A to Z of the 80s - Z is for Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I'm Off To Have A Nap Now

by Jo Michelmore

And here we are at the final instalment of this alphabet and therefore, we can finally leave the stirrup pants, scrunchies, Rubik's cubes, clothes that show everyone where you are sweating (yes, the 80s were a crazy time) and Rainbow Brites away. Committing to an entire alphabet can be an exhausting thing. But before we leave the fabulous fluorescent decade that was, let's celebrate everything it is, I mean was, one more time. 

The 80s were about hair....and being hairy was an extra bonus. And being Bon Jovi was even better.

The 80s were Cyndi Lauper.

The 80s were about dancing.

The 80s were about fighting. And the Jacksons fighting. Or dancing and fighting. Or both.

The 80s were about Axl Rose's pants.

The 80s were about the greatest song ever written. Or was that this one? Well, it wasn't this one. 

But most of all, these 80s were about things I like, which include some of my favourite karaoke songs.

And now, after all that 80s. It's time to take a nap. Until next A to Z friends, featuring much less hair, less lycra and no big hair! Well, I can't promise that last one. Sweet dreams are not made of this...

But more made of this. Phew. 80s. Done! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

A to Z of the 80s - Y is for Yes

Yes. And yes.

by Jo Michelmore

The thing that has struck me most since writing this A to Z, is that there are a lot of songs from the 80s that have elicited the same response from me. It's happened every week for the past 26 weeks (slightly more for those paying attention), but every time I've thought of music in 80s the same thing has happened. The smile is big and the word is always the same. Yes. Yes. And yes. Because it's become clear to me the 80s were clearly awesome. Yes? Yes.

And because I may have thought Alison Moyet in 1982 was Boy George in 1983 for a minute or two. Yes.

And because the same people who were responsible for Kylie's first fame in 1988 were also responsible for this in 1985. Yes.

And because one day this hair will be back and it won't be 1986 and I can't wait. Yes. 

And because in 1988 Nirvana, The Vengaboys and Mariah Carey didn't exist yet, so the only way was up. Until about 2003. Yes.

And mostly because although I can do about three quarters of selected Eminem and some Beastie Boys songs, this is the only rap song I know the all words to, from beginning to end. She's dressed in yellow, she says hello, come sit next to me you fine fellow...told you. 1989 was a clearly a good year. Yes. Yes. And yes.

The Medicine Cabinet #11

Music Is My (Bad) Medicine

by Nayt Housman

Music is my medicine. Is it yours? I ask the public six golden questions to find out if and how they use music to feed the soul.

Mandy by Nayt Housman

Work victim number two, Mandy, submitted to my desires and allowed me to probe her mind for 51 years worth of music love but I found out there are only two passions that are all consuming in Mandy’s world, her husband and Jon Bon Jovi.


Who flicks your switch and turns up the volume?


Mandy: I love Jon Bon Jovi, I love his music; he really just comes to mind because he’s the most important one I think.

 I’d have him on a plate; I’d have him in a box, WHO CARES? He’s 'Wanted Dead Or Alive'.

Why is he the pills that cure your ills?

Mandy: Because when he sings ‘Thank You For Loving Me’ I melt. It’s cool, it always has been and it’s just been like a favorite song forever. He’s always just been that forever favorite.

'Thank You For Loving Me' and her, and him, and them, and that. 

OMG who don’t you love Bon Jovi? I thought I was the only one…

What kind of high does it give you?


Mandy: It just makes me happy, I mean it’s not anything kinky or weird like some people might think *laughs*. It just makes me happy AND he’s actually the same age as me. Maybe a couple of months younger or older, but you wouldn’t think so would you? I mean look at me and then look at him *laughs*.

No kinky, just 'Lay Your Hands On Me'.

When do you find yourself craving musical relief?

Nayt: Oops, looks like I forgot to ask this one. Should I adlib? Maybe it would be something involving servicing and husbands with Jon Bon role-play? No? That’s my fantasy you say? Well it’s true he is a bit of a babe. Would do. Wouldn’t you?

