Songs 368-370

Replacements - I'll Be You (1989)

Joey Scarbury - Believe It or Not (1981)

Swing Out Sister - Breakout (1987)

Songs 365-367

Public Enemy - Bring the Noise (1988)

Scandal - The Warrior (1984)

Patty Smyth - Never Enough (1987)

Songs 362-364

Firm - Radioactive (1985)

Modern Talking - You're My Heart, You're My Soul (1985)

Jackson Browne - Lawyers in Love (1983)

Songs 359-361

Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun (1983)

Rick James - Super Freak (1981)

Vangelis - Chariots of Fire (1982)

Songs 356-358

Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight (1980)

Killing Joke - Kings and Queens (1985)

Psychedlic Furs - Pretty in Pink (1981)

Songs 353-355

Ahmad Jamal - Pittsburgh (1989)

Chick Corea Elektric Band - Elektric City (1986)

Grover Washington, Jr. - Strawberry Moon (1987)

Songs 350-352

Gap Band - You Dropped A Bomb on Me (1982)

B-52's - Love Shack (1989)

Sun Ra Arkestra - Nuclear War (1982)

Songs 347-349

George Clinton - Atomic Dog (1982)

Spinners - Cupid I've Loved You For a Long Time (1980)

Cameo - Word Up (1986)

Songs 344-346

James Brown - Living in America (1985)

Katrina and the Waves - Walking on Sunshine (1985)

Quiet Riot - Cum on Feel the Noize (1983)

Songs 341-343

Earth, Wind and Fire - System of Survival (1987)

Adam Ant - Goody Two Shoes (1982)

Jack Wagner - All I Need (1984)

Songs 338-340

Jenny Burton - Bad Habits (1985)

Milli Vanilli - Blame It on the Rain (1989)

Martika - Toy Soldiers (1988)

Songs 335-337

MARRS - Pump Up the Volume (1988)

Soul II Soul - Back to Life (1989)

Chris Isaak - Wicked Game (1989)

Songs 332-334

Joe Cocker - Up Where We Belong (1982)

Chris DeBurgh - Lady In Red (1986)

Biz Markie - Just a Friend (1989)

Songs 329-331

Honeydrippers - Sea of Love (1984)

Simply Red - If You Don't Know Me By Now (1989)

Bruce Willis - Under the Boardwalk (1987)

Songs 326-328

Michael Sembello - Maniac (1983)

Dan Hartman - I Can Dream About You (1984)

General Public - Tenderness (1984)

Songs 323-325

Patti Austin - Baby, Come to Me (1981)

Georgia Satellites - Keep Your Hands to Yourself (1986)

Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star (1980)

Songs 320-322

Paul Young - Everytime You Go Away (1985)

Jimmy Buffett - Brown Eyed Girl (1983)

Autograph - Turn Up the Radio (1984)

Songs 317-319

Let's have some more New Age songs. David Lanz - Willow (1987)

David Arkenstone - Rain (1987)

Shadowfax - The Firewalker (1988)

Songs 314-316

Roxette - The Look (1988)

T'Pau - Heart and Soul (1987)

Ratt - Round and Round (1984)

Songs 311-313

Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now (1987)

Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run (1984))

Tina Turner - We Don't Need Another Hero (1985)

Songs 308-310

Aretha Franklin - Freeway of Love (1985)

Patti LaBelle - New Attitude (1984)

Pointer Sisters - Neutron Dance (1983)

Songs 305-307

I'm suffering from a bit of burnout when it comes to this blog and I'm feeling a little lazy so today's songs are a bit of a cheat. Hollywood Rose - Anything Goes (1984)

L.A. Guns - The Battle of Jayne (1989)

Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child o' Mine (1987)

Songs 302-304

Sukiyaki - A Taste of Honey (1981)

Styx - Mr. Roboto (1983)

Kitaro - The Field (1987)

Songs 299-301

To celebrate the 300th song on this blog, we'll end this post with a special performer for the ladies. But first...
Xymox - Obsession (1989)

Ministry - I Wanted to Tell Her (1983)

