23 April 2019 - Tripping Daisy - I Got A Girl

This video is TERRIBLE.  It's awful and doesn't tell a story that at all matches the song.

And while the lyrics of the song make it pretty clear that these guys are also terrible, the song is a fun, raucous romp. 

And, of course, that pretty terrible persona is an act.  In reality, these guys were young but had a lot of respect for the punk acts that came before them - they covered Bad Religion live - and were close enough that the death of a band member broke them up (and caused the formation of Polyphonic Spree) for nearly 20 years. 

But back to this song.  It's fun, it's irreverent, and it's one that instantly brings you back to 1995.

12 March 2019 - Britney Spears - If U Seek Amy

I keep my promises. (see: last year)

29 January 2019 - Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance

Some days, I miss having a co-author on this blog.  Scott Colvin was a great partner to write with, and he made this blog better.

Nearly seven years ago, he wrote a piece about a Canadian band that is essentially a one-hit wonder in the United States - Men Without Hats.  He wrote about a different great song.  I am telling you about the one hit wonder he didn't like as much.

"The Safety Dance" came out when I was 10 or 11.  It is the first song I can remember ever being my favorite song. I thought the song was fun, the video was fun, and the dance was fun.  Little did I know how subversive the song was - although not a call for safe sex as some think, it WAS a protest against bouncers at clubs who didn't like the pogoing a lot of new wave music fans were doing - and how indicative of future musical tastes it would be.

And I really didn't know that such subversion would be allowed in the US Billboard Top 5.



The official video, which only featured one band member - lead singer Ivan Doroschuk - was built around the short single version of the song.  This fan cut version is the longer, more synth-forward version that a lot of people have heard nowadays.  Compare, contrast, enjoy.

25 January 2019 - Iggy Azalea - Mo Bounce

It's been a while since we checked in with Iggy Iggs. Let's see what she's up to.

It had been awhile since she had released music, and she actually delayed the release of new music after her engagement to Nick Young went south.  But just because she was down, it doesn't mean she was out. 

In 2017, she released this very bouncy single.  While it wasn't a huge hit in the United States, it was worldwide.  She does use a particular word repeatedly (motherf***in') that didn't really make this accessible to US radio.  It doesn't mean that it's not a great song to twerk to, though.

 

24 January 2019 - Trisha Yearwood - She's In Love With The Boy

When the first single off your first album is a gigantic hit, you've probably got a good career ahead of you.  This was the case of Trisha Yearwood, who would ring the #1 bell four more times after this single. 

But in 1991, she was just a country artist with a huge voice and a great song that told a simple story.  Give it a listen. 

23 January 2019 - John Lennon - Watching the Wheels

This was the second single released after the assassination of John Lennon, which was supposed to be part of a comeback after a five year hiatus to help raise his son, Sean.  This song, in fact, directly addresses that hiatus, with the video showing what he did for those five years.... including riding an actual merry-go-round (listen to the song, and you will understand).

It's sad that he wasn't alive to enjoy that this simple little song was a top 10 hit.

10 January 2019 - ZZ Top - Sleeping Bag

In the 1980's, Texas beard band ZZ Top had a comeback of sorts.  MTV loved their videos.  With the 1983 release of Eliminator, they were not only back, they were bigger than ever.

This particular song, and accompanying video, the first single from the Afterburner album,  represents the apex of that comeback.  This was the biggest hit of their career, surprisingly, because the song isn't one that is frequently referenced or thought of fondly in the ensuing years....

....until, of course, Margot Robbie's turn as Tonya Harding in the movie I, Tonya (which I cannot recommend enough if you haven't seen it yet).  In this movie, Tonya skates to the song at SkateAmerica, and it very clearly illustrates the renegade spirit that Harding exhibited in her skating. (Edit: the video can't be embedded.  Just follow the link.  It's impressive.  Also, see the movie!)



By the way, this really happened. 1991 SkateAmerica, Which she won with this program. The video starts at the 3:15 mark for you because of the subject of this post, but I encourage you to watch the rest, because she was truly incredible.

9 January 2019 - Phoenix - Lisztomania

French band Phoenix released this song in 2009, as the second single from their album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.  The title refers to a term used to describe the intense fandom of Franz Liszt during his performances. You didn't come for any of that, but I feel honor-bound to tell you about that.

