Hello friends. Today is the 7th and I promised to post the results from Battle of the Bands. The song was Time After Time, made famous by Cyndi Lauper, but she didn't compete. Instead various covers of the original battled it out.
Here is how the vote tallied in the end:
Quietdrive - 7
Eva Cassidy - 11
Miles Davis - 4
So, even without my vote, the clear winner here is Eva Cassidy.
There were two abstentions in this race. In the beginning it was neck and neck among all three participants. Then Eva pulled ahead of the pack and it was all over. It kind of reminded me of that game in the Olympics where the snowboarders raced in packs of six to the finish. And most anything could happen, and did. I can't think of what it was called, but it was very exciting.
My vote? Not that it matters, but I love love love the Eva Cassidy version. I remember thinking it was better than Cyndi's version the first time I heard it. Such a smooth voice and I really feel the song when she sings it. That doesn't mean I no longer have any appreciation for Cyndi's version (or the other covers, for that matter) because I do.
So, if you voted, thank you for your participation. I will be serving cake promptly at 7:00pm this evening to thank you for your service:)
A LONG time ago, I used to run a regular feature on here called Inspirational Song Saturday. It was basically just an excuse to feature 80s videos, because I was one of those teens glued to MTV back in the 80s, and it allowed me to travel to a different space and time. I also posted whatever song was inspirational in the here and now... from any decade. With that in mind (and my post from Wednesday if you read it) I am going to give you Inspirational Song Friday, minus the whacky facts from the 80s. Ironically, the song is from the 80s. Or maybe not so ironically. I think I might be stuck there...
So, are you happy with the outcome of the Battle of the Bands vote? Can I mark you down for cake? Does I'm Still Standing make you want to stand up and run a victory lap? What do you know?.... Me too!
Once upon a time I featured a post on Saturdays that spotlighted 80s music and MTV. I also selected a song/video that was inspirational to me on that given day.
This post isn't like that... exactly.
It's still 80s and music, but I wanted to take a moment to depart from the songs that rocked MTV and focus on the inimitable soundtrack. A movie soundtrack, if done well, can launch a movie even further into the stratosphere of success. With the advent of MTV, a successful soundtrack combined with video coverage on television... these forums stairstepped one another to success.
image found at www.weheartit.com
Back in 1986, my senior year of high school for the curious, the movie Pretty In Pink came out. It was another brain child of John Hughes and immediately became the Movie To See among my peers. However, another interesting phenomena happened shortly thereafter: their was buzz in my high school about the soundtrack. I started hearing things like, "This is the first movie soundtrack I have actually liked - ever." Naturally, I was curious. I bought it. Here are the tracks (courtesy of Wikipedia):
Having seen the movie, I recognized OMD's If You Leave right away. It was featured prominently in the movie at at the end, plus it was on the radio a lot. Wikipedia indicates that it charted at #4 on Billboard in May of 1986. That sounds right to me. I was already a HUGE fan of INXS, but many of these other bands were a mystery to me. Their sound was very different than anything that was getting Top 40 radio play. I soon learned it was 80s Alternative Rock Music.
It turns out that many people were already plugged into this Alternative Rock Scene and these bands were just the tip of a fairly large iceberg. John Hughes was, once again, at the forefront of what teenagers like. Yeah, I was a few steps behind him. ::shocking::
Since I think EVERYONE knows OMD's song If You Leave, I am not going to post it here. It is a great song, mind you, and I still love it. It was a strong start for the soundtrack and absolutely the right choice. Instead, we will jump through this thing and hit some of the more alternative sounds for the day.
Let's start with the second cut. Suzanne Vega singing Left Of Center was, in my opinion, a perfect choice for this soundtrack. If you are familiar with the movie, it fits in nicely with the overall theme of the film.
Now, keep in mind that most people were still buying their music on cassette tapes in 1986, so track #5 was actually the last cut on the first side. I am not sure I would have done that. Pretty In Pink, by The Psychedelic Furs, is one of the strongest cuts on the album. I would have placed it in the #6 spot, making it the first cut on the second side, but that is just me. The video is alluring and plays hard to the movie. Now that is working the room, so to speak.
Wasn't that great? I don't recall it getting much play on MTV, but most Alternative bands still hadn't broken into MTV. Maybe someone with a better memory than I can shed some light on this one....
I am not going to play the New Order song, but this soundtrack began a little love affair with that band. I also had a couple Echo & The Bunnymen cassette tapes. They finished this soundtrack off with a song that lasted less than 2 minutes. 2 minutes of genius that is. The Smiths. I don't think I really need to say more. They are one of the most successful Alternative bands from the 80s and don't need little ole me promoting them:)
If this song sounds familiar, you may remember it from the movie 500 Days of Summer. This song was featured (again) in that film twenty years later. I suppose the saying is true: You can't keep a good song down... or something like that.
When I was on Wikipedia pulling the tracks for this album, I discovered a tidbit of information there that I think is worth sharing. Spinner chose the Pretty In Pink Soundtrack in their 2012 article Best Movie Soundtracks: The 15 Film Music Compilations That'll Change Your Life. I know that it shifted how I related to music back in 1986, so I can agree with that assessment.
Were any of these bands new to you? Any long-time favorites here? Have you heard the Pretty In Pink Soundtrack? Do you own it? Did you stumble into 80s alternative music and love it or hate it?
Check out my cool new badge. What badge, you say? I am talking about the graphic displayed above that indicates that I survived the A to Z Challenge. I posted something in April for every letter of the alphabet, Monday through Friday. I actually did it. On the day. And all of my posts were geared toward my THEME of Passions, Phases and/or Life Lessons. Let me tell you (now that it is over) that it was touch and go round about the letter "T." I ran out of pre-written posts, I was tired, life was knocking on my door, and I really wasn't sure I was going to make it. However, it all turned out pretty darn awesome. Of course, now I feel like something the cat dragged in. Ooops. I am skipping ahead.
I want to take a minute (or two) to reflect back on this challenge. A few people that I regularly follow were already participating in the Challenge. That was nice. I started following some new blogs, and a few blogs started following me. Some were consistent. Some were not. Hey, that is how this blogging thing always works out. I think we are always looking for the blogs that have subject content we are actually interested in reading. So, to all of those readers, old and new, who stuck it out with me, I am continually inspired by your ability to give great comment. I look forward to cementing our blogging relationship in the future... when I get my head reattached to my body. Ooops. More on that later...
Alex J. Cavanaugh, who I have been following for quite some time now, and he I, had a Super Awesome Theme this time for the A to Z. It was kind of like a Here's To You on Steroids. (Apparently Alex figures out a way to showcase fellow bloggers with this challenge every year. I am only using the Here's To You as a reference point for those of you who didn't visit Alex's blog during the challenge so you can kinda/sorta imagine what this was like. However, he in NO WAY got this idea from my little ole blog. Moving on...) For each letter he picked out a movie and a song that started with that letter. He then chose a character from said movie that reminded him of a blogger buddy and linked them in to the post. He then posted their photo and said something nice about them to direct traffic to their page. On top of all that, there was trivia every day. I don't know anyone who is better about supporting fellow bloggers than Alex. He selected me for the letter "Y." Yep, right when I was spiralling out and going into freefall, Alex chose me. That, my friends is LIFE. Hahahaha. However, I wouldn't change a thing about it, since this blog spends half its life that way. I wouldn't want anyone to think there is false advertising going on here. Thank you, Alex, for picking me for the letter "Y" even though I have no idea WHY you would!
