Into The Great Wide Open

So this song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was actually made in 1991, but I simply couldn't resist blogging about it. Recently, in music class, we watched a documentary on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. When this song came on, i got shivers down my back (and also Johnny Depp stars in the music video which contributed to my goosebumps). Anyway, the chord progression really clicked in with me. It hit number 4 in the U.S Billboard Album Rock Tracks, but mostly it wasn't a HUGE hit. The song is about Eddie, who becomes a rock star, marries the girl of his dreams, and then loses it all because he didn't appreciate it. This song is great because it also portrays a lesson. Here's the video!!

Head Over Heels

This amazing song was made by the British new-wave band Tears for Fears. I had heard this song before, and then I watched the movie Donnie Darko, and immediately fell "head over heels" for it. It was made in 1985 and hit number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. I remember when the name Tears for Fears first stuck in my head. Adam Lambert was on American Idol and was signing "Mad World" (the version by Gary Jules) and then I looked up the original version and loved it. 

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice........ BEETLEJUICE!

This odd film by Tim Burton was made in 1988 and I recently watched it and loved the character of the "bio-exorcist", Beetlejuice. After crashing and drowning in their car, Barbara and Adam realize that they died and that an obnoxious family was moving into their home. In order to get them to leave, they talk to Beetlejuice, a scary ghost who plans on terrorizing the family to get them to leave. Barbara and Adam become friends with the family's daughter, Lydia, and decide not to scare them away, but Beetlejuice is determined. This cheesy film grossed 73.3 million dollars. Another ting I love about this film is the music by Danny Elfman. All in all it's a fantastic cheesy 80's movie! 

Come on Eileen

So this song has been another one of my favorites for a long time. I can never really tell what he was saying half the time, so when I try to sing along, it comes out sounding like complete gibberish. Anyway, this song is by Dexys Midnight Runners and it won the Best British Single in 1983 at the Brit Awards. I think one of the reasons I like it so much is because of the Celtic style fiddle playing at the beginning. This song is actually about this guy wanting to "get it on" with Eileen. I never really knew what this song was about (because I can't understand what he is singing) but when I looked up the lyrics, it was kind of a disappointment. This song could've had a much deeper meaning, but hey, it's still an excellent song and the meaning isn't all that bad ;) Enjoy!

Take On ME

This 1985 song has been one of my favorites for a long time, but I recently rediscovered it and fell in love all over again! This song was made by the Norwegian band A-ha. It reached number 2 on the UK Single Chart in November of that year, and hit number 1 on the Billboard Top 100 in the US. The music video is also amazing (it won 6 awards) and was directed by Steve Barron. This song is one of my favorites because of the instrumental introduction. It's just so excellent!

It's a fantastic day!

Well it's a fantastic day today. Not really, but it makes it better when you listen to this song. This song is by Haircut One Hundred, a British pop band formed by Nick Heyward in 1980.  "Favorite Shirts (Boy meets Girl)" was their first hit which reached number 4 in the UK Single Chart, but I personally think that "fantastic day is the best one that I have found. My teacher introduced me to this band and now I'm really happy because I love it!

Back to the Future!!!!!!

Great Scott! This 1985 American classic is one of my all time favorites. It was the best film of the year, grossing more than 383 million dollars. I wish I had 383 million dollars.... ANYWAY this film is about Marty, who goes back in time and meets his parents. In the 1950's, Marty has to find a way to make it back home with the help of his friend Doctor Emmett Brown, a.k.a "Doc". As Marty explores, he messes  up how his parents met, and has to re-unite them or else he will cease to exist.  This movie won the academy award for best sound editing, but I think it should've won more than just that.

i don't have time to don't this elkin

Okay hi i cant blog tonight so i really quickly did this. K bye. Sorry. Next time it'll be good (maybe).

That 80's hair!! (perms)

Look at that hair.  That, my friends, is a perm.  This was a popular style in the 80's, my mom even did it multiple times.  I even have some friends that still do it today.  I have naturally strait hair, and I often wonder what it would be like to get a perm.  I won't get one though, it's supposed to be bad for your hair.  The process consists of using chemicals to break and reform hair bonds.  They wrap your hair around a "perm rod" (the shape you want your hair) and apply waving lotion.  It even looks like it would be really bad for your hair.  I like the look of a soft curl, but that up there^ is just too much to handle in my opinion. 

Are your lips..... sugary??

Kissing is a pleasurable act of affection. Sugar is a pretty yummy substance. Put them together, and you have a great song from the 80's! Sugar Kisses is a song by the English band Echo and the Bunnymen. It was released in August 1987, reaching number 36 on the UK Singles Chart and 24 on the Irish Single Chart. This song actually kind of makes me sad. The beat is uplifting, but really it's about this girl who plays him and then "Just when you think she's yours,
 she's flown to other shores
 to laugh at how you break
 and melt into this lake" 
What a freaking player! Just not a cool thing to do, dude. Anyway, this is probably one of those songs that everybody loves the moment they here it. Who wouldn't want lips like sugar!? 

The Church

My mom pulled out the album Starfish the other day.  She was practically in tears by the end of it because she was having a "moment of memories".  So I decided to blog about them.  The Church is an Australian band formed in 1980, and is thought of as playing the new wave music of the 80's.  Their big hit was the song The Unguarded Moment and after it hit number 22 in Australia, the band took to touring nationwide.  My mom and her brother went and saw them live and it was one of her favorite concerts.  She even remembers what she wore to see them!  Anyway, my favorite song of theirs at the moment is Blood Money, but I also really like all of their other songs!  This band will probably be another one of my obsessions.... great.  

