Tag: 1986

Friday’s Theme Music

When I post something, I’ve developed a practice of confirming that I haven’t posted it before. This is new to my blogging, probably started within the last six months.

Today I search for Aerosmith. I laughed when I saw how many times I’ve posted an Aerosmith song, including “Livin’ On the Edge” twice.

(As an shameful aside, seeing the errors in my posts make me blush. My posts are typically off the top of my head and written without much thought. (Obviously, right?) I could really use a second and third review of them before posting, and perhaps an editor.)

Well, I’m not posting an Aerosmith song today. Instead, I’m posting Run-DMC’s cover of “Walk This Way” from 1986, featuring Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith. “Walk This Way” is a favorite walking song, and I enjoy the Run-DMC edition a great deal.

 

0

Tuesday’s Theme Music

The eighties had a lot of music going on. (I know, like, what decade in the last hundred  years hasn’t had a lot of music going on?) One song that popped up in my stream this week is “Your Love” by “The Outfield”.

The song came out in 1986, a few weeks after the Challenger disaster. For some reason, they’re linked in my mind, not in a cause and effect way, but as part of the montage of existence and life that was taking place when the Challenger exploded.

After hearing “Your Love” a few times, I bought their CD, Play Deep. It didn’t really take me anywhere, though, and was relegated to storage in the CD drawers.

I still like this song, though. The vocal style reminds me of the Australian rock band, Men At Work. “Your Love” is a decent song for streaming while walking along hot city streets.

2

Wednesday’s Theme Music

I was streaming this song in my head this morning after having a wild, wild dream during the night.

“Wild, Wild Life” by the Talking Heads isn’t my favorite TH song, but I always enjoyed these lyrics. I thought they observe and mock modern complexities, hypocrisies, and ambiguities. I’ve often encountered Americans dissatisfied with life and their work, people who want to shake things up for themselves, something to give their life a more satisfactory edge as youth’s dreams fossilize into adult reality and the ruts become traps. So people party, have affairs, or do crazy things.

Well, that’s how I interpret life and this song. Your mileage may vary.

It was years before I saw the video for the song. Although the song came out in 1986, I was traveling across America, visiting Africa and Korea for the military, and never saw the video until much, much later. Its pop culture references are good for a laugh, especially the Billy Idol and Madonna imitations.

On the way to the coffee shop, to get some wild, wild life.

2

Sunday’s Theme Music

This morning found me awakening with a song streaming in my mind. How unusual! I don’t believe that’s ever happened before (*snark*).

The theme du jour was being delivered by Sammy Hagar on vocals as part of the amplified group called Van Halen. The song, “Why Can’t This Be Love”, was released during my formative years. 1986 found me moving from South Carolina to Germany.  I was a wee lad of thirty years old, and full of wide-eyed wonder and innocence. My new friends introduced me to this interesting musical genre called rock. That changed my thinking forever.

I really associate this with Randy, though. After Germany, my next assignment took me to California, where I met Randy. Now dead of cancer at fifty-nine, he was a huge Van Halen, Boston, and Atlanta Braves fan. Go to his home, and it wouldn’t be unusual to find him on the patio smoking, windows open and drinking coffee or beer, with Van Halen, Boston, or the Atlanta Braves on.

Crank it up. You know Randy would.

 

0

Thursday’s Theme Music

Woke up with this streaming in my mind. An apt, reflective song for a new year rising, here’s Steve Winwood with “Back In the High Life Again.”

 

2

Today’s Theme Music

To counter our dry, hot weather, I thought I’d post something with precipitation.

First songs to stream in were, “Let It Snow,” and “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.” “Singing in the Rain” quickly followed. Songs by New Edition, Seal and The Rescues jumped in there. Tina Turner, “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” joined the queue, and then Blind Melon, “No Rain.”

Peter Gabriel’s “Red Rain” streamed in. Yes, that’s the one. Although it offers a lightly macabre vision of someone screaming and red rain falling, Gabriel’s dreams inspired the song, and I like its heavy percussion presence. We were living in Columbia, South Carolina, when this song was released. Columbia had fantastic afternoon deluges throughout the summer, and this song reminded me of sitting on our apartment’s balcony as the rain poured, chilling the air.

Here we are, from nineteen eighty-six, and the “So” album, “Red Rain.”

 

0

Today’s Theme Music

Visiting with family, tread carefully. Words and looks creak with nuances that you may not notice. As these matters are delivered to your attention – “What did you mean by that?” – you realize how gingerly you must move.

Liam Sternberg wrote a song about the awkward poses struck while trying to keep your balance and avoid trouble. The Bangles made it a hit in nineteen eighty-six. Here’s ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’.

0

Today’s Theme Music

Here we are, hump day. It’s not a national holiday to go humping but rather the middle of the week hump if you’re a standard Monday through Friday nine to fiver.

The middle is the key. You’re at the hump. Make it over this hump and the rest is much easier. This hump can be in the work week or the school term, the novel, a project, or a relationship. The thing is, this hump must be crossed.

For that, I decided more upbeat music is needed as our background sound. Timbuk 3’s ‘The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades’ seems like an acceptable fit.

The song was a hit in 1986. Reagan was President in America; Marcos was ousted in the Philippines. I was living in an apartment in Columbia, South Carolina, but ended the year living in a hotel on Rhein-Main AB in Germany. The song seemed like such a natural fit to how things were going in my life that I adopted it, cranking it up on the car stereo as we drove around.

It’s not completely upbeat, though. Some lyrics are ironic and satirical, and about the world getting blown up. Some of it seems like a graduation theme song. But mostly, I hitch myself to that refrain, “Things are going great and they’re only getting better. The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades,” and take the spin that it’s not a nuclear explosion that drives the need for shades, but bright prospects for a happier and more prosperous era.

Yeah, right on, brother and sister writers. Think of a future so bright, you gotta wear shades while you type.

 

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