And now, an artist who had many hits in the 1980's. I'm putting my favorite. I want to tell you that I love this song, but the point is probably moot. So without further ado....
Rick Springfield - Rock of Life (1988)

What's that? That's not the song you think of when you think of Rick Springfield? You want to hear the song he's better known for? Fine. Don't say I never give you anything.
Rick Springfield - Honeymoon in Beirut (1988)

Really? That's not the song you were thinking of either? Something older? I guess you were a General Hospital fan. Here's Jessie's Girl (1981)

Songs 296-298

Kiss - Heaven's on Fire (1984)

AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long (1980)

Warrant - Heaven (1989)

Songs 293-295

Not all the songs I put up here I like. I have put some New Age on here, which I did and do like. A common theme of New Age artists of that era was album covers that were sort of serene, maybe some nature. I found this album is a discount rack and picked it up because the cover looked New Agey:

Not exactly New Age. Candlemass - Ancient Dreams (1988)

Mike Post - Hill Street Blues (1981)

Joe Walsh - All Night Long (1980)

Songs 290-292

Dolly Parton - 9 to 5 (1980)

LL Cool J - Going Back to Cali (1989)

Ray Lynch - Celestial Soda Pop (1984)

Songs 287-289

Quarterflash - Harden my Heart (1981)

John Lennon - Nobody Told Me (1984)

Expose - Seasons Change (1988)

Songs 284-286

Laura Branigan - Gloria (1982)

Juice Newton - Angel of the Morning (1981)

New Kids on the Block - You Got It (The Right Stuff (1988))

Songs 281-283

Living Colour - Cult of Personality (1988)

Don Henley - Dirty Laundry (1982)

Jan Hammer - Miami Vice Theme (1985)

Songs 278-280

Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al (1986)

Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy (1988)

UB40 - Red Red Wine (1983)

Songs 275-277

Corey Hart - Sunglasses at Night (1984)

Glass Tiger - Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone (1986))

Shannon - Let the Music PLay (1983)

Songs 272-274

Kansas - Fight Fire with Fire (1983)

Alabama - Love in the First Degree (1981)

Japan - Ghosts (1981)

Songs 269-271

Neil Diamond - Heartlight (1982)

Human League - Human (1986)

Miami Sound Machine - Conga (1985)

Songs 266-268

Robbie Nevil - C'est la Vie (1986)

Jermaine Stewart - We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off (1986)

Supertramp - I'm Beggin' You (1987)

Songs 263-265

Twisted Sister - We're Not Going to Take It (1984)

Ramones - Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio (1980)

Dinosaur Jr. - Freak Show (1988)

Songs 260-262

Suzanne Vega - Luka (1987)

Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians - Chinese Bones (1988)

Loverboy - Notorious (1987)

Songs 257-259

Today is my birthday and to celebrate I'm treating myself to some favorite songs of my youth.
Back in the day we had these things called cassette recorders. Before we even knew of such things as the interweb and piracy, we would make our own tapes of songs by recording them off of the radio. Even then the record companies felt threatened and for a brief time radio stations would play a brief ad in the middle of the song to discourage people making tapes of it. Never mind it irritated the bejeezus out of everyone listening.
But anyway, I had a cassette of songs I really enjoyed and there was a three song stretch that I particularly enjoyed and would play over and over and over and over and over. Those three songs are today's songs.
First was Eddy Grant's Electric Avenue (1982)

Next was Robert Hazard's Escalator of Life (1982). This song never got airplay where I lived so I was thrilled to have it on tape (keep in mind I was 11 and couldn't exactly run out and go shopping at the human mall and buy it).

Lastly is the greatest song of the 1980's, if not all time, Come on Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners:

Songs 254-256

Seduction - Two to Make It Right (1989)

Rob Base and D.J. E-Z Rock - It Takes Two (1988)

Art of Noise - Peter Gunn (1986)

Songs 251-253

Naked Eyes - Always Something There to Remind Me (1982)

Technotronic - Pump Up the Jam (1989)

The Jam - Town Called Malice (1982)

Songs 248-250

With this post, we're a quarter of the way through the thousand songs. Seems like a long way to go.
Commodores - Night Shift (1985)

Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing (1982)

Buddy Miles doing Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through the Grapevine with the California Raisins (1986)

Songs 245-247

Taking today's songs from groups mentioned in this clip of the great film High Fidelity:

Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey (1985). I don't care what Jack Black says. There is not picking up from Echo and the Bunnymen.