One last shout out to Arlee Bird who started this whole challenge in the first place. There were plenty of other helpers. If you are interested in any of the details, check out the A to Z site. It will be happening again next April.
I think I mentioned that I have been having some difficulty getting my self together after the the A to Z. Yeah. Something like that. I remember when I first started this blog. I blogged daily. I spent several days doing some head scratching over that one. How did I do that? Then it occurred to me. I had NO followers. I didn't know how to follow anyone for at least two months. I think I had nine followers for about four months. Now, nine blogs I can keep up with fairly easily. ::aaah, it is making sense now::
What is in store for the future? I really want to get back to the Inspirational Song Saturday posts. I think I am going to do a list of all the features already done, so that you can link back to them. They are all 80s artists and how well they worked MTV. Of course, this is strictly from my perspective. I want your opinion, too:) And I really miss my HERE'S TO YOU THURSDAY posts. I thought about trying to get one out this past Thursday, but I wasn't prepared. I have been hunting and gathering for next Thursday, though. No doubt, I will sprinkle some Random Thoughts in between these events.
Ever since the challenge I have been feeling like I've been stuck in second gear. Anyone else? Because of that, THIS SONG won't get out of my head:
Many of you have indicated that you are interested in seeing the return of Inspirational Song Saturday. Well, okay.
I am going to cheat a bit and do a repeat of one of my VERY EARLY posts to give you an idea of what you are in for with these Saturday posts. If you like them, I might post a list of all the bands/singers that have already been "done" and you can Search those posts if you want to go back and read them.
The way this post goes down is with one song at the beginning that is feeling Inspirational to Me Right Now. That means it is one song hitting me in my Happy Place right this very minute. It is not limited to any decade. So, while the rest of this post is a feature of 80s music and MTV, and how these two things are meshing, or maybe not meshing, though I haven't really gone there yet, but I am sure that I will, that has nothing to do with this first song.
I actually dedicated this song to Jasmine a couple of months ago on my Thursday post. However, I love love love it. Back in December, I felt like I was dying inside. Or maybe I was already dead. I don't know... just hollow. It felt like all the good things were gone and were never coming back. I had to very deliberately change my life, and what I was doing, so that I could start feeling again. It was a glorious thing to feel after months of not. So, when I heard this song it almost felt One Republic wrote and sang it just for me. It is one of those songs that I could listen to repeatedly. Every time I hear it I want to play it again. Yep. It's one of those.
Do you have songs like that, or days like that, or moods like that? When I get like that, I just sit on YouTube and keep hitting the repeat until it is out of my system.
So here goes:
Well I took two trips; I almost went a third time, but I decided that this blog wasn't going to write itself. So, I decided I better stop watching and listening and grooving - and get back to the writing. How many times did you hit the repeat?
I warn you that is the BIGGEST PROBLEM with these posts. Especially with the upcoming music if you are an 80s lover... you are about to watch videos you haven't seen in FOREVER and you are going to fall in love all over again. So, don't say you weren't warned...
Okay, now let's get down to business.
You can't talk about the 80s, MTV, and NOT talk about Michael Jackson. Unlike some other musicians, Michael Jackson wasn't an unknown in the industry. He was part of the Jackson 5. He was the youngest member of the Jackson 5, but the one that spent the most time in the spotlight. So, one could safely argue that he was the most talented member of the Jackson 5. In 1982, something phenomenal happened. Something that hasn't happened again. THRILLER was released. Would it have been the success that it was if not for MTV? I don't know. However, the combination of MTV and Michael Jackson was magic. And THRILLER set the music industry ablaze and the public went wild. I don't think Michael Jackson knew what hit him. THRILLER was not his first solo album, but it might as well have been, because nothing could have prepared him for what was to come. To this day, THRILLER is the best selling album of all-time. Let that sink in. (best selling album of all time) There were nine tracks, and all but two, hit the charts, which is unbelievable! Here they are:
1. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" Michael Jackson 6:02
2. "Baby Be Mine" Rod Temperton 4:20
3. "The Girl Is Mine" (with Paul McCartney) Michael Jackson 3:41
4. "Thriller" Rod Temperton 5:57
5. "Beat It" Michael Jackson 4:17
6. "Billie Jean" Michael Jackson 4:54
7. "Human Nature" Steve Porcaro, John Bettis 4:05
8. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" James Ingram, Quincy Jones 3:58
9. "The Lady In My Life" Rod Temperton 4:58
Let's take a look at what had the fans in such a frenzy.
Do you remember when I talked about how some stars knew how to rock a video and some didn't? Michael Jackson knew how to rock a video. People watched that and their jaws hit the floor. It wasn't just that the concept was awesome, there was some story there, the singing was incredible, but how cool was the dancing? He hit you in every sense you had. In fact, it was sensory overload. You wanted to call MTV and ask them to play it again. Please, pretty please play it again. Just two or three more times. Billie Jean knocked it out of the park. Michael Jackson understood the power of video. Video and song. They fed each other. You could do a video of yourself in concert, but why would you? So, he didn't. And he hit one homerun after another while everyone else stood around with their mouths hanging open wondering, "How is he doing that?"
I found this video looking for other videos and it isn't a song, but more of a "what they were thinking back then" video. I thought it was really interesting. If you find it tedious. You know where the stop button is. You can move on...
Of course, the last song has to be Thriller. The video is 13 minutes long and people couldn't get enough of it. We waited for Thriller to come on. Even me. And the only other thing I waited on was Duran Duran videos. So, that should tell you something. It was like a mini-movie. If this doesn't indicate that Michael got the connection between video and music, nothing will.
The only two videos I picked were from the Thriller album. That doesn't mean that Michael Jackson's career ended there. In fact, one of my favorite songs of his is Man In The Mirror.
It made me really sad that Michael Jackson died so early in his life. It made me even sadder that he felt the need to change his appearance so dramatically. I like these videos, not just because it is Michael in his prime, but it is because Michael when he still looks like himself. Just because you have the money to lighten your skin and have all kinds of plastic surgery to make yourself look different, (in his case, more Caucasian) doesn't mean you should. If I could have given him one thing, it would have been simply loving what he saw in the mirror.
RIP Michael Jackson. You are one of a kind. There will never be another musician like you.
Did you notice how much more important it became to be a good dancer or to have good dancers after Michael Jackson and MTV? What is your favorite song by Michael Jackson? What is your favorite video by Michael Jackson?