8 January 2019 - Captain & Tennille - Do That To Me One More Time

I was remiss in not posting this last week.  Daryl Dragon, The Captain, passed away last week.  I usually pay tribute to artists who pass, especially ones that mean so much to me.  As long time readers of this blog know, I had a significant conversation with the man many years ago.  I'd like to say it somewhat guided my chosen IT career (he was a huge proponent of technology) and while that's probably overstating the impact, it is a conversation I remember and recall regularly.


The song was the duo's last #1 hit, and they sang it in Spanish, too. Even though they divorced a couple of years ago (it's rumored this was to get Daryl better access to health care), it's still a beautiful love song, a throwback to a simpler time, even when it was new. 

7 January 2019 - Bonde do Rolê- Picolé

It took 45 directors to make this video.  That's probably about 43 more than they needed, but the song itself is fantastic.

The title itself, in Portuguese, loosely translates to "popsicle" in English.  But you probably figured that out.  More likely, it is referring to a Brazilian-style of frozen treat with alcohol and fruit.

They're also not really talking about popsicles.  But you probably figured that out, too.

4 January 2019 - Ashlee Simpson - Invisible

Tomorrow is the 7th anniversary of this blog - I know it's gotten a lot more occasional than it used to be, but we're going to do better in 2019.

We started the blog - I say we, because there were two of us, although Scott Colvin has moved on - because two college radio DJs bonded over a love of pop music, specifically Ashlee Simpson.  Which is why "Boyfriend" was the first song we posted here. I called it "one of the guiltiest pleasure songs ever to be performed."

I also said, and I quote,

It's really hard to say "Ashlee Simpson" and "bad-ass" in the same sentence while keeping a straight face.

To end our seventh year and kick off our eighth, I felt it right to visit a song where Ashlee Simpson tried to be even more bad-ass.  Nope, time doesn't make that any easier to say. 

3 January 2019 - Poppy - X

Look, I don't understand Poppy any more than you do, and that's saying something for a woman who has her own church.  We've all seen and not understood her videos like this:


However, she is a decent EDM artist in her own right, and that weirdness plays well for that very specific job.  This song cleverly mixes metal with folk.... with some very strange lyrics.  But her very odd personality makes it actually WORK!



One of the most enigmatic things about Poppy?  She doesn't just live in a YouTube channel.  She does live shows and is fact on tour right now.  Here she is, performing what was a surprisingly hard-edged song live on Halloween 2018.

And yeah, she's apparently exactly like that live.



Those of you who are true Poppy fans were probably hoping I'd add this little gem in.  Those of you who are just learning about her for the first time, let her introduce herself, in her own words:

4 December 2018 - Grimes (ft. Hana) - We Appreciate Power

It is extraordinarily uncommon for me to make a post based on a lyric video, even one featuring Metroid cosplay.

However, this isn't a typical lyric video.  This is the first new Grimes in three years. And it's a banger!  Well worth the wait!  Is it about AI taking over?  Is it another alien song?  Is it a tribute to Elon Musk?  I'll let you decide that for yourself! 

3 December 2018 - DNCE - Cake By The Ocean

Look closely at that lead vocalist.

Yep.  That's a Jonas brother. 

And a newly married one at that.  Congratulations to Joe Jonas and Priyanka Chopra on their wedding this last weekend.  I wish them both much cake by the ocean, and like this song, I ain't talkin' about baked goods.

29 November 2018 - Tubeway Army - Are 'Friends' Electric?

We're back!

And we return with the first synth-based song to hit #1 in the UK.   Tubeway Army was a three-piece led by Gary Numan which lasted for one album.  After that, he "went solo", and by that I mean he dropped the band's name but kept them as his backup group.

The song itself is a very paranoid, very lonely song, with no real hook or standard song structure, and yet it's infinitely catchy.  Enjoy!

16 August 2018 - Aretha Franklin - Think

This feminist anthem was originally released in 1968 and went to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart.  It had a resurgence twelve years later, when it was featured in the film The Blues Brothers.  It's a feisty song....

By a woman who has passed within the last few hours.  Her voice will be missed - but she left behind a large number of songs, hits and otherwise.

15 August 2018 - Sonic Youth - Bull In The Heather

Something of a feminist anthem, I guess, by NYC noise band and friends of Mike Watt, Sonic Youth, this was an indie radio hit in the 90's.

But that's not why we're posting this.

Frequently asked question: who the hell is the young woman with the pigtails?



It's the original Riot Grrrl and founder of Bikini Kill, and friend of Mike Watt, Kathleen Hanna.

