Ryan Seacrest Relives An 80’s Moment Lip Syncing Bon Jovi
For some it doesn’t get much more 80’s than Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet album. If you’re one of those individuals then you and Ryan Seacrest have something in common. During his visit to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Seacrest relived a moment he had rocking out to the album in his room at the age of 9 or 10. Fallon began to ask Seacrest about a story he had told the last time they were together and...
Spotify’s #ThrowbackThursday Playlist Brings Back 50 Late 80s Hits
Every Thursday, commercial music, streaming, podcast and video service Spotify releases a playlist of throwback hits from different years via #ThrowbackThursday. The late 80s was a great time for music. The later part of the decade is responsible for still-relevant hits like the now-classic Rick Astley song “Never Gonna Give you Up,” Patrick Swayze’s beautiful and haunting “She’s Like the Wind,” and the feel-good Beach Boys’ song...
Debbie Gibson Talks Her 80s Fashion Choices, Walks the Runway
There was a time when Debbie Gibson was the biggest star in the world. It’s hard to explain to a younger audience, but because there were less entertainment choices, there were less celebrities and the biggest ones shined brighter. Gibson’s fame, at her Out of the Blue height made Justin Beiber’s current celebrity look minor in comparison. That, along with the fact that Gibson actually can sing, has kept her famous...
80s Pop Star Denise ‘Vanity’ Matthews Dead from Kidney Failure at 57
Denise Matthews, best known for fronting the three-girl group Vanity 6 and her relationship with 80s pop culture icon Prince, has died at age 57 due to alleged kidney failure. Matthews enjoyed a promising career in the music industry that began in the 80s and ended in the mid-90s. She had success with Vanity 6 as well as with her solo career under Motown Records. As a triple threat, she got her start in the industry with modeling,...
Which Records Won Best Album at the Grammy Awards in the 80s?
With the 2016 Grammy Award being hosted by 80s icon L.L. Cool J, we decided to take a look back at which performers took home the biggest prizes at the show in the 80s. Some of the winners are obvious — iconic songs which we still love today. Others are more than a little bit perplexing. 1980: Album of the Year CHRISTOPHER CROSS, Christopher Cross Record of the Year CHRISTOPHER CROSS, “Sailing” Song of...
Catching Up with Nina Blackwood
TV personality, disc jockey, reporter, journalist, classically trained musician — when it comes to entertainment, Nina Blackwood really has all the bases covered. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that she’s one of the original MTV VJ’s — something that only five people in the history of the planet can claim! On top of all that, she’s sort of LikeTotally80s’s unofficial patron saint. Truly, Nina always keeps the 80s...
You Mean These 80s Performers Have Died?
Though far from a product of the 1980s, David Bowie certainly made an indelible mark on the decade: he had a bunch of hit singles, including “China Girl,” “Modern Love,” “Blue Jean,” and “Let’s Dance” (which went to Number 1); he performed at Live Aid in 1985, and then released one of the songs he sang at the event, “Dancing in the Streets” (with Mick Jagger); heck, even Peter Schilling’s song “Major Tom (Coming Home)” is an homage to...
Dancing in the Street by Bowie and Jagger
‘Dancing in the Street’ by David Bowie & Mick Jagger This cover version of the song originally by Martha and the Vandellas hit #7 on the US Hot 100 chart in 1985 and was produced to raise money for the Live Aid famine relief cause. Information on...
David Bowie
This morning after I dropped of my kids at school I pulled into the grocery store parking lot as the opening of this began to play. And I sat in my car and listened to the song all the way through. And I cried a lot harder than I would have thought I would. Facebook is more like “Bowiebook” today, which is lovely and also makes my heart hurt. It’s amazing to see just how many people, from childhood friends to coworkers were struck,...
“Party All the Time”: A 30-Year Retrospective
Music-wise, the year 1985 had that “best of times, worst of times” thing going on. Unquestionably, some of the most memorable songs of the decade — Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer,” Simple Minds’ “Don’t You Forget About Me,” Madonna’s “Material Girl,” to name but a few — came out in 1985. But *80s Haters (and they’re out there) need look no further than December 1985 when preparing their “80s = Lame” arguments. Klymaxx’s “I...
15 on 45: Fifteen Questions about My Forgotten 45 Collection
My brother Matt recently sent me a text: “Found the old records!” And accompanying this joyous announcement was a picture of my old 45 record of Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight.” A little context: Matt had purchased a record player, but he had no actual records to play on it. So he Indiana-Jones-ed our parents’ basement, looking for the collection of 45s I had back in high school. The search seemed fruitless, until my dad...
Stairway to Heaven and the Last Dance Desperation
Donna Summers may have sung about the “last dance, the last chance for love,” but personally, the soundtrack to all of my “last chances” in the 1980s involved not the Queen of Disco but the moody strings of Led Zeppelin. For me, Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” was an essential song of the 80s — which may seem weird, since “Stairway” is definitely not an 80s song, and in fact, is barely even a 70s song. (It was released in 1971.)...
It Happened – I Went to the Madonna Concert
Last Saturday night something happened that had been in the works since the eighth grade for me – I finally saw Madonna in concert. Many of you may think . . . big deal, but for me it truly was a big deal. As far as 80s artists go, there’s no denying that she is one of the best, love her or hate her (I love her, if you couldn’t tell already.) Think about it; who else from our generation truly has that superstar staying power as she...
Q&A with Dave Kinzer, Author of “The 80s Music Compendium”
I just had the pleasure of reading the new book by Dave Kinzer, “The 80s Music Compendium” that released in paperback this week (Sept 13). Dave Kinzer, a music teacher, sought to find new ways to teach music structure and theory to students in a way that would hold their interest longer than say Bach. As an avid fan of 80s music, he turned to the treasure trove that is the catalog of Hot 100 hit songs from the 80s. He...
Vocab from 80s Songs!
With the school-year fast approaching, perhaps we should use this time to reflect on the educational value of 80s pop songs. Consider: Men at Work taught us about Australian cuisine (the Vegemite sandwich of “Down Under”); Styx taught us Japanese pleasantries (“Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto”); and Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” taught us… well, everything. Moreover, the lyrics to 80s songs provided us with some truly S.A.T.-worthy...