It is Sunday. Yep. That revelation became clear mid-afternoon today. Time is really having its way with me. If time were code for Really.Hot.Man that would be fabulous. Instead, it is more like code for Really.Sucky.Migraines. Gahhhh. Both involve inordinate amounts of time in bed. The migraine just means I am there by myself listening to my head pound. The other alternative would be much more fun. I think that I really shouldn't spend so much time dwelling on the other alternative. So, let's move on.
For those of who read my last post... you know that my dad checked himself into the hospital. Turns out that he did have a mass in his colon. They removed a portion of it to be biopsied. We have not yet gotten the results. So, will let you know something when there is something to know. As my brother pointed out, he and I are different people. I tend to worry about things ahead of time. He waits for there to be something to actually worry about. Of course, that worked to my advantage in places like, say school. I actually got my papers and things done, thoroughly researched, and on time. He didn't always get them done. Period. So, therein lies the difference. The idea of just not doing a paper... Even now, I just can't fathom it. Yeah, he and I are totally different people. Hence, there is the worrier with the migraines and the non-worrier who is very healthy. Case A and Case B. Something to ponder later. After those test results come in.
In the meantime, we have some 80s songs picks and an Inspirational song pick. Wow. It feels like FOREVER since this blog has blasted back into the past to hash and rehash what was burning up MTV. One point that I have to keep picking up and putting down (for those of you who weren't there or who have forgotten) is just how important being pretty was in the 80s. That went for the girls and the boys. Mostly for the boys. Seriously. Pretty boys were the rage in the 80s. Long hair. Big hair was in (for everyone) and eyeliner looked good on everyone (apparently), because everyone was wearing it! The 80s was the decade that men rocked it out looking a bit la femme. They got to swing that long hair around and the teenage girls swooned.
Especially for Jon Bon Jovi. They really swooned for Jon Bon Jovi. And he was totally swoon-worthy. And his band wasn't too bad either. But, Jon was The Deal. Women all over The USA cried when he got married. Seriously, it was on the news. There were reports of teenage girls locking themselves in their rooms and having a day-long cry. Refusing to come out. Yeah, it was the hormones. And they probably grew up to be certifiable. But still. He was H*O*T and he still is. 20 years later and he still stops traffic. That is saying something. Mick Jagger stops traffic, too. But, it is because he is so scary looking. He has been rode hard and put up wet way too many times. Not knocking The Rolling Stones. That particular stone has just rolled way too many times. Just sayin'. And he was never a looker to start.
I found the video choices for Bon Jovi to be interesting. They are almost all concert videos. You know my feelings on that. I think that when you have MTV working for you, you should work it. However, Bon Jovi kinda sorta does in their own way. Their concert vids aren't straight concert vids. They are mish mashed with their tour footage to give you a feel for what they are "really" like as people. That is not a bad idea. And they also give you a feel for what their fans are like. That is an interesting look back. I am going to post two different tacks they take. The other one is a mish mash of them "making" a video/their effects for a concert. Again, it gives you a sense of them as people.
Both of those songs came out in 1986-87. Bon Jovi was asked to do the entire soundtrack for the movie Young Guns and he accepted the project. The biggest hit from that movie was the song Blaze of Glory. Finally, a Bon Jovi video that uses footage from the movie in the video. Most big movies did this because fans loved the song, loved the video, loved the movie. It became a big circle. Each "event" helped propel the other to success. The more the people loved the video, they were likely to buy the soundtrack and watch the movie. The more they liked the movie, the more likely they were to watch out for the video on MTV. If they liked it, the more likely they were to buy the soundtrack. It was just a big old moneymaking circle.
I really loved that movie back in the day. I haven't seen it since "the day." Now, it makes me itchy to watch it again. Emilio Estevez really did pull off Billy The Kid. And I think that I saw a young Kiefer Sutherland. Man, I love me some Kiefer Sutherland. I am missing 24 like a crazy person misses whatever drugs crazy people take. The red pill. The blue pill. The yellow pill. Something tells me the crazy person doesn't care. They just say, "Give me my pills!" Yeah, like that.
You might be wondering why I am ~ once again ~ going with my Inspirational song last instead of first. Well, I am so glad you are wondering. It is because I am sticking with Bon Jovi. Bon Jovi, more or less present day. This one came out a few years ago. Really love this song. It is my "don't mess with me song." And I can't believe how great he still looks. Actually, I can. Some people just age well. Like fine wine.
So, the next time someone ticks you off, just tell them to have a nice day. Bless their heart.
It is Sunday. You know what that means. Yep. I am one day late, but not TOO late for the Inspirational Music Post for the weekend. I used to call it the Saturday post. I can't remember when it last made it on a Saturday. I am thinking of calling it the Inspirational Music Sunday post. That way it would fall on the correct day.
Normally, I pull out my Inspirational To Me song first and then move on to what was rocking MTV back in the 80s. If you are new to Inspirational Song Day, the MTV portion of this post is decided on several factors. 80s music and 80s video were using one another to rocket songs to success. Some artists were exceptional at this and others not so much. I think that everyone understands that teenagers were riveted to MTV, but they didn't all understand how to go about making a great video. Or they didn't have the skills to really entertain. Some people can sing, but can they perform? Those are two very different skill sets. If not for MTV, Michael Jackson and Madonna might not be the legends in music that they are today. Ponder that for a moment and then we shall move on.
Okay, I am going to bank on the fact that you have pondered. Or as John Cage from Ally McBeal would have said, "You have taken a moment." Let's take a look at WHAM today. That would be the duo that was George Michael and that Other Guy. You don't remember his name? Me either. George Michael was the talent in that duo. He was also the good looks and the performer. In other words, he had it all going on. If your gaydar was installed and working properly, you knew he was gay, straight out of the gate. My friend, Megan, spotted it immediately. Gay. I was like, "Say what? He is yummy."
She says, "If those shorts get any shorter in WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO -GO, he will be without pants." She then went into, "Who wears short shorts, George wears short shorts," in a sing song voice. I was very familiar with the video and the short shorts. She was right. They couldn't get any shorter. Gay. How sad. I got over it and just enjoyed the show. It's still a great song. How does he get his teeth that white? Inquiring minds need to know! And here is the video and George in his very short shorts... I apologize ahead of time because it is a very catchy tune. The 80s are brilliant with their songs.
WHAM! Now wasn't that awesome? That is just like going back in time. Well, as close as I am ever going to get. Here is another best from WHAM! I love this one for two reasons. You get the plus of seeing what the concerts were like, because they have it going on in the background. Man, that was insane. You can also see what the live performances were like... incredible, amazing, mind-blowing, insert your own word here. However, it isn't strictly a lame concert video, which I think is lame when you have this wonderful medium at your disposal. However, George Michael functions best as a performance artist, so you can see why inserting pieces of his concerts into his videos works. It is all part of the art. It showcases how he MOVES. Sort of like Michael Jackson and his dancing. That is a big part of what made him such a huge hit. Singing and dancing and how they went together were a very big deal in the 80s. I will stop talking about it and let you watch it in action...