14 August 2018 - Dire Straits - The Bug

As a Dire Straits song, this isn't as well known as I would like. Which is a shame, because it's a fun song, with a bit of a country-rock feel. And a double shame, because it was their last single.



Of course, it became a hit when it was covered by Mary Chapin Carpenter, who somehow made a song about failure even MORE upbeat, in 1992.  Perhaps we will feature that on Totally Covered someday.  For now, let's listen to Mark Knopfler, who was the lead singer and face of Dire Straits, performing the song in the style of Mary Chapin Carpenter.

13 August 2018 - Sophie B. Hawkins - Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover

It's hard to believe that this song once had a video banned from MTV.  And YouTube.

This is not that video.  THAT video has been successfully squashed by Sony Music.  This is just a performance piece that was mid-90's sexy. And that's objectively OK.  Because the song itself is slow and sexy and cool, much like Ms. B. Hawkins herself.

And it was this song and video, her FIRST, that became her biggest hit, and a song that still endures more than a quarter century later.  Doesn't THAT make you feel old?!

30 July 2018 - Hoodoo Gurus - Leilani | Game Theory - Leilani

True story - I named my cat after these songs.

My name is Leilani.

3 July 2018 - Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4

To answer yesterday's question, it's 3:35 or 3:34



Yes, "25 or 6 to 4" is a time reference.  And it was probably not ACTUALLY intended to answer the question, "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" although Robert Lamm wrote both of them. From their 2nd album, Chicago, this was a triumph of middle-of-the-night songwriting.

When Peter Cetera left Chicago in the 1980's for a solo career, the band got a new vocalist and decided to remake the song for Chicago 18.  It was significantly less horny (but NOT horn-free) and less successful.  It was cleanly performed.  It just didn't have the same charm.

2 July 2018 - Chicago - Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

From their first album Chicago Transit Authority, this song wasn't released as a single until after the success of "25 or 6 to 4" from their SECOND album. 

At any rate, it's a great song that asks a great questions.  We will answer that question tomorrow.

 

28 June 2018 - Seven Mary Three - Cumbersome

Few songs scream "90's" more than this one. This song, from 1995, was a big hit for them early in their career.....

Unfortunately, this great song, brilliantly constructed with alternating conventional and muted chords (that's right - we notice these things) was their only major commercial success.  And, as with a lot of one-hit wonders, the song was a monkey on their back - there was a lot of pressure to recreate that, and it's really hard to do that.



Here's a little bonus for you.  I said this song was from 1995.  So why is the band performing it in 1993?  Seven Mary Three were a local grunge band from Florida, and this song caught fire on Central Florida radio in 1993, catching the attention of Atlantic Records.



Here is that original recorded version.  Notice that 1. it's a little quieter and 2. it's got an extended bridge. Is it better?  We can't decide that for you.  It's good, though.

27 June 2018 - Camila Cabello - Havana

Look, we love this song, she's touring with Taylor Swift, used to be in Fifth Harmony, X Factor, blah blah blah

I'm sorry.  I can't do this right now.  I'm just too excited.  We have a domain name now.  We're at wickedguilty.com!  Now it's going to be easier to find us!!!!



OK, so now I feel bad giving Taylor Swift's new bestie the short end of the stick.  Really, that was a fun video, and it's a fun, Latin-tinged song. 

So here, enjoy this acoustic version that somewhat proves that Ms. Cabello is really singing this one.



Aquí, para nuestros lectores en español, hay una versión en español ... ok, en spanglish de esta canción. Por qué no pudo traducir "la mitad de mi corazón está en Habana" está más allá de mí, pero una vez más, no soy una gran estrella del pop.

21 June 2018 - Public Enemy - Fight The Power

From the 1989 Spike Lee joint Do The Right Thing, this song transcends the movie, which itself ends in a race riot.

This version of the video (which, yes, Spike Lee was involved with) isn't a real riot or even a rally, but it looks like one.  It IS a pretty clear demonstration of the group's political stances in the day.  Flavor Flav has moved on to a less political stance where he doesn't say "motherf*** him" about Elvis or John Wayne.  The video also featured Tawana Brawley in a cameo appearance - I won't go into her story here except to say that it was a very polarizing one in this community.

It's a great, powerful song - I'd almost say manifesto - that just happens to have been featured in a movie.

20 June 2018 - Aimee Mann - Save Me

Few movie songs come with a better story than this one.

