“Sampling” in popular music today is as common as a cold, with hip-hop and electronica artists cutting in bits and pieces from other artist’s songs to create something entirely new. You could say Dickie Goodman was “The Godfather of Sampling” and not be far from the truth. Goodman and his partner-in-crime Bill Buchanan were the originators of “break-in” records, novelty discs that spliced snippets of contemporary hit tunes into comic scenarios, starting with the 1956 smash “The Flying Saucer Pts. 1 & 2”.
Goodman was born in Brooklyn on April 19, 1934. He was a struggling young songwriter when he and Buchanan came up with the idea of producing a comedy record based on Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” broadcast, using lines from rock records as answers to man-on-the-street questions. Goodman played the DJ while Buchanan acted as reporter “John Cameron Cameron”, a play on noted newsman and Timex pitchman John Cameron…
One cannot reminisce about the 80’s music scene without including the biggest (and most dangerous) band of that decade. Well, the band and it’s handlers sure thought of them that way. The band I speak of is Guns N’ Roses. this was the band that dared to put the word hard back into hard rock after the glam metal scene began to turn it into a joke.
Nothing against glam metal. Mötley Crüe was and is a favorite rock band of the 80’s for me. Yet, even they succumbed to the hairspray overload that glam metal would turn into. These bands became more about their look (especially in their music videos) than actually playing good music.
Guns N’ Roses still had the teased hair, but their music when they released their Appetite for Destruction album was a breath of fresh air in the hard rock scene and would grab glam metal fans from the vapors of hairnet spray into the dark, dingy bluesy lounges and then the overwhelming open air arenas.
I’ve already featured two of the bands most famous tracks from their first album, “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine”, so it’s time to give their third biggest hit from this album time to shine.
“Paradise City” is a place we all should aspire to visit.
Paradise City
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home (Oh, won’t you please take me home?)
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home (Oh, won’t you please take me home?)
Just an urchin livin’ under the street I’m a hard case that’s tough to beat I’m your charity case so buy me somethin’ to eat I’ll pay you at another time Take it to the end of the line
Rags to riches or so they say You gotta keep pushin’ for the fortune and fame You know it’s, it’s all a gamble when it’s just a game You treat it like a capital crime Everybody’s doin’ their time
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home, yeah, yeah?
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home
Strapped in the chair of the city’s gas chamber Why I’m here, I can’t quite remember The surgeon general says it’s hazardous to breathe I’d have another cigarette but I can’t see Tell me who ya gonna believe
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home, yeah, yeah Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home, yeah?
So far away So far away So far away So far away
Captain America’s been torn apart Now he’s a court jester with a broken heart He said “Turn me around and take me back to the start” I must be losin’ my mind, are you blind? I’ve seen it all a million times
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home, yeah, yeah
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home?
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home, yeah, yeah
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home, home
Oh, I want to go, I want to know Oh, won’t you please take me home? I want to see how good it can be Oh, won’t you please take me home?
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Take me home
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home?
Take me down, take me down Oh, won’t you please take me home? I want to see how good it can be Oh, won’t you please take me home?
I want to see how good it can be Oh, oh take me home
Take me down to the paradise city Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty Oh, won’t you please take me home?
I want to know, I want to know Oh, won’t you please take me home? Yeah, baby
Rosanna Arquette turns 57 today! The beautiful granddaughter of comedian Cliff Arquette (aka Charlie Weaver of HOLLYWOOD SQUARES fame) began her career in the 70’s with TV mini-series like THE DARK SECRET OF HARVEST HOME and THE EXECUTIONER’S SONG, which brought her acclaim playing Nicole Baker in the adaptation of Norman Mailer’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel based on the Gary Gilmore case.