 

(they're pretty good lookin as well...) 

Extra-Terrestrial

Aliens. Are. Freaky. Especially E.T. I know he is portrayed as a kind, caring, and loving alien, but I will always be afraid of him. Every since I was little, E.T has scared me to death.  One of my clearest memories from when I was super little (like 3 or 4) was when I thought that my laundry basket was E.T and I freaked out! Anyway, this 1982 film was directed by Steven Spielberg, a well known director (he was also Dawson Leery's favorite in Dawson's Creek). The film won 4 Academy Awards, and is said to be a portrait of the director himself.  Spielberg relates himself to Elliot, the main character, in many ways such as how Elliott fakes illness by holding the thermometer to a light bulb while covering his face with a heating pad, a trick often performed by the young Spielberg. Michael's picking on Elliott echoes Spielberg's teasing of his younger sisters, and Michael's evolution from tormentor to protector reflects how Spielberg had to take care of his sisters after their father left.  No matter what though, E.T is always going to be a creep to me.

 I mean, just look at him!! ^ AHHH. 

I'm Watching You..

Every breath you take, I'll be watching you. How creepy can you get?! This song was created by Sting, the singer of the popular band, The Police. If you actually listen to the lyrics, it's really a creepy song. Even Sting said "I think the song is very, very sinister and ugly and people have actually misinterpreted it as being a gentle, little love song."  It is about a dubious character who watches someone 24/7, and somehow this song turned into one of the iconic lover's songs of today. I guess it's the chord progression or something... who knows? The music video gets me every time I watch it. That one part when he turns to the camera and says "I'll be watching you..." ahhhhh *shivers*. The video actually has a really cool black and white perspective. Anyway, Every Breath you Take is one of those songs that everyone knows, even if it is misinterpreted as a beautiful love song. 

How Soon Is Now?

How Soon Is Now is a song that has a meaning to me. The lyrics talk about someone who is shy and socially awkward. "I am the son and the heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar, I am the son and heir of nothing in particular". This line shows how everyone feels at some point in their lives, how we can all feel shy and not connected to anyone, not noticed, and even not important. I think we've all been there. This song was released January 28th, 1985, by the British alternative rock band, The Smiths. I was searching through my parents vast CD collection and came across their "Singles" album. So I listened to it and immediately recognized this song. It has a very "80's" feel to it.

Pac-Man

Everyone knows Pac-Man. If you don't, you're considered  "non American". Thats how significant this arcade game is to our culture. It appeared in October of 1980, and became a social phenomenon. It generated more than 2.5 billion dollars in quarters by the 1990's, marking itself one of the highest grossing video games of all times. The point of the game is to navigate Pac-Man through a maze while collecting all of the little pellets. Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde roam the maze trying to kill you, and if one of them touches you, you lose a life. When all lifes are lost, the game is over. This all time classic arcade game was at the height of its time, and is even shown in the Smithsonian Institution in Wahington D.C. Pac-Man was marketed from t-shirts and toys to hand-held video game imitations, and even specially shaped pasta. Pac-Man pasta... I think yes!

That 80's hair!! (Mullet style)

One thing I think we will always remember about the 80's are the hair styles. Like, holy moly guys. I think that the worst and best one was probably The Mullet. Honestly, it's the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. Whenever I see someone with a Mullet, I get really excited because that person is automatically cool. That's why it's the worst and the best, because its so bad that it's just awesome.

Today's Friday! And you know what that means? Well, according to the British 80's rock band The Cure, it means I'm in love! While writing this song, Robert Smith became convinced that he had unknowingly stolen the chord progression from somewhere, so he called all of his buds and played the tune. None of them had heard it before, and he realized that the progression was actually his creation. When it was commercially released, it sounded a quarter tone higher than the D major scale they played it in due to Robert forgetting to turn off the vari-speed on the tape before recording. The single hit number 6 in the UK, and 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was actually produced in 1992, but it's still a great song of the 80's era.

SsssAaaaFfffEeeeTtttYyyy DANCE!!

                                                      We can dance if we want to
                                        We can leave your friends behind
                                          Cause your friends don't dance
                                                  And if they don't dance
                                         Well they're no friends of mine

This epic song was first released in Canada in 1983 by the band Men Without Hats.  The first time I saw the music video, I was literally on the floor crying because I was laughing so hard! It was filmed in the village of West Kington in southwest England and is notable for its English folk revival. My best friend introduced it to me, and it has been one of my all time favorite songs ever since. I heard it was considered the theme song for Bitney College Prep a while back. Anyway, Safety Dance was actually a protest against bouncers kicking out the dancers who were "pogoing", a type of dance that involved holding the torso rigid and thrashing about while jumping up and down. Some of the lyrics like "And you can act real rude and totally removed and I can act like an imbecile" refer to what pogoing looked like to the bouncers. Safety Dance hit #11 in the Canadian top 50 on May 14th, 1983. I personally think it should have been number one. If you are ever feeling down, just turn this song on and I'll bet you you'll feel better right away!

The Breakfast Club!

  Eight hours and fifty-four minutes of Saturday detention.  Five complete strangers, each from a different clique.  This 1985 film is about how an athlete, a brain, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal endure and overcome their differences, and find that aren't as different from each other as they may think, for each one of US has a little bit of each character inside. They find that they all have strained relationships with their parents, and that they strive to be accepted as who they are.  For almost 9 hours, this misfit group of highschoolers learns to accept one another, and in the end, themselves.  This film really brings out what it means to be a teenager, and it leaves you with a triumphant fist pump of adolescence!