Stiff Little Fingers - Bits of Kids (1982)

Clash - Rock the Casbah (1982)

Songs 242-244

Fiction Factory - (Feels Like) Heaven (1984)

Stevie Nicks - Edge of Seventeen (1981)

Fleetwood Mac - Gypsy (1982)

Songs 239-241

Animotion - Obsession (1984)

Kylie Minogue - Locomotion (1987)

Ric Ocasek - Emotion in Motion (1986)

Songs 236-238

No, I will not be joining the rest of the country in playing Prince songs today. Instead, in memory of Prince, we will have three artists connected with him.
Appolonia 6 - Sex Shooter (1984)

Shelia E - The Glamorous Life (1985)

Sheena Easton - Strut (1984)

Songs 233-235

So yesterday Casey Neistat posted this video:

where he mentions the 80's metal band Anvil so I decided to include Anvil today. Here's Straight Between the Eyes (1987)

I figured you can't have an anvil without a hammer so here is MC Hammer with Pump It Up (1988)

Then if you have a hammer you should have Nine Inch Nails. Head Like A Hole (1989)

Songs 230-232

Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy (1982)

Elvis Costello - Veronica (1989)

Sade - Smooth Operator (1984)

Songs 227-229

Cinderella - Not Your Fool (1986)

Modern English - I Melt With You (1982)

English Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom (1980)

Songs 224-226

Yello - Oh Yeah (1985)

Herbie Hancock - Rockit (1983)

Harold Faltermeyer - Axel F (1984)

Songs 221-223

It's that time of year...baseball season! So some baseball tunes from the eighties.
Steve Goodman - A Dying Cubs Fan's Last Request (1983)

Terry Cashman - Talkin' Baseball (Willie, Mickey and the Duke)(1981)

The Naturals with Mel Allen - Baseball Dreams (1985)

Songs 218-220

Toni Basil - Mickey (1981)

Tony! Toni! Tone! - Little Walter (1988)

Talking Heads - Burning Down the House (1983)

Songs 215-217

Re-Flex - The Politics of Dancing (1983)

Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy (1988)

Alison Moyet - Invisible (1984)

Songs 212-214

Murray Head - One Night in Bangkok (1984)

I actually listen to Murray's brother Anthony a lot more than I do Murray. You might recognize Anthony as Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Bonus Anthony Stewart Head song even though he isn't eighties.

Back to the eighties. How about some Pet Shop Boys? Always on My Mind (1988)

Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy (1984)

Songs 209-211

Breaking out songs I love today. Thomas Dolby - Blinded Me with Science (1982)

I actually bought this album on it's release date. The first time I ever did such a thing. Richard Marx - Don't Mean Nothing (1987)

Erasure - Piano Song (1989)

Songs 206-208

One of my faves, Leave It (1983) by Yes

Then two I don't care for.
Poison - Every Rose Has It's Thorn (1988)

Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer (1986)

Songs 203-205

Taking a break from the popular tunes today and shifting to some classical music. I had hesitated to do so because much of classical music recordings are performances of older songs. Can we really call them tunes of the (19) eighties if they were written in the 19th century? I'm doing so because these particular recordings were notable for the era, at least for me. Beginning with the Marsalis brothers. As a sax player, listening to Branford was very important to my growth as a player. He demonstrated that the sax could be played in any setting. This is Arabesque No. 1 by Claude DeBussy off of Branford's Romances for the Saxophone album (1986)

I also enjoyed listening to Wynton because of how awesome he was. There is no shame in working hard and aspiring to have technical and musical chops like Wynton demonstrated on Carnival of Venice (also 1986)