Soon Rosanna hit the big screen, costarring in John Sayles’ BABY IT’S YOU, then her signature role as the bored housewife who takes a walk on the wild side in DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN, the first major film for pop princess Madonna. Rosanna did some good movies (SILVERADO, 8 MILLION WAYS TO DIE), then her career took somewhat of a nose dive, and she wound up in Europe a few years. Quentin Tarantino cast her as the dope dealer’s wife in the seminal PULP FICTION, and since then Rosanna has continued…
(It’s a Sunday night, February 9, 1964. Everybody’s watching THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW to get a peek at this new phenomenon called Beatlemania. The adults in the room are disgusted, saying things like “They look like a bunch of girls!”, “They must be sissies!”, and “Yeah yeah yeah? What the hell kind of song is that??” They just don’t get it. But the six-year-old kid watching along does, and a lifelong obsession with rock’n’roll is born…)
From the opening shot of the Fab 4 being chased down the street by screaming teenyboppers to the final clanging guitar notes of the title tune, A HARD DAY’S NIGHT makes a joyful noise introducing The Beatles to the silver screen. John, Paul, George, and Ringo come off as a mod version of the Marx Brothers with their anarchic antics, guided by the deft hand of director Richard Lester. Shot in cinema verite style, this zany, practically…
After a week hiatus we’re back to reminiscing about and traveling the 80’s nostalgia track with another “Song of the Day” from my youth during the 1980’s.
This time it’s a power ballad from the British-American hard rock band, Foreigner. Yes, that band whose songs have become a staple of Pop 40’s and soft rock radio stations for a couple decades now were originally a hard rock band. While their popularity was never in doubt with the hard rock crowd of the late 70’s and as the decade rolled into the 80’s, it would take a power ballad to find them worldwide appeal from an audience that one wouldn’t associate with hard rock aficionados.
That song would be “Waiting For A Girl Like You” and this power ballad would be one of the band’s biggest hits and a constant requests on soft rock stations. While hard rock bands were never averse to composing power ballads for albums, they usually weren’t the major hits like their harder edged songs. With Foreigner, once the popularity of this song reached global proportions it would dramatically change the band’s future work.
They would become a band more known for their power ballads than their hard rock roots. Some fans of the early version of Foreigner probably didn’t like the change much, but the millions of new fans who did discover the band due to the never-ending radio airplay of their power ballads probably didn’t know what they were missing.
Now a new generation of music lovers will be discovering this band and this song due to the critically-acclaimed and surprise hit series Stranger Things on Netflix.
Waiting For A Girl Like You
So long I’ve been looking too hard, I’ve been waiting too long Sometimes I don’t know what I will find I only know it’s a matter of time When you love someone When you love someone
It feels so right, so warm and true I need to know if you feel it too
Maybe I’m wrong Won’t you tell me if I’m coming on too strong? This heart of mine has been hurt before This time I wanna be sure
I’ve been waiting for a girl like you To come into my life I’ve been waiting for a girl like you (waiting for a love) And a love that will survive I’ve been waiting (I’ve been waiting) for someone new To make me feel alive Yeah, waiting for a girl like you (waiting for a girl) To come into my life
You’re so good When we make love, it’s understood It’s more than a touch or a word we say Only in dreams could it be this way When you love someone Yeah, really love someone
Now, I know it’s right From the moment I wake up till deep in the night There’s nowhere on earth that I’d rather be Than holding you tenderly
I’ve been waiting for a girl like you To come into my life I’ve been waiting for a girl like you (waiting for a love) For a love that will survive
I’ve been waiting (I’ve been waiting) for someone new To make me feel alive Yeah, waiting (waiting) for a girl like you (waiting for a girl) To come into my life
(Ah)
(Ah) I’ve been waiting (Ah) Waiting for you (Ah) Ooh, I’ve been waiting (Waiting) I’ve been waiting, yeah
(I’ve been waiting for a girl like you)
(I’ve been waiting) Won’t you come into my life? My life So long (Waiting for a girl like you)
There was one band during the 80’s that everyone seemed to dismiss, yet their album were selling out. It was almost as if no one wanted to admit that they enjoyed listening to this band. The band I’m talking about is Mr. Mister. Yes, even the name sounds like something that we might consider today as being too hipsterish. A name made to sound to be oh so clever.
