A Time To Heal

Some really bad things have been happening in the world. I mean really bad; the kind that affects us globally.

A few days ago, Japan suffered the one of the worst known earthquakes in world history, followed by a devastating tsunami, and now radiation leaks from their nuclear plants. I have my doubts that the country will recover in my lifetime.

History has seen a great many bad things, both natural and man-made. Songs that are made for specific disasters are usually timeless and can be sung in light of most other bad things.

Sometimes, they are songs of hope and help. Of course, the best example of this came from the heart of the 80s.



Some songs are not about a specific occurrence, so their messages of reaching out spans over a general audience, who listen and respond.



The people of Japan are resilient and hard-working. One day, they may rise again to the thriving country that they have been known for. Wounds will heal to scars. Desolate wastelands will become busy cities. Nuclear plants that hold radiation will either be earthquake-proof or... (dare I hope?) gotten rid of.

In the meantime, I leave you with a song that has a message that I have always believed in, and that's just to be decent to the next person. A little bit of compassion and kindness can grow, branch out, and stretch out for miles; even as far away as Japan.

Vids From the Street

I love parodies, especially when they're done well, and who could possibly do a better parody than the Sesame Street crew featuring Jim Henson's Muppets?

Sesame Street never missed a fad in music since their premiere in 1969. The 80s, with the help of MTV, was the decade that turned music into a visual thing, so it was only natural that Sesame Street featured music video-like parodies of the latest hits.

For obvious reasons, Madonna never guested on the children's show, especially during the 80s when most moms of that time labeled her a "tramp" and other equally endearing names.

However, her Muppet likeness made the cut, largely because she was created for cuteness, rather than rolling-on-the-floor-showing-off-panties-sexy. Like the real Madonna, Cereal Girl encourages her viewers to try new things, except that the "things" tend to differ between them.



The Muppet band, Over The Top, is the Sesame Street likeness of ZZ Top. It has the same sexy-blusey sound as ZZ Top, but is sadly a one-hit-wonder on the Muppet charts.



On a more fun note, Cindi Lauper's likeness made the cut as well. However, rather than antagonizing her parents by inviting dozens of strangers from the street to party in her bedroom, the Cindi Muppet sings about the social coolness of oral hygiene.



One of my favorites has more of a hard rock sound. Muppet Billy Idle, created after the steamy and spiky Billy Idol, has possibly the sweetest Street video of its time.

The Show is On

Some videos depict a story where the artist is on stage attempting to impress a tough audience. It's fun to see the different ways in which this is done.

Rick Springfield's "Bop Till You Drop" follows a common theme in many 80s sci-fi adventure movies. The dashing hero is dressed in leather, metal, and mesh garb as he helps an oppressed civilization to freedom.

At first he tries it by singing to the oppressor, who is unimpressed and attempts to do away with the mulleted hero, who in return, uses the attempt of his execution to his advantage.



The Eurythmics' "There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)" has a much different setting. Lovely Annie Lennox is dressed in an angelic costume and is tonight's entertainment for King David Stewart.

At first he is about as unimpressed as Springfield's scaly oppressor, except rather than attempt to shoot lasers at Annie, he simply falls asleep. But he is awakened half way through her number to find that she has added a colorful twist to the show that he likes very much.



Billy Joel's "A Matter of Trust" deals with more of an accidental audience, where people are simply drawn to his music along a crowded street, the one exception being a neighbor yelling at them to "Shut up!"