30 Songs from the Summer of 1987
Music-wise, I’d have to rank the summer of 1987 as… OK. Either way, we’re going to take a look at 30 Songs from the Summer of 1987. 30 Songs from the Summer of 1987 Don’t get me wrong: thirty years ago, beachgoers were slathering on that Coppertone lotion to some very, VERY good songs– I’m talking classics, such as U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” Heart’s “Alone,” and Sammy Hagar’s “Give to Live.” (OK,...
‘Grey’ Matter: 30 Facts about Grateful Dead’s ‘Touch of Grey’
Thirty years ago, in the summer of 1987, the Grateful Dead released “Touch of Grey,” from the album In the Dark. Peaking at #9, the song was– and remains to this day– the only Grateful Dead song to reach the Billboard Top Ten. Or even the Top 40. Or even the Top 50. (“Truckin’”— the Dead’s highest charting song prior to “Touch of Grey”— peaked at #64.) “Touch of Grey” introduced the band to a whole new...
Obscur-Eighties, Vol 2: Forgotten 80s Songs I’ve Heard at Stop and Shop
I don’t know what programming mastermind arranges the playlist, but the Stop and Shop near my house plays the most fascinating tunes as part of its in-store music. Everything from forgotten gems, to minor songs by major artists, to songs that are instantly recognizable even though you have no idea why, to songs you haven’t heard for twenty-five years and likely won’t be hearing again anytime soon Obscur-Eighties, Vol 2: Forgotten 80s...
The Joshua Tree: 30 Years Later
I’ve been teaching the Glass Castle for years (phenomenal book, by the way), and every time I get to the Joshua tree part, I naturally think about The Joshua Tree, the game-changing U2 album that celebrated its 30th anniversary in March 2017. But only recently– as in right now, as I type this– have I realized how the Joshua tree from Glass Castle mirrors The Joshua Tree, the U2 album. In her memoir The Glass Castle, author...
First Concert Reflections: Bon Jovi 1986
As I write this, I am looking at an orange, tattered, thirty-year-old slip of paper: the ticket stub to my first concert. First Concert Reflections: Bon Jovi 1986 The barely legible words on the ticket tell the tale. The date: December 27, 1986. The place: The Centrum in Worcester, MA. The price: $12.50. (No kidding!!) And the act? Bon Jovi! I became a Bon Jovi fan by osmosis. In 1986, I was driven to school by my friend...
