Song of the Day: There’ll Be Sad Songs (by Billy Ocean)

Posted on by Arleigh

Billy Ocean had a way of turning simple emotions into something cinematic, and “There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)” is a perfect example of that magic. The moment those warm synths and soft percussion kick in, you’re instantly transported to the neon glow of the mid-’80s — where emotions were big, melodies were lush, and love songs weren’t afraid to be earnest. Ocean’s smooth voice carries this mix of heartbreak and hope, like someone trying to stay strong while still holding on to pieces of a beautiful memory.

What makes the song so timeless is that it understands how music shapes emotion — how a single tune can unravel memories you thought were long tucked away. Ocean taps into that universal experience: hearing “your” song after a breakup and suddenly feeling the rush of everything you tried to forget. The arrangement, gently swaying between comfort and sadness, mirrors that emotional tug-of-war perfectly. There’s a sincerity here that modern ballads often miss, a belief that it’s okay to be vulnerable — even poetic — about love and loss.

Looking back, the track feels like a voice from a gentler time in pop music, when sincerity wasn’t filtered through irony. You can almost picture the record spinning on an old stereo, the room dimly lit, as Ocean’s voice fills the space with warmth. It’s not just a love song — it’s a time capsule, one that reminds you how the best music doesn’t just play in the background; it stays with you, quietly marking the chapters of your life like an old friend.

There’ll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)

Sometimes I wonder by the look in your eyes
When I’m standing beside you
There’s a fever burning deep inside

Is there another in your memory?
Do you think of that someone
When you hear that special melody?

I always stop and think of you especially
When the words of a love song
Touch the very heart of me

There’ll be sad songs to make you cry
Love songs often do
They can touch the heart of someone new
Saying, “I love you”
(I love you)

I often wonder how it could be you loving me
Two hearts in perfect harmony
I’ll count the hours until that day (until that day)
A rhapsody plays a melody for you and me

Until the moment that you give your love to me
You’re the one I care for
The one that I would wait for

There’ll be sad songs to make you cry
Love songs often do
They can touch the heart of someone new
Saying, “I love you”
(I love you)

There’ll be sad songs to make you cry
Love songs often do
They can touch the heart of someone new
Saying, “I love you”

You’re my desire
You take me higher
My love is like a river running so deep
I always stop and think of you especially
When the words of a love song
Touch the very heart of me

There’ll be sad songs to make you cry
Love songs often do
They can touch the heart of someone new
Saying, “I love you”

There’ll be sad songs to make you cry
Love songs often do
They can touch the heart of someone new
Saying, “I love you”
(I love you)

Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo
Oooh, saying, “I love you”
I love you

It’s Time For Romance!

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

Do you still need some help getting in the mood for Valentine’s Day?  Well, don’t worry!  I’m here to help!  Check out these classic romantic covers!  I defy anyone not be in the mood after romance after looking at some of these bodice rippers.

I was sad to learn that trade paperbacks are not being published anymore so we won’t be getting many more covers like this.  Luckily, the Internet will always be here to remind us of the time when the storm was tender.

 

A Scene That I Love: Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

I’ve seen Charlie Brown suffer through a lot of holidays but I’ve always felt especially bad for him when it comes to Valentine’s Day.  In this scene from Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, he’s waiting at the mailbox for a Valentine from a “little red-headed girl.”  He’s never even talked to her.  He doesn’t know her name and she probably doesn’t know his.  She certainly doesn’t know his address.  How is she going to send him a Valentine?  Lucy could have been nicer in the way she put it but she’s right.  He’ll need a lot of luck.

Luckily, his loyal dog is there to shoot cupid’s arrows at him.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special Alan Parker Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.

82 years ago, on this date, the late director Alan Parker was born in London.  One of the many British directors, like the Scott brothers and Adrian Lyne, who began by directing advertisements, Parker went on to become a director known for both his intense visual style and his revolutionary use of music as a storytelling device.  It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Alan Parker Films

Midnight Express (1978, dir by Alan Parker, DP: Michael Seresin)

Fame (1980, dir by Alan Parker, DP: Michael Seresin)

Pink Floyd — The Wall (1982, dir by Alan Parker, DP: Peter Bizou)

Angel Heart (1987, dir by Alan Parker, DP: Michael Seresin)

 

 

Live Tweet Alert: Join #ScarySocial for Halloween!

