It’s An ’80s Kind of Day Part 5

Woo hoo!  This will be my 5th post about the awesome music of the ’80s!  I’m needing some fun today so let’s get on with it!

1. Alone By: Heart

OK.  Seriously.  Who doesn’t love Heart?  They are awesome!  I absolutely love this song!  I remember our cool bus driver putting a Heart cassette tape (yes, cassette tape–great quality of course) in the bus radio (someone must’ve requested she play it) and singing, no BELTING out the songs with other gals on the bus.  Not sure what the boys were up to but we gals thought we were pretty darn cool.  Video: Already loving the puffy curly blonde hair in the first shot.  The dark-haired singer is so pretty.  Also love her puffy curly dark hair.  They are sisters right?  And still going strong I believe.  OK, first of all I can’t help but chuckle at her standing on a balcony or something singing but to then see her with the black netting stuff over her face is too much.  What?  And now she’s on the big screen?  Where’d she go?  Uh oh.  Did the piano explode?  Oh my.  Listen to that great harmony (speaking sincerely).  Somebody needs to clean that room with all the curtains.  Looks like the whole band has big hair.  Of course they do.  Tee hee.  The three with their big puffy blonde hair show up in the darkness at the end.  Those gals were pretty darn tough huh?  And will somebody please tell them FINALLY “How do I get you alone?”

2. Tell Her About It By: Billy Joel

OH this song still haunts me.  You know how you have those memories you can’t shake?  I remember being 15 and at a Birthday party with a boy who supposedly LIKED me and all my friends were there.  This song came on and the boy still hadn’t “ASKED ME OUT” yet and my friends kept hinting and singing the song at us to try to give him the hint.  Hmm.  Well he did tell me about it later that night.  He was my first serious boyfriend.  The funny thing is that this party was in the ’90s and that song was playing.  Awesome.  Video: OK so we apparently have gone back in time?  And Billy comes out wearing a white suit jacket with white shoes to match and dark glasses.  Except to be ’80s style he’s wearing a red tie.  And then we see behind the scenes and it looks like that guy’s gonna make the moves on that gal in the control room.  Get it?  And I can’t help it but is that food on the equipment?  My old employer would’ve had our heads!  Anyway, wow, that audience is in sync with their swaying.  OK even the band is swaying.  Gotta love the back up singers.  And look at all the stars in this video!  And then we see a whole montage of people reacting to the music.  What’s with the kids swaying too?  I think I’m gonna get seasick watching the audience.  ACK!  Wait what?  Did Billy Joel leave the stage and go out into the real world?  He just left his band on the stage?  And now he’s breaking into people’s homes and singing to them?  Love the newspaper headline.  And then he delivers pizza to the gals slumber party?  He sure does get around.  OK.  This song is long.  Good thing it’s catchy.  And will you just “tell her about it”?  PLEASE!  What the?  The astronaut and the big scary bear thing.  What on earth?

3. Toy Soldiers By: Martika

She was basically a One Hit Wonder huh?  Really loved this song back then.  I think I sang it on the beach a couple of times.  Must’ve been thinking I was making my own video I guess.  She really cared right?  I thought it was so deep and listening to it now I still think it kinda is.  Video: VERY DRAMATIC.  So this was in 1989–on the cusp of the ’90s when big hair WAS SO NOT IN.  HAIR IN THE FACE AND EYES WAS IN–ESPECIALLY ON ONE SIDE COVERING ONE EYE.  The kids singing are pretty haunting.  Boy was she singing melodramatically to the camera in a lot of this when it’s not showing her with that guy.   OK.  That video effect: are we supposed to be seeing her sing through the rain?  Strange.  Anyone know if she really did lose someone to drugs or was she just making a hip anti-drug statement?  Or both?  Hmm.  Another long song.  A little too embellishing I think.  Actually, the video is too long but I never thought the song was.  Interesting.  So was he supposed to be the bad guy she got involved with?  And what is with that horrible wig she’s wearing when she’s I’m guess in high school?

4. White Wedding By: Billy Idol

Another Billy for my list today huh?  “It’s a nice day for a white wedding” he sings that line quite a bit in this song.  That might be all I remember from it.  He was pretty cool with his spiky bleach blonde hair don’tcha think?  Video: 3 wiggling butts is one of the first things we see.  Nice.  Looks like this video’s gonna tell another story.  What the heck?  What is he wearing around his head?  Hmm.  Quite the trippy video.  And he’s still singing with that thing on his head?  I keep laughing every time I see it.  Did he think that was cool?  And what’s with those women wearing black latex suits?  Are there enough crosses in that church?  Is he getting his point across well enough?  And you gotta have some smashing glass everywhere right?  A video just isn’t cool without it.  OK.  And then when she enters the church again they just put the whole previous montage on repeat?  Really?  What the heck?  ACK!  Is the rest of it now on repeat?  OK good.  It’s not.  It’s true what he’s singing here.  There’s nothing like things going wrong in the kitchen: you know, the toaster explodes…

5. Venus By: Bananarama

LOVED this song.  LOVED them way back when.  I wore out my cassette tape of their music.  They were cool and deep.  I just couldn’t believe this was a remake at the time.  So for the sake of this commentary, we’ll act like this is an original.  Video: Nice red room with a crooked painting in the wall.  And then the three of them dance in front of the camera.  Of course.  What else would there be to do?  Of course they’re doing the move with swishing their hand in front of their face over and over again.  Love what the goddess is wearing.  That’s the goddess right?  Whats with the psycho-eyed vampire lady in the coffin?  And of course there’s a fire video effect.  Duh.  And now we see lots of scantily clad men.  Alrighty then.  So she’s the devil?  She’s a sorceress?  I’m so confused.  And of course we need to see them in different outfits dancing in front of the camera in flashing lights this time.  Help!  That big bow on her head is gonna swallow me up.  So the message I’m getting is that women are trouble.  And this version is sung by women.  OK.  Thanks.

That was fun!  See you next week for more I’m sure!