07 July 2014

7 July 2014 - Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock

In the 1980's, it was considered OK for a man to wear excessive amounts of makeup if he was a big rock star.  And Dee Snider took full advantage.

This was the 2nd single by Twisted Sister, following the blockbuster "We're Not Gonna Take It".  I always liked this song a little better.  It rocked harder and showcased the band's personality and performance much more expertly than its predecessor. 

Plus it had the better video.

03 July 2014

3 July 2014 - Quarterflash - Harden My Heart

You know, we used to post stuff here besides current pop hits.

Stuff from when music was REALLY guilty.

The early 1980's.

Remember when saxophones were soooo cool?  Of course, the novelty of Quarterflash was that the lead singer played the sax!  Not sure how she did that live, but that's what they did.  This was their biggest US hit, and it's an emotional powerhouse that still resonates today! This is real fun music, full of emotion, a classic ballad. 

02 July 2014

2 July 2014 - Murray Head - One Night In Bangkok

Let's look at the concept for this song....

From the musical "Chess", by the way.

A musical about chess.  In Bangkok.  Written by the guys from Abba and Tim Rice. 

With a Cold War theme.

Did we mention it was about chess in Bangkok?

And still it was a big hit, and very catchy.  Who knows what's going to catch on?!

01 July 2014

1 July 2014 - Percy Faith and His Orchestra - Theme From 'A Summer Place'

A little known fact - this might have been the (slightly improved version of) theme to the 1959 movie "A Summer Place", but in reality, this was a re-imagined 1960 cover of the song.

Another little-known fact - Percy Faith was Canadian.  And so this is appropriate for this Canada Day.

The movie itself, starring Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue, was forgettable teen beach fare.  This song, the original slow jam, is more memorable than any of the movie.  Give it a listen.  You'll be humming it all day long!

30 June 2014

30 June 2014 - Iggy Azalea - Work

Since y'all are all Iggy-crazy....

I have been a fan of Iggy Azalea since 2013.  I found her sound to not at all match her image, and I was intrigued by that.  My first post of one of her songs came in late 2013.  And I remember when I posted that song, that I was originally going to post this one.  This was by no means her first single, but it was the first one where she finally started looking and acting like the classy star that she is now.

Yes, I just called a woman who declares herself to be in the "murda business" "classy".  Don't hate.

The song is somewhat autobiographical, talking about her early life in small town Australia and running away to Miami just before her 16th birthday.  To put things in perspective, that was about 8 years ago.

Why she is walking down a desert highway wearing Loubotins is a mystery to me.

25 June 2014

25 June 2014 - Ariana Grande (feat. Iggy Azalea) - Problem

I swear, Iggy Iggs is going to be a Hall of Famer in a hurry!

 But let's not focus on how this song is part of history - as Iggy Azalea's first two singles to chart are at #1 (the long-ago featured "Fancy") and #2 (this) , the first artist to do that since The damn Beatles! - but instead on the topline artist, who I have been meaning to write about for a very long time.  Indeed, Nickelodeon star Ariana Grande - a performer of several fun pop songs - is probably the most unjustly ignored artist on this blog.

Well, our ignorance ends today, and it ends with some funky saxophone blasts!


Let me assure you that a lot of other artists want to work with Iggy now. Stay tuned.

24 June 2014

24 June 2014 - Sia - Chandelier

Let's start with the song.  Most people in the US didn't know who Sia was until "Titanium", her song with David Guetta (which, for some reason, hasn't made it to this blog yet.  Strange.).  Now that we do, she can rise and grow on her own.

No offense meant to Flo Rida and "Wild Ones".  She was featured there, too.

Her first single off her sixth album - yes.  Sixth.  She's been around for awhile. - is a seemingly happy song about partying.... until you listen to the lyrics, and realize it's about a very sad party girl.  The video is happy, though, featuring a very happy, lively dance routine by Maddie Ziegler.  US television viewers will recognize this girl from Dance Moms.

And the sequence in the hallway starting at 2:45 makes my back hurt.



Oh, but that crazy dancing can't be real....

Oh, but it is.  And yes.  That is Sia in the corner, not facing the camera.