Eventually, George Michael split from the Other Guy and went solo. Well, that was huge because one of his first big hits as a solo artist was I WANT YOUR SEX. Does anyone else remember this? I was glad I was at college when this happened. I can't imagine playing this at top volume at home. My mom would have blown a freaking gasket. At college, it was a whole different ballgame. I was listening to the Violent Femmes at top volume and they used the "F" word repeatedly, which would have might caused her to disown me. Did I mention there was some rebellion going on in college? No. I suppose that listening to The Violent Femmes and I WANT YOUR SEX are fairly large clues. I suppose that is better than having lots of sex. People who talk about it a lot are usually not doing it. Just sayin'. Mom would be relieved. Just in case she reads this blog. Moving on...
Anyway, one of my favorite songs off of that album was the song called MONKEY. I don't think that I have seen the video until today. However, it illustrates how much George's image changed in a fairly short amount of time. About six years, I think. I don't know if he was out of the closet with everyone, or if I just knew because of my above-mentioned friend, Megan. I know that my college best friend, Jennifer, had a terrible crush on him. I hated to dash her hopes and dreams. She refused to accept the cold, hard truth, so I am thinking that maybe he was still in the closet. I don't know. My memory is lousy. Or she thought it was a waste. Whatever. *sigh* Anyway, at the time, I thought the song was about drugs, because drugs were commonly referred to as being a monkey on someone's back. However, I now think that any addiction can be the monkey. It's a great song. I think I love it more now than I did then. I hope you give it a listen. George still has excellent moves, but the lyrics of the song just might speak to you. A monkey is anything that is holding you back. Keeping you from getting what you want in your life. You need to figure out how to peel that thing off, once and for all, so that you can start living the life that is waiting for you. And when I say you, I mean you... and me.
Technically, I suppose I could stop this post right here because that song was pretty darn inspirational to me. Right now. However, I already had something else picked out for today. Something occurred to me a couple of days ago. As someone who loves 80s music, there are a few things about it that make it appealing. It is lyrical in a way that it is distinctive to the decade. Most songs last about three minutes. Another thing is that the chorus repeats many times. Particularly at the end. If you don't know any part of the song, you know the chorus, because it is repeated often. Not so in current rock music. You get the chorus at most, in many, three times. And the songs can last up to five minutes. Also, the chord structure in current music is limited. The riffs don't linger in your head. You don't find yourself humming them later. The music isn't lyrical. They aren't easy to sing. As someone who likes to karaoke, the current stuff is tough to sing. And a lot of it is actually not that pretty. 80s music is fun to sing. Sounds pretty. As a singer, it is easier to sing. All kinds of pluses. Interesting.
Now, where was I going? The thing that is closest to 80s music in today's music: Country music. You heard me. It is the reason that people who like OLD country don't like today's country. It is too pop. If you listen to Tim McGraw's song BACK WHEN (which I love, by the way) there is a line in there about him missing back when because they have put pop in his country. It's true. All of the people who grew up on 80s music rebelled when the 90s rolled around, started throwing up in their mouths every time the radio came on, and finally switched to country. Country figured out they were gaining a younger audience (people who grew up on 80s) and started putting pop in their country to keep them, and it worked. People of the 80s: that is where your 80s music went, just in case you were wondering. Everyone who loved John Mellencamp, Bryan Adams, Journey, etc. switch your dial to country. They now go by Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, etc. You can pay me later. I will give you my PayPal information, just send me an email.
Last week I played a Miranda Lambert song called The House That Built Me. That one makes me cry. It's a song about wanting to go home again. I have been feeling that myself. That "if I can just go back for a few minutes, I will find the missing piece and put myself back together again." In fact, I was thinking about roller skating around my neighbor's garage to Rod Stewart's DO YOU THINK I'M SEXY this morning. We would strap on our skates. Yeah, I am that old. And skate around the garage with the record blaring, singing at the top of our voices. At the time, I was certain NO ONE thought I was sexy. I was twelve. Maybe thirteen. However, I was looking forward to a day in the future when someone I had yet to meet would definitely think I was sexy. Back then, all I wanted to be was older and sexy. Now, I would love to be back in that garage, strapping on those skates, and not have a real care in the world. Funny how that works. And that is why I like this song. And so I present Lady Antebellum. The 80s gone country.
I think I used to have the dress she is wearing while she is under the clothesline. Bless her heart. Rock on people.
And in the immortal words of our Atlanta newscaster on youtube, "I love you long. I love you strong. And for God's sake, don't do anything stupid. Don't do anything stupid, people."
I don't know how many of you even noticed, but last weekend I completely failed to put an Inspirational music post up at all. Ugggh. Here's To You Thursday came out on Friday, and by Sunday evening I knew that the music thing just wasn't going to happen. The really sad part about that whole debacle was that I had all of the music chosen. I just didn't feel able to put a post together. That seems really pathetic in hindsight.
Well, let me tell you a little story. Actually, have you ever noticed how sometimes that in life you get a bunch of little stories that fold into a collective of one big story? I think it is the universe trying to tell you something. Maybe. Or not. I do know that I pick up bits and pieces of wisdom from you people on here that make me stop and think and reevaluate. It has been cause for some major chicken coop cleaning (aka brain cleansing).
About a month ago I had a dream about my best friend, Jennifer, from high school, that I think I told you about, that prompted a telephone call. Anyway, we have been talking on the phone since then. It has been a really wonderful reconnection for both of us. To recap for those of you who missed that blog, I was on a crazy vacation with my parents and stressed out, when I bumped into her and her parents and literally said, "Thank God you're here." And then I woke up. I took it as a sign that I should track her down, so I did. Turns out she was thinking about me, too. Life is funny like that.
I think that I also told you about this little family pizza place that does karaoke on the weekends. Well... they have started doing it on Saturday nights now, too. Fridays got crazy. So, we now go on Saturdays. Less crazy. Everyone has a different approach to the whole thing. Some people sing the same thing every week. I suppose, because of that, they get pretty good at the song. It gives them the chance to really practice. They know what is coming, etc. Then there is me. Easily bored. I am more like kamikaze karaoke. I like something different all the time. If it works, great. If not, oh well. Of course, this did work better when I was going to a karaoke joint that let me use my own CDs so I could practice at home and use my CDs. I have LOTS of CDs. Now, even songs that I have on CD aren't necessarily good, because every version is different. LOL. One would think I might do the same thing a few times just so that I have a few things that I know are top-notch. Nope. Apparently that is not how I roll. I know that I have some things that I think will be better, but that is as close as I come. I get easily diverted, because that really isn't where I was going with this story...lol. Now where I was going...
Last week there was a young girl who sang Miranda Lambert's The House That Built Me. Honestly, the kid really couldn't sing that well. As in, she found about half the notes half the time. However, anyone who does karaoke is a superstar in my book. It takes courage to stand up and sing in front of people, so I clap for everyone. Some people because they are good, and some people because they are done. I just don't explain. At the end of that song, I was about crying in my chair. That is puzzle piece number 2 to this story. How about we listen to Miranda sing the song? She hits all of the notes. That is refreshing. And it is a cool video to boot.
