around But I'll surely die if you're not there Love come quick, love come in a hurry There are thieves in the temple tonight I feel like I'm looking for my soul (Soul) Like a poor man looking for gold (Gold) There are thieves in the temple tonight
Do you remember Graffiti Bridge, the Prince film from 1990? Honestly, neither do I but the soundtrack to it is pretty great. It was also our official introduction to his then-new backing band, The New Power Generation. "Thieves In The Temple" was one of the best songs off of it and it charted very well as a single, hitting number 6 on Billboard's Hot 100 in the summer of 1990.
The song lyrically featured Prince reflecting on a dishonest relationship with a nugget of spirituality thrown in for good measure. As for the beat, well the remixes of "Thieves In The Temple" still are fire. I remember the video debuting on MTV and it being a really big deal because it represented a brand new Prince. New look, new sound and a new band to help pull the full package together. The choreography in the video was pretty tight too. Check it out for yourself below!
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 80's (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.Hard to believe that it was 35 years ago that Prince topped the charts for the very first time with "When Doves Cry".
Love if you're there come save me From all this cold despair I can hang when you're around But I'll surely die if you're not there Love come quick, love come in a hurry There are thieves in the temple tonight I feel like I'm looking for my soul (Soul) Like a poor man looking for gold (Gold) There are thieves in the temple tonight
Do you remember Graffiti Bridge, the Prince film from 1990? Honestly, neither do I but the soundtrack to it is pretty great. It was also our official introduction to his then-new backing band, The New Power Generation. "Thieves In The Temple" was one of the best songs off of it and it charted very well as a single, hitting number 6 on Billboard's Hot 100 in the summer of 1990.
The song lyrically featured Prince reflecting on a dishonest relationship with a nugget of spirituality thrown in for good measure. As for the beat, well the remixes of "Thieves In The Temple" still are fire. I remember the video debuting on MTV and it being a really big deal because it represented a brand new Prince. New look, new sound and a new band to help pull the full package together. The choreography in the video was pretty tight too. Check it out for yourself below!
"Somehow the wires uncrossed, the tables were turned Never knew I had such a lesson to learn I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do I tidied up my point of view I got a new attitude I'm in control, my worries are few 'Cause I've got love like I never knew Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh I got a new attitude"
The 80's reintroduced us to a few women (Tina Turner) that had previous success in a group (Chaka Khan) but found their own way to a solo career. Patti LaBelle is one of them, but it took her awhile. Seven years after the demise of LaBelle, she finally returned to the charts with a little dance ditty called "New Attitude". It did well on Billboard's charts and even better on dancefloors across the globe.
The cool thing is that now, more than thirty years later, "New Attitude" is often the soundtrack to anything intended to empower woman. It has become an anthem of sorts for ladies everywhere. For now, though, let's throw it back to its' original, feel-good video.
"Somehow the wires uncrossed, the tables were turned Never knew I had such a lesson to learn I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoes Know where I'm goin' and I know what to do I tidied up my point of view I got a new attitude I'm in control, my worries are few 'Cause I've got love like I never knew Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh I got a new attitude"
The 80's reintroduced us to a few women (Tina Turner) that had previous success in a group (Chaka Khan) but found their own way to a solo career. Patti LaBelle is one of them, but it took her awhile. Seven years after the demise of LaBelle, she finally returned to the charts with a little dance ditty called "New Attitude". It did well on Billboard's charts and even better on dancefloors across the globe.
The cool thing is that now, more than thirty years later, "New Attitude" is often the soundtrack to anything intended to empower woman. It has become an anthem of sorts for ladies everywhere. For now, though, let's throw it back to its' original, feel-good video.
"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?