This song, along with the rest of the mostly-Aimee-Mann performed soundtrack, is from the P.T. Anderson movie Magnolia. I recommend this odd but delightful movie, just for the frog scene.  Trust me.  Right before she was approached by Anderson to do this movie, Mann had been dropped from her record label, and didn't have an easy future ahead of her in the music industry - and this is despite the huge "Voices Carry" in her past.

This song ended up being nominated for an Oscar (losing, somehow, to perhaps the worst ever Oscar-winning song, "You'll Be In My Heart" by Phil Collins, to whom she now dedicates this song when performing it live) and a Grammy (which she lost to a deserving Macy Gray).  She went on to found her own music imprint and remains a successful artist to this day.

The video - featuring Mann inserted into scenes from the movie - is even more interesting.  Perhaps the most star-studded music video of all time, this effect didn't happen by digital manipulation.  That's really Tom Cruise sitting in the same scene with Aimee Mann.  P.T. Anderson directed the video and asked the actors to stay in place at the end of shooting days while they shot this.

The song itself is a work of art.  Nearly two decades old, it sounds like it could have been written yesterday.

 

19 June 2018 - Kasey Cisyk - You Light Up My Life

If you read this blog yesterday, you probably saw this coming a mile away. This is the song that denied "Nobody Does It Better" an Academy Award and a #1 spot on the Billboard charts.

If you didn't read this blog yesterday, you're probably wondering who Kasey Cisyk looks like Didi Conn (she doesn't - Cisyk sang, Conn lipsynced in a brilliant movie performance) and, more importantly, why this isn't Debbie Boone (her immense hit was a cover).

Either way, yesterday's blog got me to listening to this song, and I remembered how well-constructed it was.  Give it a listen and a chance.

18 June 2018 - Carly Simon - Nobody Does It Better

James Bond movie themes are a different animal than most other movie songs.

Before this one, they all shared the name of the movie. In this case, although the Marvin Hamlisch-penned song referenced the movie's title, it wasn't called The Spy Who Loved Me.

This song, although fondly remembered today, only made it to #2 on the Billboard charts... because the biggest hit of all time pre-Whitney was Debbie Boone's version of "You Light Up My Life", which spent 13 weeks at #1, in front of this song for three of them. "Nobody Does It Better" went on to also lose the Academy Award to Kasey Cisyk's version of "You Light Up My Life". AAAARRRGGGGGHH!

But enough about THAT song.  This song is great.  We should enjoy it today.  Tomorrow is another day.

15 June 2018 - Coolio feat. L.V. - Gangsta's Paradise

From the 1995 movie Dangerous Minds, this was Coolio's biggest hit by far, and one that he took very seriously.  I'm sure you've heard it, but I always want to give you a fact about these songs you didn't know.

This song doesn't have a clean version - because it doesn't need one.  There's no profanities in it, at all.  This is because the song leans heavily on a sample of the song "Pasttime Paradise" by Stevie Wonder, who wouldn't approve the sample unless there was no profanity used in the song (which, by the way, was loved by Stevie in its last version).

So, feel confident that Stevie Wonder is keeping your kids safe.

14 June 2018 - Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive

It's a little hard to believe it's taken us THIS LONG to post The Bee Gees, arguably the most underrated group in history. Because of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack that they put together, and largely because of this song, the group is remembered for their dated disco work. However, they were producers and hitmakers long BEFORE and long AFTER this song.

Unfortunately, they also did that ill-advised Sgt. Pepper movie, which probably hasn't helped with their reputation.

Back to this song, though.  It set the mood for the whole movie and, really, the entire disco era.  It's now remembered fondly, although Barry Gibb's extreme falsetto was frequently ridiculed in the years immediately following the death of disco.  Now, I wish I had his voice.

 

The song is so awesome, they did a 2nd video for it, in a pre-MTV era where a video wasn't a foregone conclusion.

13 June 2018 - B.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

If you've seen Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, you know this song comes as a jarring and unexpected but pleasant surprise in that movie.  If you haven't, you might be surprised to learn that this song was written for a movie, by the famed songwriting team Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It would be the first of many Number 1 hits for B.J. Thomas as well.

It's justifiably considered one of the greatest movie songs of all time, even winning the Academy Award for Best Song in 1970.

12 June 2018 - Dolly Parton - 9 To 5

This song (and movie) was the first that a lot of people outside of country music fans had heard of the well-established Dolly Parton. The movie itself was the brainchild of co-star Jane Fonda, but Dolly's song (and acting) propelled the working-class movie to another level.  It was a huge crossover hit - one of the biggest of 1980 - and remains a pop-country classic to this day.