I have been dreaming about the house where I grew up for a while now. In several different contexts actually. For those of you who have read this blog for a long time might remember some of them. But sometimes I just go home and walk around my house in my dreams. There is a part of me that knows that whoever moved in changed "my" house. They redecorated, maybe even made major renovations. But in my dreams it is just the same. I have also talked (repeatedly) about time travel machines and fixing my life. I used to joke that if I could just get back to the summer before my senior year of high school, I think that would do it. I would be back at a place where I was healthy enough that I could make better choices, and stay that way. Blah blah blah. I think mostly what I want is just to feel what it was like to feel certain again. That girl felt certain about her life and where she going. The last time I felt certain was when I was in high school. So those lyrics speak to me.
You leave home and you move on and you do the best you can I got lost in this old world and forgot who I am
I thought if I could touch this place or feel it This brokenness inside me might start healing Out here it’s like I’m someone else I thought that maybe I could find myself If I walk around I swear I’ll leave Won’t take nothing but a memory From the house that built me
Enter the third puzzle piece to this story. Once again, it comes to me via a dream. I tell you, if not for dreams I am not sure I would figure anything out! One morning this week I had a dream where I was with my friend, Megan, after a very long absence, and I was so happy to see her that I was crying. I mean really crying. Crying so hard in the dream that I was crying in real life. Crying so hard that it woke me up. At 4:30am. Yeah, that part sucked. Cause my head was freaking killing me when I came awake. Like it was going to roll right off my shoulders killing me. But, I knew that it was another sign. I was supposed to call her. Naturally, my address book was lost in my move. But, her husband, another former high school friend of mine is on facebook, and I sent him an email. She lives on the West Coast and we have been trying to connect since then. It is difficult to conquer time zones.
What I am getting at here is support system. Everyone needs one. When you are in pain, you don't want to talk to people because you feel lousy, so you push people out. That is the wrong thing to do. I have been doing it for years. However, it is the wrong thing to do. You don't want to burden them with your pain. You want to wait until you are all better, and have good news to report. Well, guess what? By the time you have good news to report a decade may have gone by; a decade is rough on a friendship. Don't wait. I have good friends. That are patient with my stupidity and willing to understand. Not everyone is. Make the call already.
Now, on to our 80s bands of the week. MTV is still rocking it out. I don't have lots to say about this band. I think the music speaks for itself. The music is good. The video is good. I always try to choose good music and good video. If you don't have good video, you don't make my weekend line up. So, this week's 80s pick is.... wait for it... J Geils Band. And you can decide what your favorite is and let me know.
Okay, once again this has all made me miss MTV like crazy. Well, not today's MTV. But MTV when it was GOOD. So, I salute the 80s and it's fine music. And I miss it like crazy. And I promise to be back next week to favor you with another impressive video artiste. Until then, rock on!
I think that I am going to be brief, as in non-existent, about Christmas today (I do have a funny little story to tell for tomorrow) and leave it for then. Actually, I have several holiday tales for you, but I am going to put them off because today is the inspirational music post day.
I am late getting it out for two reasons. 1) I really struggled with the music. I had one 80s artist lined up and then changed my mind. So, I wound up going through footage for a totally different band. Egads. AND I had no handle on what song was inspirational to me at all. Usually this problem resolves itself in fairly short order. Today, that just was not happening. My problem was that the songs I liked were not matching up to videos that impressed me much. OR there were no videos. Just the song. I really like a cool video to go with a song. It bugs me when I don't get the whole package. Of course, sometimes there is a video mashup to a song, and I really like it, but it is set to a TV show I watch, and I think that you guys will roll your eyes. Or that the song will mean less because it is set to a show you don't watch. So, do I go with a blank screen, and just the song, or clips to a show that you might not watch, because there is no "official" video? Egads. I don't like these choices. So, I flit around like a butterfly on steroids unable to make up my mind.
2) My friend Anthony came over and I had Christmas money. I also have no pants that fit, because I have lost so much weight. So, we went shopping. He is cool like that. I had NO IDEA what size I would be. Turns out that mostly I am a 4P or 4Short. However, in some brands a 4 is too big. Eeeks. That sent me eventually to juniors, which had me flipping out. The 80s are back. OMG. That was terrible the first time. Why would anyone bring it back around voluntarily for another go? I nearly passed out. Zippers on pants. Parachute pants? Seriously? This wasn't hideous enough 20 years ago? Fluorescent colors? Why people why? That had me running back to the women's department, because I forgot to thoroughly vet the designated petite area. We had just thoroughly went through women's department looking for petites and shorts. I finally ended up with two pair of jeans, and a nice pair of pants that are khaki with a multi colored check or lines in them. I am not good with fashion description. I will have to wear them, I suppose, and post a photo. Anyway, I finally have pants again that don't require a belt to stay up. Whew.
My next project is to go through all of my clothes and donate to Goodwill, bag as "fat clothes" and indicate which exact "fat size" it is, since I am now running the gamut up to 10. Put each in its own crate so that if my weight fluctuates again I will have "new" clothes when I open the designated crate. This is another "benefit" of migraines. I will take this moment to ~ once again ~ bemoan the loss of some of favorite tops that would now fit like a glove. Yes, I am a small and they are gone, gone, gone. Long gone. Thus, the need for the crate system. With the additional designation of summer/winter wear. Clearly, this is a pain in the rear end sort of task.
I think you can see why it has been so difficult to work up the steam to find my mojo and pluck out an inspirational song to me. Well, yes and no. There were some really lovely, fine, and wonderful things that happened over the holidays, so I really shouldn't complain. I even had mom take pictures of me to put on here. However, I looked awful. She says it was because I was wearing a black shirt and it washed me out. So, tomorrow I shall see if I can't find something nicer to go with my new pants and try it again. Surely, there must be something decent in my wardrobe! I think I digressed off of my song again. Anyway, here is one that made me smile.
I hope that the ending made you smile, too. That little spider was so cute. It was his specialness that made Spiderman a superhero, yet he was so overlooked. The girl never spared him a second glance. So, when he saw his opportunity there at the end, he grabbed it. Too cute. Nothing like being proactive, eh? Anything can happen in live theatre and sometimes it does!!!
Well, after all of my blah blah blah about the 80s, we are going to talk about 80s music and video. Totally different from my journey into juniors earlier today. Well, maybe not so different, but different enough. 80s had so much going right and music video was one them. Clothes was definitely debatable. There were only a few all-girl bands and The Go-Gos were one of them. The lead singer was Belinda Carlisle and Jane Weidlin played lead guitar (I think). She also did a lot of the back-up vocals. She was popular enough in her own right that I remember her name. She was spunky. In my opinion, she had all of the "energy" of that band. If there was someone you wanted to watch, it was her. Belinda had an excellent voice, but Jane had the personality. One of their best songs was WE GOT THE BEAT. Terrible video. As in dull. You can watch it on your own if you feel so inclined. Great song, just a concert vid. Nothing original about it.