Finish up with someone who was a very straightforward traditional classical performer in the eighties but has since done anything and everything. Yo-Yo Ma first broke out of the normal classical recordings with an album of Cole Porter jazz tunes in 1989. Here's Anything Goes (1989)

Songs 200-202

Eurythmics - Here Comes the Rain Again (1983)

Paul Carrack - Don't Shed a Tear (1987)

Hall and Oates - Private Eyes (1981)

Songs 197-199

The Call - I Still Believe (Great Design (1986))

Spandau Ballet - True (1983)

Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax (1983)

Songs 194-196

Pebbles - Girlfriend (1987)

Stray Cats - Rock This Town (1981)

The Church - Under the Milky Way (1988)

Songs 191-193

Husker Du - Something I Learned Today (1984)

Stacey Q - Two of Hearts (1986)

Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot (1988)

Songs 188-190

The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary (1985)

Luther Vandross - Here and Now (1989)

Kool and the Gang - Tonight (1983)

Songs 185-187

Falco - Rock Me Amadeus (1985)

Taco - Puttin' on the Ritz (1982)

Bad Company (or, for the purposes of today's "theme" Bad Co.) - No Smoke without a Fire (1988)

Songs 182-184

Pseudo Echo - Funky Town (1985)

Bell Biv DeVoe - Poison (1989 (by three days!))

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince - Parents Just Don't Understand (1988)

Songs 179-181

Jesus Jones - Info Freako (1989)

John Hiatt - Thank You Girl (1987)

Alannah Myles - Black Velvet (1989)

Songs 176-178

ZZ Top - Legs (1983)

Eddie Murphy - Party All the Time (1985)

Beach Boys - Kokomo (1989)

Songs 173-175

Some of my many thousands of loyal followers may be asking things like, "Really, Jon? You thought of Strawberry Switchblade before you thought of Prince?". And the answer to that is, of course not. I think of Prince almost every day. Prince is awesome. But because the idiot who structured this blog decided each artist could only be included once, well, do I really want to go the rest of the year with no potential of having Prince show up? Of course not. The possibility of Prince, in my mind, is better than having Prince included in this blog at this stage. Likewise with my all-time favorite eighties tune. It will show up eventually. Just not now. It's tough doing a blog like this and trying to keep a nice blend of songs and artists without going through the big names and tunes early. That's why you get some of the more obscure bands or genres that didn't get popular play (I feel like I've done a decent job of punk representation early on, for instance). Just thought I'd let you know what goes on in my head.
Speaking of which, let's add some more punk and get the Misfits going on here with Mommy, Can I Go Out and Kill Tonight (1982)

We'll go from one Jersey artist to another. Bruce Springsteen and Glory Days (1985)

Keep the baseball theme going with John Fogerty's Centerfield (1985)

Songs 170-172

Alan Parsons Project - Eye in the Sky (1982)

Foreigner - Waiting for a Girl Like You (1981)

Greg Kihn Band - Jeopardy (1983)

Songs 167-169

Black Flag - My War (1984)

Red Flag - If I Ever (1989). I miss Mark Reynolds.

Wang Chung - Dance Hall Days (1983)

Songs 164-166

Me, me, me. Today all songs are by artists with the letters "Me" in their names because why not?
Menudo - Hold Me (1985)

Megadeth - Peace Sells (1986)

Mike and the Mechanics - All I Need is a Miracle (1985)

Songs 161-163

Whitesnake - Here I go Again (1982)

XTC - Dear God (1986)

Yaz - Sweet Thing (1983)

Songs 158-160

Gary Numan - She's Got Claws (1981)

Squeeze - Annie Get Your Gun (1982)

Tommy Tutone - 867-5309 (Jenny) (1981)

Songs 155-157

Journey - Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)(1983)

Pat Benatar - We Belong (1984)

Beastie Boys - Fight for Your Right (1986)

Songs 152-154

I should be doing some rowing on my indoor rower but instead I'll do some Roing with musical groups.
The Romantics - Talking in Your Sleep (1983)

Roxette - The Look (1988)

Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me (1984)

Songs 149-151

You're right, there hasn't been enough electronica so far. No one actually said that except for me.
Brian Eno - Shadow (1982)