11 June 2018 - Olivia Newton John - Twist Of Fate

This was ONJ's last US Top 10 hit, and it was a doozy.....

 A synth-pop classic to accompany a movie she did with the-fading-star John Travolta, in kind of a Grease reunion. Two of a Kind was a terrible film - and everyone knows it - but this soundtrack, which was a bigger hit than the film, saved it.

8 June 2018 - Lea Thompson and Cherry Bomb ｰ Howard The Duck

Yes.

That is REALLY Lea Thompson singing this song. The "band" is mostly Thomas Dolby in a studio.

And it was nominated for a Razzie. Which is pretty much the exact opposite of the Oscars.  The movie itself was a critical and commercial flop.  The movie itself did win the Razzie for Worst Picture - its abysmal reception led Thompson to accept a role in the movie Some Kind of Wonderful, which she had initially rejected, just to get the stink of Howard the Duck off her career.  (I like both movies.  I liked Howard the Duck more).  The movie has gained a greater cult following now, but not off the evenness of story or quality of Tim Robbins' acting.

Is it a great song?  Hell, no.  But it's fun, and you can just look at the title bar on this blog to see that we don't really care about greatness here. 

7 June 2018 - Irene Cara - Fame & Flashdance (What A Feeling)

Fame was a 1980 movie about a high school for the performing arts in New York City. While this song - Irene Cara's first hit - won an Academy Award for Best Song, that's a songwriter's award, so Irene Cara didn't win this one.



She DID win one for this song, which she performed and wrote for the movie Flashdance. Cara, however, did not ACT in this movie, despite a rumor that she was the lead actress. Jennifer Beals (the actual lead actress in that movie) was not thrilled with that rumor. No matter - the movie, while critically panned, was a huge hit. And so was this song.

6 June 2018 - Joe Esposito - You're The Best

Most people think this song is called "You're The Best AROUND", but it isn't.  It was originally written for Rocky III (which you learned yesterday) and was also rejected for the movie Flashdance, in favor of Michael Sembello's "Maniac".

That's OK.  It suits Daniel-san better anyway. It makes for the perfect fight montage theme song (even if it doesn't completely work in this case lyrically.  Just don't listen too closely).



Magically, it also works in this It's Always Sunny In Philadephia montage, where the gang takes a LOT of steroids.

5 June 2018 - Survivor - Eye Of The Tiger

The famed song for the theme from Rocky III, now in video format.

While not the first choice of song for this movie (Joe Esposito's "You're The Best"), it ended up being a huge hit for the fledgling band.  And it was all because Sylvester Stallone liked their early stuff.  That's quite the endorsement!

It's a reasonably standard straight-ahead rock-and-roll song, but it kick-started the band's career, as they went on to have a number of hits after this initial burst of great.

4 June 2018 - Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)

It probably won't surprise you that Simple Minds wasn't the first choice to perform this song. The Fixx and Billy Idol both turned it down.... and so did Simple Minds! They didn't like performing songs they did not write, and they did NOT write this.

It ended up being their biggest hit by far, propelled by, of course, The Breakfast Club. So, at the end of the day, it ended up being a good thing they changed their minds.

21 May 2018 - Lindsey Buckingham - Holiday Road

You know all that Fleetwood Mac we just posted a couple of months back?

That all started because I was looking for this video. It was worth the search - it really has nothing to do with the National Lampoon's Vacation movie that made it famous. 

17 May 2018 - BIGBANG - Fantastic Baby

Wow.

Honestly, after watching this video, I'm not sure there's much more to say.

But there is so much more to say.  This is arguably the biggest K-Pop hit of all time.  It was released in 2012, and was on the US World Digital Singles year-end charts - so, charts for the whole year - in 2012, 2013, and 2014.  No song has charted on that chart (which is a weekly) longer than this one.

The song is a pretty standard dance-club banger, with a Sly and the Family Stone tribute mixed in for good measure.  Or did you think the boom shakalaka was just there because it sounded good?  The beats draw you in - it's a catchy song lyrically as well, especially if you know Korean.   

But this video.  My God.  It's a bit much.  And amazing. And a bit much.

 

16 May 2018 - BTS (방탄소년단) - MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)

I was going to try to ignore BTS. I mean, they're really good for a seven-piece boy band.