Here are a couple of videos of The Go-Gos rocking out MTV. I have very fond memories of dancing around my living room singing into a hairbrush to all of these songs. So, you can think about that while you watch these. They did, indeed, have the beat!
Hello blogging world. I promised you your weekly inspirational music post today and *tada* here it is. I still got it all going on, but the world still goes round. I am still sleeping more than I am awake. I am pleased to report that The Powers That Be decided to remove the anvil from my head last night while I was sleeping. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We are back to our regularly scheduled migraine, and I couldn't be happier. That would be the one where I get a little bit of time every day where I can think straight. This would be that window.
I was really having trouble yesterday with my Inspirational To Me song. Otherwise, I would have gone ahead with the post. I did add some music I liked to an already extensive list of youtube action on my favorites. However, nothing really said this is the one. I usually know it when I find it. My warped sense of humor started out my search today by looking for Pat Boone's version of Ozzy's Crazy Train set to Buffy The Vampire Slayer clips. Yeah, that is kind of where I am living. That would have made me laugh... a lot. Surprisingly, no one has used that long with any clips. I am really shocked. I would have thought someone would have had a field day with it. Anyway, people surprise me all of the time, in good and bad ways. So...moving on...
I looked over ~ again ~ everything that I had and still remained unsatisfied. So, I sat and thought about it. I did have this one Tim McGraw song that is new. Tim is doing lots of movies lately. Have you noticed? Not just movies. But good movies. He was in The Blind Side. He is in Country Strong, which I want to see. There are some artists that make me think of other artists. Tim always makes me think of Kenny Chesney. They came out about the same time. Tim came out first. However, Kenny came out not long after, and they are good friends.
That made me think of the first time I saw Kenny Chesney in concert. It was at a fair in Michigan. I didn't even know who he was. He was the first guy on stage. The opener. I was going to a lot of fairs and concerts that summer and he was opening for Sawyer Brown or Alabama. Or maybe Sawyer Brown and Alabama were playing together and he was the opener for both. I just don't remember. It was the mid-90s. I had decent seats. Front row under the covered area. So, I wasn't right up on the stage, but I wasn't cooking in the sun, either. I remember Kenny coming out and playing a few songs and thinking that the kid had talent. He was shy as all get-out, but he had talent. Some woman yelled something off-color to him and he blushed so hard that I could see it from where I was sitting. He was so taken aback that he was completely at a loss for words. He started saying things like, "Well, I don't know about that ma'am." There were a lot of ma'ams thrown in and feet shuffling. His band saved him by starting the next song. I remember nudging my friend and saying, "That is the cutest thing I have ever seen." Yeah, Kenny Chesney was green on the concert circuit. He was still easily flustered and surprised by people. That wears off. Eventually, you become jaded. Nothing anyone does will surprise you. By now, I am sure that he has had so many panties thrown his way that he takes it in stride. Probably throws them to his panty collector and says, "Add them to the pile." I was glad I got to see him before that. When he had no show. No artifice. When he was just a kid hoping to make it doing something he loved.
Well, he made it big-time. He has been Entertainer of the Year so many times now that he is giving Garth Brooks a run for his money. Why? Because he puts on a damn good show. He feels like everyone paid for the ticket and they deserve 110% every time he goes out there. When he rolled through Columbia, SC, back in 2004, a decade later I got to see him again. He wasn't that same kid who blushed at off-color remarks and no one knew who he was. Instead, he was The Main Event. He filled an arena. He came up through the floor with fog and lights and lots of effects. And the race was on. 110%. "Looking back at the moments black and white. I wouldn't change a thing for the worse, for the better."
Kenny and I are a lot alike. I, too, am gone and I ain't back yet. It just isn't quite in the same way. I also wouldn't change any of the things in my past, because I think they all happened for a reason. They were teaching moments, and I needed to learn the lesson. I just needed to sing that song about being not back yet with a little more enthusiasm, and little less bitterness, and that helped. Yeah, I am gone and I ain't back yet. I suppose that maybe we never get back to where we started, and that is a good thing. The point is to move forward. There is no power in the past. Anyway, I will always have a soft spot for Kenny Chesney, and his song OLD BLUE CHAIR will always be one of my favorites. Love, love that song.
Well, now that we have satisfied that Inspirational To Me portion of this blog, let's move on to the 80s and what was rockin' MTV. So many bands in the 80s were pretty. Do you remember that? With that advent of video, prettiness was very important. Of course, Madonna notched up the sexy factor. However, even the boys were wearing make-up and big hair was totally in for everyone in the 80s. My own beloved John Taylor of Duran Duran was a pretty boy. So, what did you do if you weren't pretty? You had to have another hook.
ZZ Top had a car. A red car. With keys that were ZZs. They also had rad guitars and this signature move with their hands. And they disappeared. They also tended to always show up in times of need and be on the side of the underdog. Who doesn't love that? Oh, and there were always very hot girls popping out of the car. (That was the answer to the if you aren't a pretty boy question. People loved ZZ Top videos. The CAR and what might pop out of it any given time was FASCINATING!!!)
See what I mean? If you don't believe me. There are more ZZTop vids to watch. Gotta love that car. Those keys. The arm move. And the disappearing men. How do they get that many people in that car???? Awesome. Freaking awesome. This is the kind of thing that teenagers can think about for hours on end. Way to go guys!!!! I have said it before, but I will say it again. I miss my MTV.
I decided to go ahead and do my Saturday post today. I am still sick, so you might actually benefit by reading a shorter than usual post. lol. Colds are just nasty. Unless they actually turn into an infection, there really is not much you can do. Soup, rest, water, over the counter medicine, blah blah blah. Mostly it is just letting the darn thing run its course. Or wait for it to turn into something bacterial that requires an antibiotic, so that you can actually get better. It is enough to make you crazy. In my case, crazier. I have my appt with the regular doctor that social security assigned me to see on Tuesday. I am fairly certain that I will still be sick as a dog. That will be lovely. Well, there is no point in worrying about what you cannot control.
Yesterday, I spent some time thinking about song for Inspirational song day and cruising around Youtube. I found a few things and saved them into my favorites. As I was contemplating this post, I thought about the jingle for Alka Seltzer. Right now, that is really about the only thing resonating with me, and that is not my over-the-counter brand of choice. I take Nyquil every six hours. Dayquil sucks. However, I like the song for Alka Seltzer. It made me realize that I miss jingles. They don't do jingles so much anymore for commercials. It is pretty much talking with music in the background. That is kind of sad. More commentary on how we are changing as a society.
Anyway, I didn't have a hard time coming up with my Inspirational To Me song at all. I have liked it for a long time. I had not watched the video until yesterday and I LOVED IT. I had to watch it a couple of times. I hope that you like it, too.
Sometimes, the answer is just showing up. You don't have to have any of the answers. Anyway, great song and great video.
