Not-So-Deep Thoughts as I Approach 40: Perspective and Robert Palmer
I am within a scant two weeks of the big 4-0, and it has me in a reflective mood. I will warn you in advance that these reflections are not particularly profound, just the musings that come out of the holy-moly-how-can-I-be-40 thought train. The first has to do with perspective and Robert Palmer. I recently re-watched some of his music videos from the 80s. I remember clearly when I first saw him; I was in the 8th grade, and it was the...
Pick-up Lines Inspired by 80s Songs
By Julie Anderson & Alli Denning You know the problem. You see that special someone across the room, you want to talk to him or her, and you want to make the right impression. But what to say? It seems such a daunting task, coming up with just the right mix of witty, interesting, intelligent and, well . . . hot. Thankfully, the musical treasure trove of the 80s left us with a wealth of perfect pickup lines. Here’s a run down...
Living in a Material World
Madonna had it right. We are indeed living in a material world. It is damn near impossible to watch TV today without hearing your favorite 80s songs as the backdrop to one commercial or another selling everything from candy bars (see PayDay’s use of “Bust a Move”) to insurance (see Liberty Mutual Insurance’s use of “Human” by Human League). How I feel about this trend varies with its use. I don’t have a global position on the issue as...
Live Aid (1985)
Live Aid was a two-part fundraising concert that took place on July 13, 1985. Bob Geldolf (who starred in the 1982 movie “Pink Floyd The Wall” and was lead singer of The Boomtown Rats) and Midge Ure (of Thin Lizzy and Ultravox) organized the mega-event to raise money for the Ethiopian famine. They billed it as a “global jukebox.” 72,000 fans in the United Kingdom attended a concert at Wembley Stadium in London, while 100,000 fans went...
Q&A with Heart
June 2012 On the 5th of this month, Heart released a 3 CD, 1 DVD career-spanning box set, “Strange Euphoria.” And what a career it has been—one stretching over 4 decades. And, they are not done. For Heart fans craving new music, they’ve got an album coming out this fall, “Fanatic,” which they are supporting with an active tour schedule (we are disappointed they won’t be playing anywhere near us). Clearly, these are some very busy...
Idol Thoughts
Disclaimer: I love, love, LOVE me some American Idol. It’s like an extra holiday season in the year – Yay! It’s Idol Time again! – and the weeks it’s on kind of revolve around watching DVRed episodes with my husband after we get our preschooler in bed. Yes, I grieved when Paula left, but I think J.Lo is just as good if not BETTER (although I’m sick to death of those stupid goosies). And Yes, I’m missing Simon’s bitchy and brutal...
1980s Movie Mt. Rushmore Part III: Kenny Loggins
By Michael Nazarewycz This is the third article of a 4-part series that will look at those people most influential on movies in the 1980s. Click here to read Part I: John Hughes and Part II: The Brat Pack. The movie soundtrack was born in the 1930s, became popular with the musicals of the 1950s, and produced two supernovas in the 1970s: Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978). But only the 1980s could take the conventional...
45 Records in the Eighties
You Spin Me Right Round, Baby, Right Round… Before cassettes, before compact discs, and WAY before iPods, we had vinyl records. Just as a refresher, 45s were different than LPs, or long-playing records. An LP had a small hole poked in the center, like this (pictured at left). 45s had much larger holes in the center, a holdover from jukebox mechanisms. LPs played at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute, while 45s played at (you guessed...
The Top 80s Movie Soundtracks – According to LT80s’ Fans!
Recently, we asked Twitter and Facebook followers about their fave 80s movie soundtracks. We got some great responses, because, after all, there were tons of bodacious soundtracks in the 80s. Here’s a rundown of the most bitchin’ movie scores of the 80s, with many thanks for all the tweets and Facebook votes that helped us compile it. A FOUR-WAY TIE FOR SIXTH PLACE! 6: Valley Girl 1983’s Valley Girl is about the blossoming romance...
Whitney Houston: In Memoriam
By Michael Nazarewycz When someone famous passes, particularly when it happens at an age that is decades before we might be less surprised by it, we are often left to ask “What if …?” The question wonders what other works the artist would have created if he/she had lived. The names of the people about whom we have asked this question – even if we limit the list only to those who left their fingerprints in the 1980s –...
Test Your 80s Country Music Knowledge
By Julie Anderson Before Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum made country cool for city kids, it was thriving in, like, the country. We had bodacious country superstars in the eighties, as well as a few crossover artists who tried rad rhinestone cowboy hats on for size. Test your eighties country music knowledge with our Like Totally 80s quiz: 1. Who said, “I’m not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I know that I’m not dumb. Also, I...
Test Your Hair Band I.Q.
Hair Bands were totally awesome and so totally 80s. Dudes in glam rock bands grew their hair out long, and then permed, colored, and teased it within an inch of its life. Many wore heavy makeup to complete the look. We loved the jarring effect of dudes in quasi-drag who were singing hard rock music. Bitchin’! But how well do you know your eighties glam metal? Take our Like Totally 80s quiz to find out! 1. Beavis wore a Metallica...
Test Your Eighties New Wave Knowledge
So, you enjoyed music in the eighties, huh? Consider yourself somewhat of an expert on Depeche Mode and the Thompson Twins? Are you, like, the go-to person for 80s musical trivia in your circle of friends? Test your knowledge with our radical New Wave quiz. Answer key is below. (Duh!) 1. Siouxie and the Banshee’s song “Peek-a-boo” was on the 1988 album called: A. Peepshow B. Peek-a-boo C. Hyaena D. Kaleidoscope 2. In what video were...
Your 80s New Year’s Resolutions
By Julie Anderson After exchanging mix tapes with your friends, you’re admiring your new checkerboard Swatch while squeezed into your acid washed Guess Jeans. Your Member’s Only jacket is hanging in a place of honor in the closet and your gold Add a Bead necklace is around your neck. In other words, your holidays were totally bitchin’. On to the New Year! Let’s resolve to make it the best one yet, or at LEAST as good as 1984 was. For...
The Twelve 80s Songs of Christmas
So, have you been a righteous dude or babe this year? Hoping that Santa will put some bitchin’ 80s themed presents under your tree? And, of course, it’s the time of year for, like, hot apple cider (and hot toddies), carol singing, and thirty varieties of cookies. (But if Mom thinks I’m putting on that gnarly reindeer sweater again for the family card photo, she can totally think again. I’m so sure, Mom!) Crank up these tubular holiday...
