Electric Light Orchestra! The 1976 hit, "Telephone Line!"

"Telephone Line" to me, is the coolest song by Electric Light Orchestra from’76. This was waaaay before we had Caller ID when we would sit by the phone awaiting for an actual call from that special someone.

The US version of this single was released in “green” vinyl---as was the norm, many ELO singles were issued in different colors---but this was the only single that was green.

I never knew that the group's name was based not only on electric light (as in a light bulb as seen on early album covers) but also using "electric" rock instruments combined with a "light orchestra" (orchestras with only a few cellos and violins that were popular in Britain during the 1960s).

You’ll notice that the official band logo is on this video. It was designed in ‘76 and is based on a ‘46 Wurlitzer jukebox. The band's previous logo was similar to the General Electric logo.

As I reminisce, I remember a show called “James at 15”.  It seems to me that this song was once on that show. There was a scene when “James” makes a phone call and gets his heart broken... I’m sure it was to this song.

Oh well, add this song to your Playlist if it isn’t on there already. You’ll be playing it at least half a dozen times!

Ahhhhh…the memories!

Temple of the Dog! 1991's "Hunger Strike!"

In the 90's, I really missed the 80’s and shrugged the 70’s…then, as time went on, I started really missing and appreciating the 70’s. Then in the 2000's, I started shrugging the 90's and kept going back to the 80's (and still do of course!). But then the other day I heard “Hunger Strike” on the radio and I started to really miss the 90’s! I started to think about some of the cool songs that came out of this decade. I then got on to YouTube and searched for this video and it brought back memories of how the decade started with this “new” kind of music. Grunge!

You know, there was a time that Eddie Vedder started looking a lot like the Lion from the Wizard of Oz….

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But, I digress….

"Hunger Strike" was written by vocalist Chris Cornell of Sound Garden who had formed the group Temple of the Dog in 1990 as a tribute to his friend, the late Andrew Wood, lead singer of Mother Love Bone. It was a released as a single on their only self titled album in 1991.  The line-up included Stone Gossard on rhythm guitar, Jeff Ament on bass guitar (both ex-members of Mother Love Bone), Mike McCready on lead guitar, Matt Cameron on drums and Eddie Vedder providing lead and backing vocals. Soon after this concept album, Vedder, Ament, Gossard and McCready formed Pearl Jam.

Cornell on the song:

“When we started rehearsing the songs, I had pulled out "Hunger Strike" and I had this feeling it was just kind of gonna be filler, it didn't feel like a real song. Eddie was sitting there kind of waiting for a rehearsal (Mookie Blaylock….later Pearl Jam) and I was singing parts, and he kind of humbly—but assertive—walked up to the mic and started singing the low parts for me because he saw it was kind of hard. We got through a couple choruses of him doing that and suddenly the light bulb came on in my head, this guy's voice is amazing for these low parts. History wrote itself after that, and that became the single.

This song rocks! I'm STILL going hungry!

"The Logical Song!" by the band Supertramp!

“The Logical Song” by the band Supertramp brings back so many memories!!

I was 13 years old (1979) at the time this song was released  and I remember distinctly how awesome the story/lyrics and music could be put together so beautifully.

Some facts:

1.    I remember thinking at the time, “Supertramp??? What kind of name is that for a band??” It was named after William Henry Davies’ book, “The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp”. Davies spent a significant part of his life as a tramp or vagabond in the United States and United Kingdom, but became known as one of the most popular poets of his time. The book was one of the band's favorites.

2.    This song has been described as a timeless and touching tale about the human condition. The lyrics are a "story of innocence and idealism lost" with Hodgson, who wrote the song, condemning an education system not focused on knowledge and sensitivity.

3.    In addition to the use of castanets, what’s really cool is that SuperTramp makes use of contemporary sound effects that were popular at the time. For example, you’ll hear at the end of the song a double tweet sound of a Mattel Electronic Football Game. Which, if you don’t remember, was one of the first interactive games that was often limited to buttons and sound effects that featured simple red-LED displays. Wow! Now that was high tech at the time!

All I can say is, SUPERTRAMP is SUPERFANTASTIC!

"Shower Me With Your Love!" The 1989 Hit by Surface!

I almost forgot about this group of the 80s until I heard this song on the radio today! The memories come flooding back! When slow jams were truly slow jams!! The year was 1989! Surface was a smooth group!! One of my favorite tunes! If you’re gonna get married soon, you gotta play this one!

Wow! These haircuts make me miss the Arsenio Hall Show! 

Or Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff!

Or....De La Soul!

Or......Kid 'n Play?

ANYWAYS!!!

Today’s R&B could take lessons from songs like this!

Duran Duran's 1982 Hit, "Rio!"

This band is amazing!! This is one of my favorite Duran Duran songs of all time! It has such a catchy melody and the intricate bass line is awesome!!  In fact, the saxophone and bass solo on this tune is just incredible!

A few studio tricks were done to get the distinctive sound for this song.  Keyboardist, Nick Rhodes, made the sound at the beginning of the song by placing some metal rods on the strings of a grand piano in the studio, playing the instrument, then the recorded sound was reversed to create the intro. The laughter on the track was that of Rhodes' girlfriend at the time.

Also, I always wondered how they came up with their band name. It’s named after a character in the 1968 Jane Fonda movie Barbarella. In the movie, Barbarella (Jane Fonda) is assigned by the President of Earth to retrieve Doctor Durand Durand from the planet Tau Ceti in order to save Planet Earth. Dr. Durand Durand is the inventor of a weapon called the Positronic Ray.

It’s hard to believe the group has never disbanded and have recently kicked off a tour to support their latest album.  I just heard them on TV recently playing this 1982 hit and they sound just like they did in the early 80’s! I gotta see these guys!

Debbie Gibson! ....Oh Yes I did!

Yes! I did post this song!

But hey, no Autotune here, huh?

This song was great! You know you liked it! Hard to believe she was actually 15 when she originally wrote this song.

I remember seeing a ton of girls with their big hair in a ponytail on the side with stonewashed jeans with bright shirts and matching socks, huuuuge belts, and tons of make- up.

Yup….it was 1987 alright!

Frankie Smith's 1981 hit "Double Dutch Bus!"

One of my favorite songs of 1981 was a song called “Double Dutch Bus” by Frankie Smith. The funny thing was, I had absolutely no idea what this song was about! Can you imagine trying to sing this song on Karoake night?

After doing some research, I found out that the “Double Dutch Bus” actually represents a combination of two institutions in Smith's Philadelphia Pennsylvania neighborhood: the double Dutch game of jump rope played by neighborhood kids, and SEPTA, (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) the public transit bus system that was the backbone of the local transportation network (and for which Smith had unsuccessfully applied for a bus driving position; the Transpass referred to in the song is an actual SEPTA pass).

Frankie’s song popularized a nonsensical form of slang, in which "iz" is placed in the middle of a word. For example, the word "place" becomes "plizace" or the last letters of a word are replaced with "-izzle" (ex. sure becomes shizzle). Now you know how this style became part of today's hip-hop slang culture (popularized by rapper Snoop Dogg).

After watching this video, I couldn’t help but notice that the bus in the video happens to look like one from the Department of Corrections! Yikes!