Phuture - Acid Tracks (1987)

Kraftwerk - Computer Love (1981)

Songs 146-148

It was quite breezy here today so I decided on a wind theme. In order to have wind, you need a supply of air.
Air Supply - Sweet Dreams (1981)

Patrick Swayze - She's Like the Wind (1987)

Bette Midler - Wind Beneath My Wings (1988)

Songs 143-145

Vanessa Williams - Dreamin' (1988)

Simple Minds - Alive and Kicking (1985)

Fear - I Love Livin' in the City (1982)

Songs 140-142

Today's post has both kinds of music:

My parents were fans of both kinds of music so I got exposed to some of this stuff. The first concert I ever attended was a Loretta Lynn concert that my folks dragged me along to. We'll start with her. I Lie (1982)

The opening act for her, Bandana, I actually enjoyed. Years later I found their album in a dollar bin at a record store. Here's Outside Lookin' In (1983)

Wrap it up with one of me mum's faves, Kenny Rogers' Lady (1980)

Songs 137-139

Boston - Amanda (1986)

Next, one of my least favorite songs from the eighties, Against All Odds by Phil Collins (1984)

Keith Richards - Take It So Hard (1988)

Songs 134-136

Christopher Cross - Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do (1981))

Strawberry Switchblade - Since Yesterday (1985)

Glenn Frey - Smuggler's Blues (1984)

Songs 131-133

Ice is nice!

Ice-T - Colors (1988)

Shoot, I messed up. I wanted to include Ice Cube but he didn't record as a solo artist until the nineties. Fine. Here's Ice Cube (as part of N.W.A.) - Straight Outta Compton (1988)

Shoot, I messed up again. I was going to include Vanilla Ice but he's also a nineties artist. How about Coldplay? Aha! I figured out a solution. How do you get ice? You freeze water. So here is Freeze Frame by the J. Geils Band (1981)

Songs 128-130

Three B's or not three B's, that is not the question. I just wanted to have groups beginning with the letter B today. Call Me by Blondie (1980)

The Metro by Berlin (1982)

and In a Big Country by Big Country (1983)

Songs 125-127

Fabulous Thunderbirds - Wrap It Up (1986)

Melissa Manchester - You Should Hear How She Talks About You (1982)

Pink Floyd - Learning to Fly (1988)

Songs 122-124

Listening to Dave Koz in yesterday's video with Postmodern Jukebox made me realize how undersaxed I am. I'd go so far as to say I'm saxually deprived. In case you didn't know, most of my life I have been bisaxual. But I loaned my alto and soprano to my nieces who are at that age when they start exploring their saxuality. So I guess right now I might be asaxual. Anyway, I need a little sax. Start off with Kenny G and Slip of the Tongue (1986)

Add David Sanborn's The Dream (love this song) (1987)

End with Kirk Whalum's The Promise (1989)

Songs 119-121

I'm not the only one who misses the eighties tunes. Today's songs are 21st century groups recently covering eighties tunes in pre-eighties styles. Originals and covers are included. Careless Whisper by Wham! (1984)

and by Postmodern Jukebox doing a thirtieish swing thing

New Order doing their 1988 re-release of their 1983 song Blue Monday (we'll call it 1988)

and also by Orkestra Obsolete, also going back to the thirties but for their instrument choices

We'll wrap up with Metallica doing One (1989)

and Stary Olsa covering it on medieval instruments

If you like Stary Olsa, you can still back their Kickstarter for two more weeks.

