Repeated Blahs... Except For That One

Much of my experience with 1987 was that there was a lot of music that all the popular radio stations played repeatedly until your ears bled but, for the life of me, the appeal for them did not resonate with me. Much of it I hated. Most of it I would not have minded much and probably would have enjoyed on a certain level if the radio stations and music video programs didn't slather it on like wall paper that posted the lyrics to "This Is The Song That Never Ends."

My 8th grade math teacher allowed us to listen to music while we worked. He had a radio tuned to a popular station, which I would have enjoyed more if that station did not play the same handful of mildly good to semi-hideous songs day after day; sometimes a song or two would be played twice within the hour. But, naturally, there were exceptions. There always are.

But there was one song that I did not mind the repeated plays. It was beautiful, sad, romantic, and sounded very different from the other songs. "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House hit the US charts that year, enabling me to sit through my math class without throwing my math teacher's radio out the stupid window. I would gaze at the cute boy sitting in front of me and zone into my own world, dreaming all a blessed-well wanted to. Sometimes, all it takes is a song to make things all right again.

 

EO and Beyond

My family recently went to Disneyland. I had visited the park a few times in my life. I am reminded of one of those times when I was 16 and had the wonderful opportunity to watch a cutting edge 3-D film starred by Michael Jackson. It was rather sweet.

Although this was past Jackson's "Thriller" peak, he definitely left his moonwalk footprint on the Disney threshold.

This feature was yanked from the Disney theme parks in the mid-90s when Jackson faced some shady accusations, but was put back in the parks in 2010 after Jackson's death a year earlier. Although my family didn't watch this feature, I am glad that Jackson's tainted reputation did not permanently deprive park-goers from his dancing and singing talents.

Good-Good

One band that I enjoyed immensely was the Go-Gos. It just had this very upbeat feel that makes one think of pink toenail polish, overlarge plastic earrings, and bubblegum all wrapped up in a sexy spangled bow.

The Go-Gos was an all-female band with Belinda Carlisle as their lead singer. After a few years of success, Belinda left the band for a solo career. Although she has been quite successful as a solo singer, I don't know, I simply enjoyed her work better in the Go-Gos. It just felt more complete to me. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike her music, it just sounds very much the same as many of the other female singers of the time and it doesn't have that unique zest that the Go-Gos completed as a unit.

But to those who like her music, more power to you. I'll just be stuck in 1984 on this one.