I don’t know how I forgot to ask this one. Maybe it was just a case of 'Bad Medicine'?

Where does music take you?


Mandy: Not knowing my background you wouldn’t understand this but it just takes me away.

There are times when the best thing to do is just 'Runaway'.

How do you share your music love?


Mandy: I share it with the neighbors quite regularly when I turn the stereo system up loud.

YEAH WOO! 'Hook Me Up' baby!

If in doubt Bon Jovi? I don’t know what to take from this…when there’s nothing else Bon Jovi? It almost sounds like I could make this into a world-class pop-rock song; “I don’t need anything but you and Bon Jovi” or “baby don’t leave me but if you do I’ve always got Bon Jovi.” Wait! I get it! Jon Bon is the Plan B…C, D, E…!

I shall dub this 'The Last Resort Effect'. If your every day is just that same old pile but a different bunch of flies, you can always just think of the alternative. Bon Jovi will show you the way. He is the light at the end of the tunnel. Go toward the light children, it will all be over soon, just let Bon Jovi take you…can a day, week, month or year really be that bad when you can be in the clutches of Jovi’s dulcet tones. I don’t know. I guess?

Doctor Nayt’s prescription is to keep the old Bon for those last resort situations. He can be a weapon, a shield or an ointment to soothe those wounds. Keep a 'lil in your pocket and some in your first aid kit. You might never know when you’ll need a little Jon Bon Jovi.

Where Is My Mind? - The Benefits Of Being A Blogger

I know Thom, I felt the same when youtube took me to Coldplay.

The Benefits Of Being A Blogger

by Jo Michelmore

There's a lot of great things about writing a blog and more specifically writing for a music blog. I mean, there's all the freebies* that get passed my way everyday, there's all the great gigs I get to go to for nothing** and most of all there's the fame*** and the adoration**** from the readers*****. I just love getting stopped in the street****** and being told someone really loved what I wrote or I changed someone's life in a positive way.

These things may or may not happen, but I do love writing for a music blog because it's a reeeeeeeeally good excuse to listen to all sorts of music at all hours of the day and night and blame it on the blog.

My housemate doesn't like Salt 'N Pepa circa 1990?

"Oh, sorry, just researching something for the blog."
 
Three hours in front of youtube watching Radiohead clips?

"Oh sorry, just researching something for the blog."

Yep, writing for a music blog definitely has it's benefits. Like last week, when we left off on R.E.M.'s 'Everybody Hurts', the clip ends with images of traffic stopped on a road without explanation which reminded me of one of my favourite clips of all time and also one of my favourite bands of all time; Radiohead. Now I write for a music blog, so that meant this week I got to sit in front of the youtubes and do that thing that we've all been guilty of and pretend I had a good excuse to do it. You know you've done it, we've all done it. You're watching one thing and that leads to another which leads to another and then it's suddenly 2am and you have to be at work at sunrise. I have a friend who started with some Garbage clips which took him to garbage trucks and I know he's watched many hours of clips of many varities of waste disposal vehicles (probably in between other unsavoury things but that's a whole other story). Watch where Radiohead took me this week...

Just 
Radiohead

 

Damn, how good are Radiohead? REM took me to Radiohead and my favourite Radiohead clip of all time. This one speaks volumes to me. I imagine if Thom Yorke hadn't found music this is the kind of thing he would have done. I can see him now, his cute little face on the pavement and I have dreams of one day doing exactly this. Just stopping and lying down. You think I'm joking, don't you? One day there'll be a footpath and there you'll find me, having a little lie down, watching the world go by....then I'll remember there's something on youtube I meant to watch and I'll get up and go home again.