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on twitter.  I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie!  Every week, we get together.  We watch a movie.  We tweet our way through it.

Tonight, at 9 pm et, Deanna Dawn will be hosting #ScarySocial!  The movie?  The original Halloween!  

If you want to join us this Saturday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag!  It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.

The film is available on Prime!

Happy Valentine’s Day From The Shattered Lens!

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I know this holiday isn’t for everyone but it’s always been one of my favorites.  Love is in the air!  If you’re single, though, this can be a difficult day.  If you’ve just broken up with someone, this is the day when you just want to stay in bed.  Everyone’s been there!

If you’re celebrating today, I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!  And, if you’re not celebrating, I hope you enjoy your Presidents Day weekend!

You’ve got this!

Music Video of the Day: All Time High, performed by Rita Coolidge (1983, dir by ????)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today’s music video of the day is for the song that was, of course, the theme song for the 1983 James Bond film, Octopussy.  Apparently, the producers realized that there weren’t many words that comfortably rhymed with the movie’s title so they tasked John Barry and Tim Rice with coming up with a theme song that would still be radio friendly.  They came up with All Time High.  I know that some consider this to be a lesser Bond theme song but I absolutely love it.  Some of that might be because this is one of the few songs that I can actually sing all the way through without going off-key.

And it’s the perfect Valentine’s Day song!  I’ll be singing this song later tonight.  Actually, I’ll be singing a medly of James Bond theme songs tonight.  It’s kind of a Valentine’s Day tradition….

Enjoy!

Late Night Retro Television Review: Freddy’s Nightmares 2.2 “Heartbreak Hotel”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past! On Fridays, I will be reviewing Freddy’s Nightmares, a horror anthology show which ran in syndication from 1988 to 1990. The entire series can be found on Tubi!

This week, two more people fall victim to Springwood, Ohio.

Episode 2.2 “Heartbreak Hotel”

(Dir by William Malone, originally aired on October 15th, 1989)

“Learn to use the proper pronouns …. OR DIE!” Freddy shouts at us this week and he has a point.

When tabloid reporter Roger Dittano (John Stinson) is sent to Springwood to write a story about an Elvis sighting at a local hotel, he discovers that everything he writes comes true.  He writes about a woman having a demon child and, a few minutes later, a pregnant maid goes into labor and gives birth to a deformed stillborn baby.  Roger writes about a man being electrocuted in a bathtub and, shortly afterwards, he’s nearly electrocuted while taking a bath.

When Roger discovers that a newspaper publisher (played by Stacy Keach, Sr., father of the better-known Stacy Keach) is staying at the hotel, he comes up with the following story.  “Newspaper publisher leaves empire to reporter after he drinks poison.”  Hey, Roger — who drank the poison!?  The reporter or the newspaper publisher?  As you can guess, Roger’s vague wording leading to him drinking arsenic and dying as the publisher laughs and says, “Oh, and I’m leaving my empire to you!”

That was actually a pretty clever story.  For once, the show actually did the work to set up the twist.  Roger spends the entire episode being told that he’s a sloppy writer.  In the end, that sloppiness kills him.

The second story also has a twist but it’s nowhere near as interesting.  An amnesiac named Jerry (Richard Cox) wakes up in a hospital after a car accident.  A woman (Anne Lockhart) claims to be the Jerry’s wife.  A teenage girl (Tammy Ames) claims to be Jerry’s daughter.  Jerry goes home with both of them and is soon haunted by nightmares in which he sees himself killing a man.  You can probably guess that Jerry is not married and he does not have a daughter.  This story had a lot of noir atmosphere — right down to a saxophone wailing away on the soundtrack — but it was also pretty predictable.

That said, this episode was still an improvement on just about season one episode.  Two good episodes of Freddy’s Nightmares in a row?  I’m as stunned as anyone.