2. Pick the year you turned 18
3. Get yourself nostalgic over the songs of the year
4. Write something about how the songs affected you
5. Pass it on to 5 more friends
Well, here goes ... 12 songs I remember and relate to from the year I turned 18, some pretty decent, some eminently forgettable, some hideously schlocky. And a few memories ... I'll try to keep them PG.
Physical - Olivia Newton-John - some songs would have been better left unwritten. This, in my humble opinion, is one of them. I remember sweatbands and spandex at the clubs because of this song. 'Nuff said.
I Love Rock n' Roll - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - a throwback to 2-chord rock that really has nothing to do with music. Think tribal chant of the stoner crowd ...
Chariots of Fire theme - Vangelis - my mother loved this song. Need I say more?
Ebony and Ivory - Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder - two great music legends, one incredibly bland song. It sticks in my memory only because it took my boyfriend a month to understand the reference of ebony and ivory as pertaining to the piano, as well as to the racial differences of the two performers ... yeah, he really was that dense, but he was a cute hockey player. (Anndi understands this ...)
Don't You Want Me - The Human League - you know, after sitting on this particular post for a while, I STILL have no opinion about this song. It was real popular and I can even remember the words, but I don't remember it having that much of an impact, really, at least not on me ...
Open Arms - Journey - no THIS is what it was about for me! My first serious "not-a-high-school boyfriend" and I danced for the first time to this song at the first beergarden in my first year at university. He is a high school music teacher somwhere in Alberta now ... he played the trombone and it is true what they say about brass players ... GREAT kissers!
Eye of the Tiger - Survivor - this was my brother's "theme song" (no idea why) ... so on principal, I loved it, because my brother was (is) my hero. And, if you can imagine it, we played it in jazz band, too. I was first alto sax, and I had the melody, which was very cool.
Abracadabra - The Steve Miller Band - this is a great song, but I remember it primarily because of the filthy but funny parody my best friend wrote and PERFORMED for a school variety show (she got suspended for it ... lol).
Hard to Say I'm Sorry - Chicago - one of my favorite bands of all time ... there's just something about the sound of horns, ya know? Got to see them 5 years later which was definitely a high point in my life. I remember this song being one of the last Chicago songs featuring Peter Cetera's distinctive voice. I still miss that sound ...
Jack & Diane - John Mellencamp - most memorable for me because the girls who lived next door to me in residence my first year were named Jackie and Diane, and they played that song 24/7.
Up Where We Belong - Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes - I remember the movie ... Richard Gere in uniform ... ohhhhh man ... wait?!? there was music?!?
Mickey - Toni Basil - I don't often get SCATHING about a musical endeavor, but this has GOT to be one of those songs (using the term loosely here, folks) that someone wrote to make a quick buck. It's a travesty how much popularity it garnered because of its insipid tune and empty-headed lyrics ... and I quote "Oh Mickey, you're so fine. You're so fine you blow my mind ..." Still blows MY mind ... cripes