Black Hole Sun

Soundgarden

So there was Radiohead and what should appear on the right hand side of my monitor? 'Black Hole Sun'. Why youtube associated 'Just' with the weird concepts in this clip is a complete mystery to me. It was just there, on the side of my screen. Chris Cornell? Thom Yorke? What? I'm not going to complain, because this was actually a really weird and great clip. Watching this reminded me of Soundgarden's guitarist, Kym Thayill. How old is he? He looked like he was 50 in the 90's and he was rocking strong then, so how old is he now? I suppose I should have taken my job as a blog writer more seriously and answered that question for you via the googles, but I was busy seeing where youtube took me next...

Always  

Bon Jovi 

 

Well, youtube does come up with some strange suggestions, doesn't it? 'Black Hole Sun', a song about, well, nothing leads to a Bon Jovi ballad? I don't know what youtube is thinking, although I know it would have something to do with record companies and advertising and other boring things, but I dare not question them. What I do know is that I know someone who adores Jon Bon Jovi, so I dare not say anything negative about him. She may even still have Bon Jovi posters from her childhood, somewhere in her house (she does). I don't think they are on a wall anymore, but I haven't seen every room in her house, so who's to say? I also know someone (who may or may not write on this blog******) who kills a Bon Jovi song at karaoke and by kills I mean smashes and by smashes I mean sings it real good like. Yep. Unfortunately though, Bon Jovi took me somewhere I wasn't prepared to go and this is where youtube betrayed and also rewarded me.

The Scientist

Coldplay

 

See? This is where my wasted hours stopped. Coldplay. They're just not my cup of tea and by the time I got to Coldplay my tea was cold so it was time to get up and boil the kettle again anyway. Youtube, thank you for successfully wasting more of my time than I ever needed wasted, but I suppose I should also thank you for handing me Coldplay. Without Chris Martin and friends, I could have spent another couple of hours in front of the laptop and we all know I have to be up for work at sunrise, because even though the blogging provides me with such amazing benefits********, I've still got to have a day job. Sigh. Such is the life of the music blogger. The question is, where has youtube taken you and where will Coldplay take us next week? Somewhere much more pleasant (with less astrerisks) one hopes.



* I don't get freebies or I at least don't get many of them. Perhaps my editor is hiding them from me.

** Nothing = whatever the ticket or door price is, mostly.

*** I'm not famous

**** Adoration = "oh I didn't read that this week"

***** Readers = hi Mum! Oh, also hi Matt's Mum and hi Katie's Mum as well. Please keep reading.

****** People only ever stop me in the street to ask me to give money to Greenpeace or the WWF or to straigthen my hair or sell me cosmetics...or something. No. No to all of them.

******* Does write on this blog. Hi editor!

******** Benefits = I'm not 100% sure what they are, but I do like writing about silly things every week and having someone/anyone read them. That means you. Well done for getting to the end of the post.

It's All Coming Back To Me Now - It Don't Matter If You're Black Or White

Michael and Janet: Incredible in any colour.

It Don't Matter If You're Black or White...

Unless We're Talking About Music Videos

by Jo Michelmore

Once, not so long ago, when I was a tiny little girl, I had a strange concept of the world. I saw old film clips and television footage of things that had happened long ago and naturally, everything was in black and white. This amazed me. At some stage, the whole world had been black and white and then suddenly everything turned colour? How dull things must have been! How would you choose what to wear each day if everything was just a shade of grey? It would make accessorising easier, I suppose, but food would be kind of boring, wouldn’t it? Chips just don’t seem like they’d taste the same if they were a shade of grey, with grey sauce and a glass of black, thanks. Of course eventually (!?) I realised it was just how things were filmed; the type of film was black and white, not the whole world (although, admittedly, some days are more black and white than others aren’t they, metaphorically speaking). On a very ‘black and white’ day this week, I was watching one of my fave future vintage clips (more about this later) and it got me thinking about the thing I want to discuss this week. The black and white clip. Creative? Sometimes. Interesting? Sometimes. Boring? Sometimes. Amazing? Sometimes.

Baby Love

by The Supremes (1964) 

So it was ok to have a clip in black and white in the 60’s, because everything was black and white, right? Um, yep, according to five year old me, that’s how the world worked then. No? Oh well, just an excuse to watch one of my favourite groups from the 60’s. Let’s move on….