Songs 116-118

Devo - Whip It (1980)

Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart (1980)

Olivia Newton John - Physical (1981)

Songs 113-115

Back in my first post, I asked if Frank Sinatra was an eighties artist. He was. Here's L.A. Is My Lady (1984)

While this video included several posts worth of cameos. We'll just include one, Missing Persons with Destination Unknown (1984)

Oh, man. I was going to include The Trash Can Sinatras but they were a nineties band. This blog is tough sometimes. So we'll include another cameo from the Frank video. Van Halen's Jump (1984)

Songs 110-112

The Smithereens - A Girl Like You (1989)

Tone Loc - Funky Cold Medina (1989)

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - I Love Rock 'n' Roll (1981)

Songs 107-109

Abracadbra by The Steve Miller Band (1982)

Bananarama doing Cruel Summer (1984)

and Copacabana by Barry Manilow....WHAT! It's 1978?!?! Well, shoot So much for a abbadabbabanana theme. We'll keep Barry and in honor of not being able to include his old song, here's The Old Songs (1981)

Songs 104-106

Today's songs are all about dinero, Pocorobas, cash money. Calloway's I Wanna Be Rich (1989)

ABC How to Be a Millionaire (1985)

Donna Summer She Works Hard for the Money (1983)

Songs 101-103

Kevin Paige - Anything I want (1989)

Night Ranger - Sister Christian (1983)

I Love a Rainy Night - Eddie Rabbitt (1980)
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Songs 98-100

One-tenth of the way done and I haven't even tapped into my New Age memories. We'll celebrate the century mark by remedying that. Start with Peter Buffett and Empire Builder (1987)

Yanni and Butterfly Dance (1984)

Good lord, it has been a long time since I listened to that song. I just time traveled back a quarter century plus. That song may have invoked more memories than any of the previous ones on this blog. Wow. End today with John Tesh and The Black Hole (1989)

Songs 95-97

Dire Straits - Money for Nothing (1985)

Fugazi - Give Me the Cure (1988)

Paula Abdul - Straight Up (1988)

Songs 92-94

Get It On (Bang a Gong) - Power Station (1985)

Now this is funny. The next artist I thought of was Robert Palmer because the lead singer of Power Station sounds so much like him. Maybe because it is him. So here's Robert Palmer with Addicted to Love (1985)

then coming from out of nowhere to finish the trio today is Buckner and Garcia doing Pac-Man Fever (1982). I'm out of touch. There was a Pac-Man movie last year? Who the hell is nostalgic for the eighties to merit that?

Songs 89-91

Peter Schilling - Major Tom (1989)

An important single from my youth, Lives of the Saints #135 (Naked Wife) by Honor Role (1988)

Whitney Houston, I Wanna Dance with Somebody (1987)

Songs 86-88

I've got numbers in my head today, beginning with Saved by Zero by The Fixx (1983)

Chicago's 25 or 6 to 4 (1986 re-release of 1970 song)

99 Luftballons by Nena (1983 German release)

Songs 83-85

Since it's Tuesday, how about 'Til Tuesday and Voices Carry (1985)

Going back to yesterday, Manic Monday by The Bangles (1985)

And going back a day before that, Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2 (1983)

Songs 80-82

I realized after posting yesterday that just because I couldn't include King of Wishful Thinking, I couldn't include Go West. Today I will include Go West with We Close Our Eyes (1985)

Closing eyes makes me think of Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne with Close My Eyes Forever (1988). I'm counting this as Lita Ford since it was on her album

Which in turn allows me to include a song by Ozzy, Bark at the Moon (1983)

Songs 77-79

After putting up some St. Elmo's Fire songs yesterday, I have other eighties movies songs in my head this morning. Were the eighties the peak of movie songs?

We'll begin with Go West doing King of Wishful Thinking from the Pretty Woman soundtrack. No we won't. 1990. I could have sworn I watched that movie in high school. Oh well.

Survivor - Eye of the Tiger (1982) which ended up the theme song for Rocky III

I'm Alright (1980) by Kenny Loggins from the movie Caddyshack (we called it the Go-go Gopher song back in the day). I think I could have found a few Loggins movie songs. Danger Zone from Top Gun. Footloose. I expect there's more

Since I brought up Footloose, let's add Let's Hear It For the Boy by Deniece Williams (1984)


Bonus video clip. Seeing how Deniece Williams spells her name made me think of a Key and Peele bit:

Songs 74-76

Level 42 - Lessons in Love (1987)

Oh, hearing that bass line made me instantly think of the fabulous Man in Motion by John Parr (1985)

And you can't have a song from St. Elmo's Fire without the love song from St. Elmo's Fire by David Foster (1985)

Songs 71-73

Electric Light Orchestra - Hold on Tight (1981)

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - If You Leave (1986)

Grateful Dead - Touch of Grey (1987)

Songs 68-70

Should have saved this post for October but what can you do? Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by The Damned (1981)

I'm cheating a bit with this one. Until December's cover of Bauhaus's Bela Lugosi's Dead (1986 of 1979 original)

I was a Teenage Werewolf by The Cramps (1980)

Songs 65-67

Today, I just want to dance, dance, dance.

