When looking back at my musical youth in the 1980s, few if any moments rival the spring of 1985 when We Are The World by USA For Africa was released. I’ll never forget the first handful of times I heard the song and saw the accompanying video, and how utterly awestruck I was by the … Read More
Some of the finest songs and biggest hits you hear happen almost by accident. Such as the case with Pat Benatar’s Love is a Battlefield. The song, co-written by Mike Chapman and Holly Knight was penned for Benatar. However, the intention of its premise compared to how you’d ultimately hear it on the radio is … Read More
Fortunately for lovers of the classic gospel-style power ballad, Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones was a big-time insomniac and lead signer Lou Gramm didn’t prevail in every band argument. As the story goes, following the release of their huge hit album “4” in 1981, the band found themselves with a lot of time to write. Generally … Read More
We’re getting into the deep water portion of this countdown, and seeing there’s but a (mini-spoiler alert) tiny handful of “sad” songs ranked ahead of “Make It Real” by the Jets show how much I loved this sappy tune. Throughout this little expedition I’ve reminded readers a few times this is a countdown of my … Read More
When music fans think of history-making acts, few jump in to mention the Go-Go’s. That’s a shame. Here’s a quick trivia question. How many all-female acts had an album soar to the top of the Billboard charts in which said group sang, played and wrote all of their own material aside from The Go-Go’s? The answer … Read More
Yacht Rock, baby! I’m well aware that soft rock doesn’t carry a lot of weight among hardened mainstream music lovers, but the charm and craftsmanship Christopher Cross brought to this record is undeniable. Laugh all you want but Cross was the Led Zepplin of soft rock and in turn, Sailing was his Stairway to Heaven. … Read More
Alright, man. I know Karma Chameleon isn’t the most masculine song on my countdown. Variety is the spice of life, my friend. This song came out when I was 12 years old and at the time it felt like the world’s coolest nursery rhyme. In a 2003 book titled The Billboard Book of Number One … Read More
Hey, did you know that in the video for Dancing in the Dark, future mega-star Courtney Cox goes from enjoying Bruce Springsteen’s song in the crowd to being invited on stage to dance with him? Oh, you did? Yes, because the entire world knows it. I love Dancing in the Dark and don’t give a … Read More
I’ve always found it peculiar how people remember things from your teenage years that seem so uneventfully random, particularly the older you get. Considering I’m 46 this undeniably pertains to me. I distinctly recall an assembly while a junior at Lafayette High School in Buffalo. The gathering was for S.A.D.D. (Students Against Drunk Driving) and … Read More
Drop the gloves and fight forever, if you must over who was the most dominant female singer of the 80s. What’s not debatable is the two lionesses you’d be sparring over are Madonna and Whitney Houston. Madonna made her mark with fast tempo songs before transitioning into some slower ballads, such as Crazy For You … Read More