Every Breath You Take

by The Police (1983) 

Oh yay, it’s everyone’s favourite creepy stalker song. Stop watching me Sting. Stop counting my breaths, you weirdo. What are you doing anyway, standing there, creepily caressing your double bass, singing off to the distance and who is that guy cleaning windows while the band plays underneath? Why are there windows in this clip? Are the windows being cleaned because you have an unhealthy obsession with windows? With clean windows? Clean because you can peep through them easier while watching every move, every step, every breath your poor unsuspecting victim takes? You’re weird Sting; really, really weird.

#8 - Your Summertime Road Trip Mix

Let's go on a road trip!

Maths has never been my strong point. You see, apparently I can't seem to grasp the very basic concept of counting. I started filling out the Music Listography book last year, highlighting my favourite songs, bands, albums and more in various lists. I thought I was currently up to list #13. I was wrong. Somewhere along the way I decided 8 was a number we could all learn to live without, so we're going to rectify that right now with the next entry in our life in lists. Since it's (the saddest) summer (ever), now's a pretty good time to bust out the twenty songs I love to get my road trip on with.


Before we get to that though, why not have a quick read through the 12 11 lists we've already done up!

1. Your Top 20 Favourite Bands

2. Your Top 20 Favourite Songs

3. 20 Albums You'd Bring If You Were Leaving Planet Earth

4. List The Best Concerts and Music Festivals You've Seen

5. Music From Your High School Years

6. Your Favourite Music Moments In Film

7. List Bands You Do NOT Like

9. Songs To Play At Your Funeral

10. Your Favourite Television and Film Theme Songs

11. Your Favourite Male Vocalists

12. Your Favourite Female Vocalists

To fill out your own handy Music Listography bible, track it down on Amazon and celebrate your life in music.

#8 - Your Summertime Road Trip Mix

Who doesn't enjoy going for a good old road trip in the summer? There are some essential things you're going to need to make a road trip a roaring success. First things first, you're going to need a car. Preferably one that can drive long distances. Second, you need the weather to be awesome. I know, I know... you don't have control of the weather yet. You will someday, but not now. Until then, make sure it's going to be a pretty sweet day before planning an RT. An ice-cold drink will come in handy, but most importantly, you're going to need an excellent selection of music. Optional things to bring with you include a satellite phone, water to last three days, a map and some sort of weapon you know how to use. I've seen Wrong Turn, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. Bad things can happen to good people! Oh... don't forget to find some friends, for they can increase your survival chances. I mean... a road trip is way more fun with people you like and stuff?

Here's twenty songs It's My Kind of Scene loves to drive to come summer time...

Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Around the Bend

Hole - Malibu

Song of the Day - You Give Love a Bad Name



I'll have hairstyle #4 thanks...



Bon Jovi - You Give Love a Bad Name

Album: Slippery When Wet (1986)

Keeping up our current 80s trend... here's Bon Jovi! Seriously though, I'll get back to this decade tomorrow. Maybe. No Promises. Anyway... enjoy the awesomeness!

Top 100 Music Videos - #60 - 51



Lily goes country!


Welcome to the halfway point of the countdown! After today we're in Top 50 territory, the best of the best... of the best. At this moment we're still just looking at the best of the best.

#60 - I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) (1994)

by Meat Loaf

Meat Loaf's vision of Beauty and the Beast was surprisingly good. But it was the 90s... everything was good in the 90s. Everything. Anyway, in this version Meat Loaf plays the Beast as a fugitive being hunted down by the po-po. Beauty sees that he's rolling in money and fancy jewels so she's keen as keen could be, tracking Meat to his haunted mansion. She then has a bath. As you do. Then Dracula's vampire brides show up. At this point the narrative is spiralling out of control... Still, good clip, right?

Best Moment: Beauty and the now non-Beast on the motorcycle at the end.  