Do a little Flashdance to start (Irene Cara's What a Feeling (1983):

You might think flashing is a little dirty so we'll have some dirty dancing. Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes with (I've Had) The Time of My Life (1987):

Flashing...dancing dirty...this might be a little too much. Need to tone it back some. Maybe some Safety Dance from Men Without Hats (1982)

Songs 62-64

Echo and the Bunnymen - Killing Moon (1984)

Toad the Wet Sprocket - One Little Girl (1989)

New Edition - Candy Girl (1983)

Songs 59-61

Going with a Latin American feel today beginning with Soda Stereo and Persiana Americana (1986):

Santana with Winning (1981)

Los Lobos and La Bamba (1987)

Songs 56-58

Madness - Our House (1982)

Julian Lennon - Too Late for Goodbyes (1984)

Fat Boys and Chubby Checker - The Twist (1988)

Songs 53-55

Thompson Twins - Hold Me Now (1984)

Scorpions - Rock You Like a Hurricane (1984)

Kajagoogoo - Too Shy (1983)

Songs 50-52

Friends by Whodini (1984)

Straight Edge by Minor Threat (1981)

Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) by Haircut 100 (1982)

Songs 47-49

EU - Da Butt (1988)

Amy Grant - Lead Me On (1988)

Buster Poindexter - Hot Hot Hot (1987)

Songs 44-46

Chaka Khan - I Feel For You (1984)

Siouxsie and the Banshees - The Last Beat of My Heart (1988)

The Innocence Mission - Wonder of Birds (1989)

Songs 41-43

When I started this, I never intended to have themes for each day yet songs seem to come to me as the result of connections or things I see/hear/read. Like today. In honor of Playboy going non-nude, three eighties performers who appeared nude in Playboy.

Madonna with Lucky Star (1983)

Tiffany - I Think We're Alone Now (1987)

and Samantha Fox with Love House (1988)

Songs 38-40

Sportswriter Keith Law linked to this one yesterday in celebration of Valentine's Day so it's been in my head. Public Image Ltd's (This is not a) Love Song (1983):

How about we add Dead or Alive doing You Spin Me Round (like a record) (1985)

Let's grab a classic song from a classic movie. Joe Esposito's You're the Best (1984) from The Karate Kid

Songs 35-37

Early morning post today as I came across an article today on Digg about the song Let's Ram It (1986) by the Los Angeles Rams. This made me want to do an all football post. First, the Rams:

The Chicago Bears doing the Super Bowl Shuffle (1985)

And who from the Philadelphia area can ever forget Buddy's Watchin' You (1988)

Songs 32-34

My first thought today was Oingo Boingo which led me to choosing groups that have an alliterative nature to their name. First Dead Man's Party (1985)

Next is Hoodoo Gurus with What's My Scene (1987)

Conclude with Mister Mister and Kyrie (1985)

Songs 29-31

The song that first came to mind today was Alphaville's Big in Japan (1984)

Which prompted me to think Asian songs which naturally led to none other than Asia and Heat of the Moment (1982)

And since he passed recently, we'll add Mr. David Bowie and China Girl (1983)

Songs 26-28

Songs off of the first two cassette tapes I ever bought: Jack and Diane by John Cougar (1982)

Allentown by Billy Joel (1982)

and for the heck of it Melle Mel with White Lines (Don't Don't Do It) (1983)

Songs 23-25

Queen - Radio Gaga (1984)


The Kinks - Around the Dial (1981 (our first 1981 song!))

Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio (1982)

Songs 20-22

Here are the songs for today. We'll start with The Outfield's Your Love (1986):


Eric Clapton's It's In the Way That You Use It (1986):


Wrap up with Steve Perry singing Oh Sherrie (1984)

Songs 17-19

First song that came to mind today was Belinda Carlisle's Heaven is a Place on Earth (1987)


which led me to a heaven theme. Dokken's Heaven Sent (1987)


and then Bryan Adams' Heaven (1984)

Songs 14-16

One of my favorite 80's songs. Baltimora's Tarzan Boy (1985):

Flock of Seagulls I Ran (1982)

Cheap Trick's The Flame (1988)

Songs 11-13

Jazz tunes were in my head this morning. We'll begin with Spyro Gyra's (1987) Cayo Hueso:

I'm going to cheat a bit with this one which was released in the seventies but I heard it in the eighties and it appeared on his Best of album in 1980. Maynard Ferguson's Birdland:

Then George Benson came to mind and while I would love to add On Broadway, Did You Hear Thunder (1986) came to mind first.

Songs 8-10

A thousand songs may be a challenge after all. This feels hard already. Men at Work came to mind today. So many to choose from but I'm going with Overkill (1983):

I'm choosing this one in part because I always enjoyed Colin Hay's appearance on Scrubs doing this song.

Since we're going Australian, we'll add Midnight Oil's Beds are Burning (1987):

And another group with so many to choose from but I'll choose one that never appeared on a major album of theirs. INXS with I'm Coming (Home) (1987):

Songs 5-7

We'll begin today's songs with a song with tremendous cross-generational appeal, Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up (1987):

Then, the best song by an Astley, Jane's Getting Serious by Jon Astley (1987):

And I'll wrap up with my favorite redhead of the eighties, Cathy Dennis's Just Another Dream...ooh, this is interesting. This song was released multiple times and didn't become popular until a re-release in the nineties which is probably when I heard it. BUT, there is evidence it existed in the 80's and a guy who sounds like Rick Astley sang background (D-Mob) which makes this a good all-around Astley post. So I'm keeping it and calling it (1989).

Songs 2-4

I may write stuff about these songs but then again, maybe I won't. Today's songs are Walk the Dinosaur by Was (not Was) (1988):



Toto's Africa (1982):


and Kim Wilde's You Keep Me Hangin' On (1986):

Introduction

Hi there!

My name is Jon and my childhood was spent mostly in the 1980's. In my old age, I find that I still enjoy and appreciate the songs from that era.

I am employed as a statistician and at the end of January, I realized that on Groundhog Day, there would be 333 days remaining in the year. That in turn made me think about recruiting my peers Jason from Los Angeles and Steve from Chicago, with whom I e-mail regularly to start a blog about songs from the eighties. The idea would be that each of us would choose a song from the eighties each day for the rest of the year. Three times 333 gives us 999 and we would throw in a song to make it an even 1,000. To make it interesting and challenging, I suggested we have a restriction that no artist could appear twice over the course of the year.

I proposed the idea to Steve and Jason and it did not go over well. Steve does not share my love for the era (he is actually much more fond of the 1880's). Jason was game if we expanded it to cover all eras and also include multiple songs by each artist because he couldn't limit his love for Liz Phair to a single song.

So I did what anyone would do faced with such a situation. I took my songs and went home. I'm going to do this my way (Frank Sinatra was an eighties artist, right?) and I'm going to do a blog, damn it, because blogs are dead (and I love that Blogger underlines blog and Blogger as misspelled words). It is my hope that people enjoy this in their RSS feeds.

Some other points to make before I put up the first song. I'm not getting ahead of myself. I'm not making lists of songs to add, I'm not posting posts in advance. I'm not purchasing I Love the 80's compilations looking for ideas. Each day I will come up with three songs. I'm winging this (hey! that gives me an idea for the first song!). Songs may or not may be popular but most will probably be because that is how I heard of them. I will include jazz and new age music because I listened to that when I was a kid. I will not take requests. That's about it. So without further ado, we will start with Winger's Seventeen (1988):