When I decided to feature The Cars this week I had no idea what I would find on Youtube. I was surprised that so many of their songs were available. In fact, a lot of their songs from the late 70s are now on video and called Classics. I had their Greatest Hits on cassette tape and it was one of my favorites. When I went to college, it was about a seven hour drive home. That meant a lot of music shuffled in and out of my cassette deck. I loved that Greatest Hits tape by The Cars. The first track was JUST WHAT I NEEDED and was probably my favorite. In fact, I liked their earlier stuff best. However, for the sake of showcasing what was playing on MTV in the early 80s I should stick with what was actually playing then.
Before I started looking anything up, I did a mental review to see what I could remember. The song that came immediately to mind was the one where the lead singer was walking on the water in the pool. I couldn't think of the name of the song. This could be old age or my migraine issues... not sure which. I remember watching that video intently whenever it came on to figure out how they did that. I finally decided that there must have been panels of glass that he was standing on. I don't know with any degree of certainty how they actually did it, but that is what my teenage brain deduced. Turns out that the song is called MAGIC. So, the concept of a guy walking on water is actually pretty cool. I could continue to tell you about it or just let you watch it...
Also in keeping with their stuff that was playing about the same time period is this one. What I like about both of these videos is that they aren't concert vids. They understood what MTV was all about as a forum and used it. This makes me want to go digging through all of my old cassette tapes to find The Cars Greatest Hits. I have just been hit by nostalgia. Well, while I am thinking about that, we can watch this...
Well, I have thought about it. That is a lot of work. And I have youtube. I think I will just watch more Cars videos. It will be just what I needed.
Thanksgiving has come and gone, so we are now officially in the Christmas season. Ironically, many people find it difficult to work up the happy at this time of year. I think that forced happiness is difficult. Or maybe just being around chronic happiness can make an ordinary life unbearable. In other words, what is bearable at all other times of the year, becomes unbearable when surrounded by so much glee. I know that sounds a little crazy. But, I specialize in the crazy, and that is my opinion. I know that too much happiness when my head feels like it is about to split right off my body is flat-out annoying. Annoying isn't the right word, but you get the idea. Throw in all of the other aches and pains, the fact that my friends don't or won't make the time to fit me into their schedules, and I get downright Grinchy at Christmas. That is part of the allure of blogging. You people still visit. You don't have to drive across town to do it. And you leave nice comments.
The inspirational video for the day reminds me a little bit of PAY IT FORWARD. I love that concept. I think that the whole world would be nicer if we always paid it forward in large and small ways at every opportunity. Sometimes I think that people get hung up because they think that it has to be huge in order for it to "count." Not true. Small things matter. And what is small to you might be huge to someone else. You never know where someone else is living. That is the thing about kindness. We can never be too kind to another person. We don't know their circumstances or the pains from which they are suffering. Your kind word might be the only kind word they hear that day, that week, that month. Do not discount your kindness. And that is why I love this video. I hope that you love it, too. Maybe it will make Your Favorites.
I have always liked the number eight because it comes full circle. I suppose I could like the number zero for the same reason, but not so much. Eight has balance and comes full circle. I like it. I like things with symmetry. Things that come full circle. Stories that have an end that bring you full circle, but that you didn't see coming. It was one of the reasons I liked Seinfeld so much. They did that a lot with four crazy characters on seemingly different journeys that all intersected and impacted at the end. Bang. When I write something with a Bang ending, it means it came full circle somehow. It had symmetry, balance, and it finished with a flourish. I like that. If there is some heartburn in there, well then I knocked it out of the park. Doesn't happen often. Anyway, I like my TV, movies, songs, and people like that, too. Give me an onion. Not a real one. Don't really like those, but the metaphorical ones. Love those.
Well, this is Saturday and we are pressing the button and checking out what was playing on MTV back in the 80s. Turns out lots of good stuff was playing on MTV back in the 80s. LOL. I watch the videos now and think, "The 80s had fantastic music. But the clothes and the hair were just freakin' terrible." And that is the truth. I would love to burn all of the pictures of myself from junior high through high school, except my play pictures. Keep those. The rest can meet a fiery death. I think I had a "me" moment and digressed. Let's get back on topic.
We are going to feature Journey today. I really loved Journey. I think of Journey and think of the skating rink. Actually, I think of a lot of 80s music and think of the skating rink. Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner (which was a little harder), were are all awesome bands that when I start thinking about one of them, I think about all of them. But, we are sticking with Journey today. Steve Perry was the lead singer of Journey, and eventually left them and did a solo album. At least one. I don't know if he did more than one or not. And I am not looking it up. At least, not today. I can still remember the video for Oh Sherrie, though. Moving on...
Narrowing down the videos was fairly easy. I didn't want to go with concert footage, and I wanted to pick songs that I really liked. Yeah, have you noticed how much this blog really is all about me? I've learned you can't please other people, so I quit trying. I please me, so that I know one person will be happy. I figure that at least some of the rest of you will like my choices. So, here are the two Journey videos that I like (and remember best), and are non-concert vids (mostly). Every time I listen to Faithfully it makes me want to hold up a lit cigarette lighter. If I had one. Which I don't. But, I still have that feeling. It's a warm, gooey feeling. Geez, I love that song.
That was pretty darn awesome. I feel 20 years younger. Nope. That was a lie. I don't. I feel just as old now as I did twenty minutes ago. But, that was a lot of fun. And I am really glad that I am not in high school anymore. And there you have the silver lining. Happy Saturday peeps!
Some of you may have noticed that all was quiet on the southern front yesterday. That is my quippy way of saying that I didn't blog. I did read a couple of blogs, but not many. My head was killing me and it just didn't let up. Usually I can squeeze a few good hours out of a day, but the last few days... make it the last week or couple of weeks, it has been challenging. And it has been manifesting itself in every aspect of my life. The migraine meds just don't work for me, so it has all been pain mgmt via pain pills. Well... I know that too much of that stuff is bad for you.
I have been living on pain medication for years, so I really try to not take it unless it is necessary. Well... for the last couple of weeks my migraines have been so bad that they have been waking me out of a sound sleep between 3-5am. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not good. This means that I am taking meds all day long; as soon as the medication wears off, the migraine kicks back in. Not surprisingly, the last few days my stomach has really been hurting. I have no doubt that it is a response to all of the pain medication. I sent off an email to my doctor today. Fortunately, she is excellent about replying.
Normally, I don't post this kind of crap on my blog. No one wants to hear about your medical junk. Besides, I know many of you have medical junk of your own. I am also a big believer of negative builds on negative and positive builds on positive. So, I really try to throw positive stuff out into the universe because that is the foundation that I want to build on. I believe in positive comments, positive thinking, positive visualization, asking for what you want, believing you will get it, and that there truly is a Grand Design (no matter how messed up everything looks at any given moment).
Yesterday was supposed to be my magical music day. That didn't happen. It was my spend the day in bed day. Yuck. And my laptop is at the computer fix-it place being wiped. That has me less than happy. All of my wonderful youtube footage saved in my favorites for later are very likely lost in space. *sigh* Ironically, I didn't even have an 80s group picked out because I was feeling so bad all week long. Yeah, it was really that kind of week. So, now I am sitting at my step dad's computer and thinking about how I might accomplish this mission without totally annoying my mom. She is at the next desk, which is only a few feet away. I love listening to youtube music. It drives her up the wall. I have nothing saved and no ideas. It is entirely possible that she might kill me, even though she loves me like crazy, and I am her only daughter. It would be a crime of passion. Totally an "in the moment" thing. I know that she would feel terrible later.