Yet, Mr. Mister had two hit albums that many bands of this era couldn’t admit to having. The 1980’s was an era of great music, but it was also one where way too many were also quite disposable. People nowadays complain about how music has no soul and that it was all corporate driven. Well, this era has nothing on the Reagan-era of the music industry.
Mr. Mister would pump out two hit albums before breaking up in the late 80’s with most of the band members joining up with different Christian rock and music groups down the years.
One Mr. Mister song that was catchy and remained so would be their hit single “Kyrie”.
To a teenager of the time the song was memorable and easy to sing along to. It’s later on as teens became adults that we’ve come to realize that the song itself was a Christian liturgy prayer and the whole song was just a prayer backed by pop rock melodies. It’s no wonder that the band’s member would find their second wind in the music business as part of Christian rock groups.
Kyrie
Kýrie, eléison Kýrie, eléison Kýrie
The wind blows hard against this mountainside Across the sea into my soul It reaches into where I cannot hide Setting my feet upon the road
My heart is old, it holds my memories My body burns a gem-like flame Somewhere between the soul and soft machine Is where I find myself again
Kýrie, eléison Down the road that I must travel Kýrie, eléison Through the darkness of the night
Kýrie, eléison Where I’m going, will you follow? Kýrie, eléison On a highway in the light
When I was young, I thought of growing old Of what my life would mean to me Would I have followed down my chosen road Or only wished what I could be
Kýrie, eléison Down the road that I must travel Kýrie, eléison Through the darkness of the night
Kýrie, eléison Where I’m going, will you follow? Kýrie, eléison On a highway in the light
To say that the Wilson Sisters (Nancy and Ann) who fronted the band Heart will forever be crushes would be an understatement. These ladies, for a growing teenager whose hormones were on overdrive, were a surprising find during the early years of MTV when they actually showed music videos. The sisters and their band had already made their bones during the 70’s but for most boys and girls of my era it would be the “Big Hair” Era of hard rock during the 1980’s that would introduce Nancy and Ann Wilson to a new generation of fans.
I was already on board the Wilson train (Nancy being my favorite) with their two power ballads from their 1985 self-titled album, “Alone” and “These Dreams”, but these ladies were not just about power ballads. They could rock out with the best of their male counterparts. The fact that both Ann and Nancy were accomplished singers in their own right put them heads and shoulders above most of the hard rock frontmen. Ann Wilson could belt out a tune, hold a note for ages and not lose any power behind those vocals. Nancy would do back-up duties, but no less impressive as a soprano, but it would be her work as lead guitarist that would mesmerize a certain young teenager.
It would be in the track “Never” that the band busts out their hard rock chops. They sure don’t make bands like these anymore. These ladies rocked then and they rock now. Rock on, ladies!
Never
Hey baby I’m talking to you Stop yourself and listen Some things you can never never choose Even if you try, yeah You’re bangin’ your head again ‘Cause somebody won’t let you in One chance . . . one love Your chance to let me know
We can’t go on Just running away If we stay any longer We will surely never get away Anything you want—we can make it happen Stand up and turn around Never let them shoot us down Never—Never Never—Never run away
Hey baby you know it’s true Why you bother lying when you know That you want it too Don’t you dare deny me Walk those legs right over here Give me what I’m dying for One chance . . . one love Hold me down never let me go
We can’t go on Just running away If we wait any longer We will surely never get away Anything you want—we can make it happen Stand up and turn around Never let them shoot us down Never—Never Never—Never run away Never—Never Never—Never run away
Hey baby I’m talking to you Stop yourself and listen Some things you can never choose Even if you try, yeah You’re bangin’ your head again ‘Cause somebody won’t let you in One chance . . . one love Your chance to let me know
We can’t go on Just running away If we stay any longer We will surely never get away
Another song from my youth during the 80’s is the classic rock song from the all-girl rock band The Bangles. It makes an appearance in a later episode of Netflix’s Stranger Things, but it’s better known as the unofficial anthem for the drug-fueled drama Less Than Zero starring a very young (and rumors abound of being very drugged out) Robert Downey, Jr.