This song is popular because an American of Japanese descent remixed it.  And let's be clear - this song was a big hit.  It made mainstream pop radio Top 30, which is rare for a song with very few English words.  However, BTS is pretty front-and-center in this very visually-interesting video.  At the end of the day, Steve Aoki's remix gives the song some polish, but their singing and dancing skills carry the day.

Also, no, guys, I have not seen your bag.

 

Incidentally, this song does exist in a version without remix. This Japanese version of the video shows a side without Aoki.

15 May 2018 - BLACKPINK - '붐바야'(Boombayah)

Today, let's talk about Korean girl groups.  Specifically, let's start with the new kids on the block.

BLACKPINK are a somewhat manufactured band that debuted in 2016 with this video.  From a Global chart standpoint, few Korean acts have done nearly as well, and they've done all this in a very short time.  With names like Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa, very easily translated to English, it's my suspicion that this was always the plan.They were always meant to take over the world.

Mission accomplished. Their songs historically perform stronger on the US Global Chart - with all five of their singles thus far making the top 5 on that chart, with 3 #1 hits - than even in Korea. But let's be fair - they're big stars back home. too. 

This song is catchy, even in Korean.  I mean, there's a fair amount of English in here.  You'll be singing about BLACKPINK in your area before you know it!

 

14 May 2018 - HYUN-A (현아) - '빨개요 (RED)

Let's start our K-Pop week with Hyun-a, Korea's Madonna - the big diva of their music scene. We've featured her here in the past.

In pop star terms, she's been around forever.  Really, it's only been about 10 years, but in the K-Pop world, that's a long time.  As someone who appeared in the video for PSY's worldwide hit "Gangnam Style" (and, if you are a long time reader of this blog, you know she recorded her OWN version), she's also arguably the first female Korean artist to have worldwide recognition.

This song isn't "Gangnam Style" and not even "Bubble Pop".  It's a more mature pop song from a serious artist.  Who likes to shock people in her native country (this video is borderline risque and Korean broadcasters refused to air what Rolling Stone called one of the ten best videos of 2014).

All in all, it's a great tune with both electronic and Middle Eastern influence.  Give it a listen.

9 May 2018 - Meat Puppets - Backwater

In 1980, the Meat Puppets formed.  They were indie rock darlings for a decade, attracting the attention of a lot of other musicians, but not really growing their audience.  In the 1990s, they decided to give major label music a try.

And then Nirvana invited them to participate in their Unplugged performance and covered three of their songs in 1993.

Which led to this 1994 hit, the biggest of their career.   And while the video hits all the 90's grunge cliches, the song itself doesn't.  It's rich and deep and has great harmonized vocals. 

6 May 2018 - The Darling Buds - Sure Thing

Admit it. You thought this was a one year joke. You thought I'd run out of material.

No. It's a real thing. And Darling Buds Day is actually noticed.  We'd like to think we are responsible for their new material.  I'm not sure that's true, but we're happy to take credit.

18 April 2018 - Eddie Rabbitt - Drivin' My Life Away

It's no secret that I grew up listening to a lot of country/rock fusion in the 1970's.  My mother was a big fan.

Eddie Rabbitt was one of the leaders in that genre.  This was one of his biggest crossover hits, hitting #1 on the Country charts and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980.  But this ode to long-haul truckers  wasn't just a hit in the moment, though - it remains one of the most recognizable songs of the era.

11 April 2018 - The Knife - Heartbeats

This song has been called a "great opening to a creepy movie".

Accurate. But this song from the Swedish duo in 2003 also throws back with a synth-heavy 80's sound. 

3 April 2018 - Olivia Newton-John - Physical

This was by far Olivia Newton-John's biggest US hit. Heck, Billboard ranked it the 6th biggest hit of ALL TIME.   All for a trendy song and video made possible by the early 80's aerobics craze. A great song, to be sure.  A song full of double entendre and, well, suggestive lyrics and an accompanying video (let's just say ONJ wasn't talking about the latest Jane Fonda video when she was talking about a "suggestive movie"). A cultural phenomenon, which is still fondly remembered today.



It was such a cultural phenomenon, it was featured thirty years later on an episode of Glee, where Olivia did a duet of the song with Jane Lynch, somewhat parodying the video, and EVERYONE GOT THE REFERENCE.



Of course Juliana Hatfield covered this song, too.  Go over to Totally Covered and check that out!

26 March 2018 - Tove Lo - Disco Tits

I've got to be honest.  I've been hesitant to write a post about this song.