Top 100 Songs of the 1980s, #10 - 1

It's the end of the road for the ultimate 80s countdown, as It's My Kind of Scene unveils the top 10 songs of one of the craziest decades in the history of music. Over the past couple of weeks we've looked at hits from the biggest stars the 1980s gave us, from MTV superstars like Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson to New Wave acts like New Order and Depeche Mode and eternal industry heavyweights like U2 and Elton John. So who's going to make the top 10? There's only one way to find out... read on!

Top 200 Songs of the 1990s - #60 - 51

All aboard, because it's the last stop before the all-important top 50, boys and girls! After this post we're 3/4 of the way through the countdown, which will sadly bring us closer to the end of unofficial 90s month here at It's My Kind of Scene. I think after this month I'll have to put a moratorium on 90s music for a little bit. Or not. Alright, mobile phones off please... the show's about to begin!

#60 - The Boy Is Mine (1998)

by Brandy & Monica

Collaborations between two superstars weren't as common during the 90s as they are these days, which made them all the more special. Brandy & Monica teamed up for 'The Boy Is Mine,' leading to them spending a massive 13 weeks at the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 in the Summer of 98. It was the first #1 song for both artists who have sadly slipped away from the public consciousness in recent years. Mekhi Phifer seems to want to stereotype himself as 'the serial cheating jerk boyfriend.' He played the same role in En Vogue's 'Don't Let Go' video. He seems to have sort of learnt his lesson, he's only messing around with two girls instead of four now. Nice.

#59 - Cornflake Girl (1994)

by Tori Amos

More people need to invest a couple of hours in listening to Tori Amos' catalogue of music. Tunes like 'Cornflake Girl' seem years ahead of their time. Oh, and they're AWESOME.

#58 - Every You, Every Me (1999)

by Placebo

Oh... sweet... Jesus. Sarah Michelle Gellar was smoking hot in Cruel Intentions. What? The song? Yeah, yeah it's real good.

#57 - Sway (1997)

by Bic Runga

'Sway' is one of those criminally underrated pop songs that should have been a mega-hit, but for one reason or another it never got to that level. It's perfectly crafted; Runga's voice, the lyrics and even the video which in its own way promotes stalking. Bic has continued to release material in her native New Zealand and has become one of their biggest stars. Think of her as the NZ Missy Higgins or uh, Norah Jones (without the jazz) for UK readers.

#56 - Always (1994)

by Bon Jovi

Yes, yes, yes! THIS is a rock ballad my friends. Bon Jovi may have had the bigger hits in the 80s, but the group tore up the charts with this one and launched the career of Keri Russell aka Felicity aka the homewrecker in this video.

#55 - Breathe (1996)

by The Prodigy

Have you ever been in a club when this comes on? The ensuing insanity can be one of the most exciting 4 minute periods in your entire life.

#54 - Glycerine (1995)

by Bush

Hey, it's Gwen Stefani's husband! I must have listened to this song a thousand times before I noticed there weren't any drums in it.

#53 - Enter Sandman (1991)

by Metallica

Before becoming mortal enemies with Napster and internet downloaders, Metallica were just the bestest little metal rockers in the whole world. 'Enter Sandman' would propel the band into superstardom, with sales of the album Metallica exceeding 25 million. Not too shabby. As a side note, please don't play this song to children prone to nightmares. Or, if you want to scare the crap out of a kid prone to nightmares, play this!

#52 - 1979 (1996)

by Smashing Pumpkins

If this doesn't stir some sort of memory or emotion in you... then I'm assuming you've never heard it. So you won't get it. So there. The Pumpkins 'nicest' song I guess... it's like chicken soup for the ears.

#51 - My Hero (1998)

by Foo Fighters

About time the Foo Fighters showed up. I always thought that Dave Grohl had written this song about Kurt Cobain but I don't know why. I'm pretty sure it's never been said that he intended this as a tribute. Still, it's a really cool track and the first of two Foo Fighters songs that will place on the list. Genius level intellect is not necessary to figure out what the second one's going to be.