Well, I will try doing some listening and see what happens. If she gets that look in her eye and goes for the iron skillet in the kitchen, I might have to switch gears and do something else.
Well, this turned out to be easier than I thought. I strongly encourage you to listen to the inspirational song for today. You will probably look at the name of the song and band and scratch your head. The only reason I am familiar is because this song came out at a time when I was actively watching CMT. Why CMT? Because if I felt cruddy and only could stand 10 minutes of TV it was no big to turn it off. There was no emotional investment in a "show." However, as soon as I saw this song I LOVED it. However, I never heard it on the radio... of course. Because it was awesome. Probably not country enough for country radio, rock enough for rock radio, etc. Basically it just didn't fit in anywhere. In other words, it was awesome. So, give it a listen even if you hate country. It may never rank up there with your faves, but it is a very cool song. Definitely inspirational.
I have been thinking that I wanted to do an 80s soundtrack for a while. My original thought was to take a successful soundtrack and pick a couple of songs that had particularly interesting videos. Well, that isn't how this post is going to work. However, that idea is still on the backburner. Instead, I am going to go with an 80s artist that had two REALLY successful songs on two DIFFERENT soundtracks. In both cases, this artist shot the videos using footage from the movies. That was brilliant. Had the movies been duds, that would not have been a good idea. However, both of these movies were box office blockbusters and this was a case of a song using MTV in yet another visual way. The movie, the song, and MTV all were using each other to ride each of these separate, but interlocked, entities to success. People watched the video and then had to see the movie. People watched the movie and then loved the video. People loved the video and had to buy the soundtrack. It was one more unanswered question of which of these caused the other to become the unparalleled success that it became. Who knows?
The only thing that was certain was that the fans were glued to MTV, buying the soundtracks as fast as they could, and hearts were palpitating all over America for Kevin Bacon and Tom Cruise. Yep, the artist we are talking about was Kenny Loggins. In the 70s and early 80s he was "speaking" to our parents. In the mid-80s, he jumped the generational gap when he became the musical voice for FOOTLOOSE and TOP GUN. Yep, Kenny Loggins jumped back on the musical rollercoaster and became a hot property. If you don't remember, or doubt what I am saying, just watch the footage. Kenny Loggins knew when to step in and when to step out and it put him back on top. Yeah, he was, once again, a top gun.... lol.
I have to admit that both of those movies were HOT HOT HOT back in the 80s. And Tom Cruise was the sh*t before he lost his freaking mind. Kevin Bacon still is the sh*t. I have a funny story to tell about high school, but today isn't the day. One day when I am lacking material I will share it. Well, it was funny then... maybe not so much now. Maybe it was a had to be there story. I don't know. But, Kenny Loggins always was classy to me. I always loved that song that he wrote for his father THIS IS IT. At least, I understood that it was for his father. As I understood it, his dad had cancer and was mentally giving up. It was the kick in the ass song that Kenny wrote for his dad. It was him drawing the line in the sand letting his dad know that he had a lot of fight left in him and no one else was giving up. It makes me cry every time I listen to it. So, yeah, I think Kenny Loggins is hardcore. In his soul. Where it counts. And I think he knows something about walking in the Danger Zone. Not necessarily where there is artillery and gunfire (I don't know about that), but fighting the good fight. Yeah, I think he knows about that. And he isn't a quitter. I like that.
These Saturday posts are killing me in a totally cool way. I thought that I was completely prepared for today. I had my stuff all ready to go on THURSDAY. I was actually organized and prepped in advanced. This week there was not going to be the usual scrambling at the last minute. Turns out that I was half right about that. It turns out that a song can be inspirational to me on one day and then not so much two days later. How about that? Who knew? So, my 80s stuff was set and ready for blast off, but the jazz me up or speak to me music... that was no longer happening. Huh. So, it was back to youtube.
I am going back to the regular format for today. That means we are starting with my song. The one that speaks to me. Yeah, the one that I just spent about 40 minutes looking for on youtube. Make that 30 minutes on youtube and ten minutes sitting here staring at my computer with a dumb look on my face. This is yet another case where some of you will only appreciate the song, and that is totally fine because the song ROCKS. I didn't go with the original video because I might pull it out and use it when I finally get to this artist as my 80s pick of the week. This is one of my favorite Bon Jovi songs. Yeah, I am tipping you off on purpose.
However, I picked the clips set to a totally awesome TV show that was cancelled way too soon. In fact, the fan outcry was so loud that they tied up the storyline by turning it into a major motion picture. I don't know when the TV people will just learn to trust that Joss Whedon is a freaking genius and give his shows at least two seasons to make it. Each time they cancel his shows without giving them two full seasons it is like shooting themselves in the wallet. They did it most recently with DOLLHOUSE (FOX network, you are a bunch of dumbasses, pardon my language). And before that they did it with FIREFLY (SCI-FI channel, same goes for you!). FOX, you are a bigger group of idiots than Sci-Fi, because you should have learned from their mistake. I don't know who is running that network, but you need someone to shove a high heel up your rear. Just sayin'. I know I already said it. I felt like it needed reinforcement.
Rewinding back to the fan outcry... if you watched the movie SERENITY, but missed the TV show FIREFLY, you missed out. It was an amazing show. It lasted one season. I am feeling the need to curse again and I am really trying to quit. It is not coming back. Nathan Fillion's amazingness is now on ABC's very successful show, Castle, on Mondays at 9pm or 10pm. I can't remember because I DVR it. Anyway, it is a homerun. Love love love CASTLE. But I miss FIREFLY. So, this is to cheer me up. One of my favorite Bon Jovi songs set to FIREFLY/SERENITY clips. It just doesn't get much better than this...
Wasn't that a treat? It was better than ice cream. Seriously. Joss Whedon is pure genius. How could anyone doubt the man? He created Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. What is wrong with these network yo-yos? I feel myself moving backward instead of forward. Let's really move backward, like into the 80s backward, so that we can move forward. Are you still following me? Good.
I have been wracking my brain trying to remember exactly when I heard U2 for the first time. I think I was in junior high school and the first song was Sunday Bloody Sunday. However, The Joshua Tree was the first cassette tape that I bought and Rattle and Hum got so much play that I wore the music off in places, so that certain songs would no longer play. Yep, I really loved U2. As you might imagine, I had a great time surfing youtube looking for U2 videos. I hope you enjoy them as much I as I do.
I miss MTV when it actually played MUSIC!!!! Plus I forgot how SMOKIN' HOT Bono was in the 80s. I think I was too young to fully appreciate him then. That has to be it.... Wow. I think I burned my retinas. I need a cold washcloth for my eyes. I will have to read ya'lls blogs later... when I can see again.