Less Than Zero was adapted from a novel written by the 80’s agent provocateur Bret Easton Ellis. It definitely was part of the list of 80’s films that all the teens wanted to see. It being rated-R meant double the temptation. It was a film that both celebrated and condemned the Reagan-era yuppie culture that was fueled by excess amount of drugs, alcohol and sex.
The song “Hazy Shade of Winter” would become part of the film’s soundtrack and The Bangles had been tasked with covering the Simon & Garfunkel song of the same title. Where the former was more attuned to the duo’s folk sensibilities, the cover by The Bangles would put a harder edge to the song which made for a nice complement to the rough edges of the film.
Oh, I still have a major crush on Sussana Hoffs to this very day.
Hazy Shade of Winter
Time, time, time See what’s become of me…
Time, time, time See what’s become of me While I looked around For my possibilities I was so hard to please
Look around Leaves are brown And the sky Is a Hazy Shade of Winter
Hear the Salvation Army Band Down by the riverside It’s bound to be a better ride Than what you’ve got planned Carry a cup in your hand
Look around Leaves are brown And the sky Is a Hazy Shade of Winter
Hang onto your hopes my friend That’s an easy thing to say But if your hopes should pass away Simply pretend That you can build them again
Look around Grass is high Fields are ripe It’s the springtime of my life
Seasons change with their scenery Weaving time in a tapestry Won’t you stop and remember me
Look around Leaves are brown And the sky Is a Hazy Shade of Winter
Look around Leaves are brown There’s a patch of snow on the ground Look around Leaves are brown There’s a patch of snow on the ground Look around Leaves are brown There’s a patch of snow on the ground
I will readily admit that I am a child of the 80’s. I grew up listening to 80’s music whether it was metal (though I didn’t truly listen to them until the 90’s), rap all the way to synthpop and new wave which became quite popular during the decade with groups such as Depeche Mode, INXS, Duran Duran and The Cure. One band which I listened to quite a bit during the mid-80’s was the British new wave band Tears For Fears. It’s from this band that the latest “Song of the Day” comes from: “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”.
The song is actually an 80’s classic that has stood the test of time and musical taste. While many scoff and ridicule most of the pop songs which blew up during the 80’s this particular song from Tears For Fears was never one of them. While the song does have a foundation in the synthpop sound of the time the song itself doesn’t really sound like most of the 80’s pop music. The lyrics are socially aware without being too preachy. In fact, if one was to listen to the song now it’s original message of limitless optimism in the future for everyone actually sounds a bit selfish in today’s social climate.
The song has been covered quite a bit by many singers and bands of different stripes from such groups as The Dresden Dolls, Clare & The Reasons and Dru Hill right up to the pop punk band Care Bares on Fire whose cover was used during the end credits for Season 5, Episode 9 of True Blood.
Let this song kick-off my 80’s music revival and all of it due to the awesome inclusion of some classic 80’s pop tracks in the equally awesome and great new Netflix series, Stranger Things.
Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Welcome to your life There’s no turning back Even while we sleep We will find you acting on your best behavior Turn your back on Mother Nature Everybody wants to rule the world
It’s my own design It’s my own remorse Help me to decide Help me make the most Of freedom and of pleasure Nothing ever lasts forever Everybody wants to rule the world
There’s a room where the light won’t find you Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down When they do I’ll be right behind you So glad we’ve almost made it So sad they had to fade it Everybody wants to rule the world
I can’t stand this indecision Married with a lack of vision Everybody wants to rule the world Say that you’ll never never never never need it One headline why believe it? Everybody wants to rule the world
All for freedom and for pleasure Nothing ever lasts forever Everybody wants to rule the world
On August 18, 1969, Jimi Hendrix performed the greatest version of The Star Spangled Banner on record. Jimi, who has been awake for three days when he performed his version of the National Anthem, later said, “We’re all Americans … it was like ‘Go America!’… We play it the way the air is in America today. The air is slightly static, see”
Through the Shattered Lens 